To reach the Cai Rang Floating Market, visitors have two options:

1. You can rent a boat at Ninh Kieu Wharf. If you choose a larger boat, the journey will take about 40 minutes to cover approximately 10 kilometers. In contrast, a smaller boat will take about one hour to make the same trip.

2. Alternatively, you can drive a personal vehicle (motorbike or car) across the Cai Rang Bridge. Continue until you arrive at a large parking lot at the Cai Rang Floating Market Stop on 17/2 Vo Tanh Street, Le Binh Ward, Cai Rang District. Here, you will find a lively atmosphere on the pier and under the boats.

Aunt Bay Tuoi's food boat

You can rent a boat here for an enjoyable experience. You can book a private boat trip or join a group for a more affordable price. The boats follow a fixed itinerary, which will take you to explore the floating market. There, you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, folk cakes, and other specialties of the West at reasonable prices.

As you move between the boats, you can enjoy the gentle swaying of the water. Don’t forget to take photos of the beautiful river scenery! This tour also provides an opportunity to learn about the culture and lifestyle of the residents living along the river.

The tour lasts about four hours and includes stops at:

- A coconut caramel (candy) factory

- A traditional rice noodle factory

- Grocery stores on floating rafts

- Can Tho fruit gardens, where you can taste unique fruits of the West, including mangosteen, oranges, durians, bell apples, golden apples, star apples, guavas, rambutans, and jackfruits.

All goods sold at the Cai Rang floating market must have their prices listed.

Visitors to craft establishments, such as rice noodle and coconut caramel factories, can observe the entire production process and participate in some stages.

It would be best if you experienced sitting on a boat while savoring delicious local dishes in the middle of the river. This "floating food court" offers a variety of traditional Southern dishes, including vermicelli with crab, rice noodles with grilled pork, banh lot, congee, laksa, hotpot with fish sauce, and hotpot with alluvial soil. You can also choose from various drinks such as coconut water, tea, milk coffee, iced coffee, soy milk, and different types of sweet soup. According to numerous tourists, these dishes can be enjoyed at riverside rafts, with quality and prices often comparable to or even higher than many restaurants on land.

Merchants load goods from boats to transport to fruit warehouses on shore.

Among the food vendors, the “Aunt Bay Tuoi” noodle boat has become a symbol of the Cai Rang floating market delicacies.

Aunt Bay Tuoi (real name Le Thi Be) is the younger sister of Aunt Hai Chinh, who was very famous for her crab noodle soup at the Cai Rang floating market in the past.

In 2012, to make a long-running TV show called “Gordon’s Great Escape,” Mr. Gordon Ramsay, a world-famous British chef who received 16 prestigious Michelin stars, visited many Asian countries, including Vietnam. Here, he tried many specialties and dishes from all over the provinces and cities, and during his journey in Can Tho, Gordon stopped by Aunt Hai Chinh’s boat to try crab noodle soup. The chef, who had cooked for many heads of state and celebrities worldwide, praised the simple noodle dish at a price of less than 20,000 VND/bowl. The bowl of noodles with broth had a rich yet elegant flavor. After finishing the noodles bowl, Gordon called Aunt Hai Chinh the “Queen of Broth”.

Tourists visited Tu Dung Ecological garden

In 2013, Gordon Ramsay chose this delicious Vietnamese dish as the focus for the chefs competing in the Top 5 of MasterChef America. Since then, not only has Gordon Ramsay explored various Vietnamese dishes, but Aunt Hai Chinh's crab noodle soup has also gained international fame through exposure in mass media.

Due to health issues, Aunt Hai Chinh handed her culinary tradition to Aunt Bay Tuoi, who now offers six dishes: crab noodle soup, intestine porridge, rice vermicelli, grilled pork rice vermicelli, grilled spring rolls, and rice noodles. All dishes are priced at 45,000 VND per bowl, comparable to restaurant prices on the shore.

Aunt Bay Tuoi begins her day around 2 a.m., going to the market to purchase ingredients. She cooks the broth and prepares everything so that by 5 a.m., her boat is at the designated selling location in the middle of the river, opposite Khoi My's floating restaurant and grocery store.

