After 3 days of experiencing all the hustle and bustle going on in Vietnams largest city Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City). I found myself on a small fishing boat at 6:00 AM, eating a pineapple, drinking egg coffee, and watching the sunrise as the locals worked away on their daily morning routine. It was on a river that was the complete opposite of what Saigon was like. Calming, quiet, and slow-paced. This river was non-other than the Mekong Delta with the Cai Rang Floating Market.
So this right here is a must do for all blissful backpackers. The Mekong Delta is a region in southern Vietnam containing a vast maze of rivers, islands, and swamps. It’s a water world where boats, houses, restaurants, and even markets float upon the innumerable rivers. It’s also home to a lot of pagodas and villages surrounded by rice fields.
When I learn about some type of adventure experience that must be done. I make sure to do everything possible to make it happen. & going to see the Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong Delta was one of those last-second spontaneous decisions that ended up becoming an amazing experience.
Cai Rang Floating Market
The Cai Rang Floating Market on the Mekong Delta
The Cai Rang floating market runs only from 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM. What’s perfect about being there at this time is the sunrise that you witness while being on a small boat gently floating along the river. However, it being this early in the morning can make it a bit complicated to get to this spot on time. There are two ways to go about making this happen which all depends on your itinerary and how much time you have in the country. Nonetheless, both methods will still allow you to get the full experience.
The Easier Method:
You can either stay at a home-stay or hostel in Can Tho which is the epicenter of the Mekong Delta and where your bus will probably drop you off if you’re coming from Ho Chi Minh City. Then you just wake up very early in the morning and walk over to the Can Tho market where you can hire a boat for around 120,000d per hour. The only negative from this one is that you’ll be spending an extra night in Can Tho.
The Time-saving(Night Trip) Option:
This is the more time-saving/extreme option that I did with a group of people I met at the hostel. This allows you to not have to spend a night in Can Tho and be back in Saigon around noon. Here are the steps:
- At 1:00 AM catch a 3-4 hour sleeper bus to Can Tho from Saigon. A good chance to get some sleep during this step.
- Get there around 4:00 AM and begin looking for a boat to hire. Please don’t accept the first person that approaches you. This is a place where your bartering skills will be tested. Try going along the river and waving down somebody. Chances are its farming local and not someone who profits from tourists.
- Enjoy the boat ride along the river from 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM. This is more than enough time to see the main attractions like the floating market, narrow canals flowing through rice fields, and tour how rice paper is made traditionally.
- After the whole experience, catch a bus to Saigon and be back at the hostel around noon.
Short Tour on How Rice Paper is Made
Traditionally made rice paper drying in the sun
This mini-tour showing how rice paper is made was pretty cool. There are many methods of making rice paper, but this is a very traditional way of making it where they dry rice starch under the sun. You can sample the paper with some of the local ingredients from the market by making your own spring roll. In my opinion, this method makes it taste a lot better than when its created with other tools.
Make sure to let your boat driver know that you’re interested in seeing this, otherwise they will just skip it. Since you guys are paying them by the hour, you basically tell them where to take you and kinda get them to spill the beans on what the best spots are. You’re responsible for taking full advantage of what you’re paying for. Remember this small tip during your whole stay in Vietnam.
Local Market Along Mekong Delta
Another way to get a taste of the rich local culture here is by exploring all the markets around the Mekong Delta. It shows how dependent people are of this river. They make their living through these farming techniques that have been passed down through generations. It’s also a nice spot to eat some fresh food, have some coffee, and take in more of the Mekong Delta.
I found it really crazy that we were able to actually do all this in one morning. The sleeper buses are very comfortable in Vietnam so you can easily sleep through the ride going to the river and back to the city. In what would have been a full night of sleeping from 12:00 AM to 7:00AM-8:00AM. We saw the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang Floating Market, rice paper tour, local farmers market, and still got around 7-8 hours of sleep strictly in the busses. I was back in the hostel around 11:00 AM fully energized and ready to begin doing some more exploring.
