Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 905

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The stalls around the market (along Nguyen Trai) offer the
cheapest local dishes in town.
Hung Vuong 166 Hung Vuong T 075 3822408. This
riverside hotel has spotlessly clean rooms, all with satellite
TV, bathtub and hot water. Rooms at the front of the hotel
(400,000VND) offer views of the bustling waterfront
below. Double 350,000VND
Mekong Cycle Rest Long Thoi Village T 093 8224212
E [e-mail]. Located 15km west of
town in a village surrounded by a network of canals, this
rustic, family-run homestay provides basic but comfortable
rooms, delicious home-cooked meals and hammoc ks to
chill out in after a day's cycling. Double 120,000VND
Noi Ben Tre Hung Vuong. Floating restaurant in the
shape of a multistorey barge, featuring local treats such as
mudfish dishes, as well as less exotic chicken, pork and
soups. Mains from 50,000VND. Daily noon-10pm.

showcasing life-size reproductions of
traditional house and temple interiors and
charting the history of local resistance.
Can ho was the last city to succumb to
the North Vietnamese Army, on May 1,
1975, a day after the fall of Saigon, and
the date has come to represent the
absolute reunification of the country.
he city's central market swallows up
the entire central segment of waterfront
Hai Ba Trung, with piles of fruit and
fresh shellfish for sale. North of the
market, past the silver-coloured statue of
Ho Chi Minh, lies the Ong Pagoda , a
prosperous and perfectly preserved
nineteenth-century temple financed by a
wealthy Chinese townsman, Huynh An
hai; much of Can ho's Chinese
population fled Vietnam after
persecutions in 1978-79.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus Can Tho's bus station is around 1km from the
waterfront. Mai Linh express minibuses to Chau Doc and
HCMC depart from here (or ask your hotel to arrange
pick-up). Futa Express luxury buses have their own bus
station further out of town, at 13 Hung Vuong.
Destinations

11

CAN THO
Sited at the confluence of the Can ho
and Hau Giang rivers, CAN THO is the
delta's biggest city, a major trading centre
and transport interchange. A couple of
museums aside, Can ho's star attraction
is its proximity to two of the region's
biggest floating markets.

Chau Doc (2hr 30min); Ha Tien (6hr); HCMC,
Mien Tay bus station (4hr); My Tho (3hr); Rach Gia (3hr).

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Broad Hoa Binh is the city's backbone,
and the impressive Can Tho Museum , at
number 11 (Tues-hurs 8-11am &
2-5pm, Sat & Sun 8-11am & 6.30-
9pm; free), focuses on the local Khmer
and Chinese communities, as well as

INFORMATION
Tourist information Can Tho Tourist, 50 Hai Ba Trung
(daily 7am-5pm; T 071 03821852, W canthotourist.vn),
speak both English and French, give out maps and can
arrange boat tours and terrestrial transport.
Services Agribank, 3 Phan Dinh Phung, has an ATM.

MEKONG DELTA'S FLOATING MARKETS
Every morning an armada of boats takes to the web of waterways spun across Can Tho
province, making up the wholesale floating markets that provide unbeatable snapshots of
Mekong life. Everything your average villager could need is for sale, from haircuts to co ns,
though fruit and vegetables make up the lion's share of the wares. Each boat's produce is
identifiable by a sample hanging off a bamboo mast in its bow. Of the three major markets in
the province, Cai Rang , 6km from Can Tho, is the busiest and largest, while Phong Dien ,
20km southwest of Can Tho, is visited mostly by traditional rowing boats rather than
motorized craft. Last, but not least, is the Cai Be market, which tends to be visited by boat
tours from Vinh Long. All markets are at their best and busiest between 6am and 8am, with
customers whizzing around in small boats and docking for supplies at whichever large boat
takes their fancy. From Can Tho, tours can be organized through your hotel or at the Can Tho
Tourist O ce (see above) for $25-50 per boat, depending on the route and the number of
people in your group, or else you can negotiate with any of the many touts along the
waterfront, where you should pay no more than $15 per boat for a three-hour tour.