Cai Rang floating market has long been an enticing tourism feature of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Cai Rang floating market is located on Cai Rang River, about 6km away from the heart of Can Tho city. To reach the market by waterway, it takes about 30 minutes from Ninh Kieu wharf in the district of the same name.

Cai Rang floating market offers diverse and plentiful goods, with the most abundant being farm produce such as fruits, vegetables, and ornamental trees, followed by handicrafts-household appliances, and food. Small boats serving as floating convenience stores and restaurants for locals and visitors create a lovely feature of the market.

The market, a tourist magnet of the city, was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016. However, it is yet to be developed on par with its tourism potential and is facing the risk of deterioration.

The project on cultural preservation and tourism development of Cai Rang floating market was approved by the People's Committee of Can Tho city in 2016 with 13 main items. After five years of implementation, the project has only two items of wharf and station left unfinished due to policy and funding problems.

One of the positive results of the project is social security. Cai Rang District People's Committee has created favorable conditions for 170 households to access loans from Vietnam bank for social policies to develop tourism, services, and agricultural products for Cai Rang floating market. Since then, Cai Rang floating market has 6 more fruit and culinary stalls and 3 more households selling souvenirs and local specialties on boats. Every year, the People's Committee of Cai Rang District cooperates with the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, businesses to take care of the life of the people of the floating market with more than 2,000 gifts, worth over 700 million VND. Moreover, local authorities pay attention to preserving and protecting the environment, ensuring security and order by organizing garbage collection, building public toilets, renovating the electricity system, arranging floats to ensure traffic safety…

The number of visitors to Cai Rang floating market increases by an average of 12-15% per year. Currently, the floating market has from 250 to 300 boats and ships. On average, there are over 200 tourist boats to pick up tourists during peak days. Through the survey, more than 70% of Can Tho tourists choose to visit Cai Rang floating market.

However, Cai Rang floating market is yet to be developed on par with its tourism potential and is facing many problems such as the risk of deterioration, poor quality of products and services, unfair competition among small businesses, river pollution, and incomplete embankment construction. Mr. Vuong Cong Khanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Cai Rang district, said: “When the project was built, there was no river embankment. Now there is a river embankment, causing the departure of some agricultural wholesalers because there is no place to anchor their boats. Consequently, small traders will also leave Cai Rang floating market. Therefore, it is necessary to have solutions to exchange goods between vendors on the river and on the shore”. Besides, overlapping state management, cumbersome administrative procedure, and the rapid development of road traffic greatly affect the number of boats on the floating market. Moreover, environmental protection still has many shortcomings.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cai Rang District, said: “Cultural preservation and tourism development of Cai Rang floating market need to harmonize three factors namely culture, environment, and economy. Our dual goal is to both preserve the culture of Cai Rang Floating Market and sustainably develop the tourism economy. Therefore, we always consult with relevant authorities, and experts and listen to the wishes of local traders”.

Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho city, suggested: “It is necessary to diversify the income increase for traders, such as opening trading areas and agricultural preliminarily processing zones, building OCOP products... The People's Committee of Cai Rang District should also find a solution for Cai Rang floating market to be recognized as a traditional craft village in order to have economic support policies for households who have a long-term attachment to the floating market”.

Mr. Tran Hai Long, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Can Tho city, said: “The People's Committee of Cai Rang District should consider establishing a cooperative or a group to purchase, export or deliver local agricultural products to supermarkets, big stores easier. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop standards to ensure the quality of agricultural products, towards the connection of products to e-commerce”.

Cultural researcher, author Nham Hung, said: “Preserving the culture of Cai Rang floating market is the core issue today, I recommend building a river embankment to ensure smooth trade between the market on the shore and the market on the river”. Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Vuong Cong Khanh said: “I think that it is necessary to retain the local traders, so I believe that we should keep the natural status of the floating market, and expand it in the direction of tourism development. Therefore, I suggest that the local authorities should soon adjust the project, remove the inappropriate construction works, and have more specific solutions to the problems of purchasing large quantities of agricultural products, a stopover for small traders to exchange goods, increase the participation of sectors at all levels in floating market management and environmental preservation”. Mr. Phan Dinh Hue, Director of Viet Circle Company, said: “We must protect the "soul" of Cai Rang floating market, which is the floating market culture. If we want a floating market to develop tourism, we must have products to market and sell. Therefore, the locality must build unique and quality products, starting from developing a project on product strategy in the floating market”.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong informed us that Cai Rang is developing a plan to carry out the tasks of preserving and developing the floating market of Cai Rang in the new period as well as adjusting and supplementing changes in the project to submit to the City People's Committee for promulgation a plan to continue implementing the project with the remaining items. He also suggested that it is necessary to have the participation of relevant departments to be able to remove difficulties and promote the effectiveness of the conservation and development of the floating market of Cai Rang.