Aunt Bay Tuoi has been associated with the Cai Rang floating market for over 40 years. She shared that, although the market is not as busy as it once was, she still sells about 200 rice noodle bowls daily. On weekends, when many tourists visit, her sales increase even more. “My loyal customers return; almost everyone who has tried my dishes comes back to me for breakfast the next time they visit the floating market,” she said with a warm smile.

Aunt Bay Tuoi reflected on how the floating market has supported her entire family, allowing all her children to attend school. She emphasized the importance of food safety, stating that she not only cooks the broth based on a “family” recipe passed down from Aunt Hai Chinh but also adheres strictly to hygiene standards to protect her customers' health. This commitment helps maintain the reputation of her “Aunt Bay Tuoi” noodle brand and contributes positively to the food court at the floating market.

After visiting the floating market, tourists can explore a garden showcasing typical Southwest River region activities. Many of these garden areas have been transformed into eco-tourism sites, offering a variety of experiential activities. One example is the Tu Dung Eco-Garden in Nhon Nghia Commune, Phong Dien District. This site resembles a miniature Southern countryside, featuring an ancient Vietnam Western-style house and traditional living items.

Visitors can engage in several activities, such as rowing a boat to enjoy the scenic river views, fishing, and walking across a monkey bridge (bamboo bridge). There are also shops selling souvenirs and local specialties. After exploring the garden and experiencing life as a farmer, guests can savor specialties prepared in a kitchen near the dining area.

While enjoying the food, visitors can watch performances on the "Singing Together" stage, presented by the staff of the eco-garden. They are also encouraged to participate, immersing themselves in a warm, vibrant, and joyful atmosphere.

In addition to the Cai Rang floating market, Can Tho is home to many other beautiful and exciting destinations, including Ba Bo Flower Village, Tay Do night market, Binh Thuy Ancient House, My Khanh tourist area, the Purple House, Can Tho artificial beach, Bang Lang stork garden, Phuong Nam Truc Lam Zen Monastery, and Can Tho Museum.

The Cai Rang floating market has adapted to suit tourism by incorporating attractions such as a Que Toi (My Hometown) noodle factory and a coconut caramel production facility, which are now located in floating houses within the market. This allows tourists to enjoy these experiences without traveling far.

Visitors will find numerous barges and houses offering various services at the floating market. These include department stores selling local Can Tho and Mekong Delta specialties, souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing, scarves, coffee shops, snakehead fish farms, and floating restaurants. These establishments operate from morning to night throughout the week.

The Cai Rang District Culture, Sports and Broadcasting Center (the floating market management unit) has organized training courses on environmental awareness, regulations on food safety and hygiene... for small traders and local people at the floating market; at the same time, issued regulations such as All boats, points of sale, business establishments must list prices of goods and record the hotline phone number of the District Culture, Sports and Broadcasting Center and Cai Rang District Police. Suppose these establishments violate the contract or exhibit poor behavior. In that case, customers must take pictures of the boat and its number and send the images to the above two units for immediate handling. Notably, the amount of waste has decreased significantly. In addition, traders have created some means of transporting goods, thus removing difficulties when loading goods to warehouses. Mr. Truong Tan Hoai Nam, an expert at the Cai Rang District Culture, Sports and Tourism Center, said: The district has a project to open more loading and unloading points, helping traders to do business more conveniently...

Although significantly impacted by changes, the Cai Rang floating market attracts many domestic and international tourists due to its unique cultural features and natural beauty. Ms. Le Thi Truc Ly from An Giang Province often seizes the opportunity to bring her relatives and friends to the floating market for sightseeing. She shares, “My family and close friends enjoy the river scenery, the bustling trading boats, and the natural landscape here. Everyone at the floating market is friendly and approachable, and there's no overcharging. Participating in activities like making noodles and coconut candy by hand or visiting eco-tourism gardens makes me feel like I am reliving my peaceful, simple childhood in my hometown, surrounded by my grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts. It deepens my love for my country and homeland.”