Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [105]
Banks Vietcombank, 7 Hoa Binh (Mon–Fri 7–11am & 1–5pm), changes cash and traveller’s cheques and has an ATM. Vietinbank at 9 Phan Dinh Phung (Mon–Fri 7.30– noon & 1–6pm) changes traveller’s cheques and cash for similar rates.
Bicycle and motorbike rental Enquire at the Huy Hoang hotel, 35 Ngo Duc Ke. Rates are around $4 a day for a bicycle, $6 a day for a motorbike.
Hospital The general hospital is located 3km west of the centre on Highway 91B.
Internet access Most hotels offer internet access, and there is an independent operator at 9 Chau Van Liem.
Pharmacy 31b Chau Van Liem; and 78 Hai Ba Trung.
Police 67–69 Hung Vuong, just down from the bus station.
Post office 2 Hoa Binh (daily 6am–9pm). IDD, internet, poste restante, fax and express mail service.
Sports Non-residents can use the swimming pool and tennis courts at Victoria Can Tho hotel (floodlit in the evening) for a few dollars.
Supermarket There is a huge Co-op Mart at the junction of Hoa Binh and Ngo Quyen.
Waterpark Can Tho Water Park (0710/376 3343; Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat & Sun 8am–7pm; 40,000đ), in Cai Khe Ward to the north of town, has several pools, water chutes and slides in a large, landscaped area.
The Mekong Delta | Can Tho and around |
Boat trips and floating markets
Every morning an armada of boats takes to the web of waterways spun across Can Tho Province and makes for one of its floating markets. Everything your average villager could ever need is on sale, from haircuts to coffins, though predictably fruit and vegetables make up most of what’s on offer. Each boat’s produce is identifiable by a sample hanging off a bamboo mast in its bow, but it’s difficult to get colourful pictures as the produce is stored below. Among the flotilla of craft are ancient luggers piled so high they seem sure to sink, and sampans whose oarsmen and women stand up to strain against their scissor-oars. Few boats are painted, so photographers will have to rely on the glimpses of fruit for splashes of colour.
Of the three major nearby markets, two are west of the city. The most commonly visited, 7km out of Can Tho, is Cai Rang, but you’ll have to be prepared to queue up with all the other tourist boats before you can weave among the fervent waterborne activity, with drinks vendors clamouring to make a sale. This market is particularly active on Sundays.
Another 10km west and you’re at modest Phong Dien, whose appeal is that it sees relatively few tourists and so the locals are correspondingly friendly. If you wish to stay longer here, the purpose-built My Khanh Village (0710/384 6260, www.mykhanh.com; US$21–50), is nearby at 335 Lo Vong Cung, with wooden bungalows in a shady setting and a good-sized pool. Its attractions include an ancient house, a pond full of crocodiles, caged monkeys and a pig-racing track, plus a pony and trap to take visitors round the site. There are also demonstrations on making rice cakes and brewing wine, and traditional musicians perform in the evenings.
To get to Phung Hiep market, 32km south of Can Tho, on the road to Soc Trang, it’s better to go by car or motorbike to arrive early and take a walk through the narrow lanes of the colourful street market, where you’ll see mounds of longans and custard apples, squid and crab, paper flowers, baguettes and chillies, before making your way to the river. Here, dozens of boats jostle and bump along the water’s edge, their owners shouting out to advertise their wares. There is a good view of the maelstrom from Phung Hiep Bridge, which carries the main road across the river. This was once a main centre for buying and selling snakes, but dwindling numbers have forced the government to ban this trade.
The Mekong Delta | Can Tho and around | Boat trips and floating markets |
Practicalities
Most organized tours take you to Cai Rang or Phong Dien early in the morning, then make a leisurely return to the city, via the maze of picturesque canals and orchards that surround it, usually stopping to sample star fruit and sapodilla, longan and rambutan