Can Tho

Good morning Vietnam!

Since we have a flight to catch in two weeks it was time to leave Cambodia behind and hop over to Vietnam. Our first stop was the vast Mekong delta and it's biggest city Can Tho. The city was bigger than we thought but still very nice and friendly. The architecture was a nice mix between new and old and they had a lovely riverside boulevard.

The main reason for coming here was however the Mekong Delta with it's floating markets. We booked a 7 hour tour through our hostel. Since the markets are at their best early in the morning we woke up at 4.45 in the morning to head out on the river. Our first stop was Cai Rang, the biggest floating market in the area. This is only for re-sellers so it was filled with big ships selling fruits and vegetables. Here we also got a nice cup of Vietnamese coffee.

Then we had a quick visit at a rice noodle factory were we saw the whole process for making noodles and also got the chance to try some of the stages ourselves.

The second floating market was called Phong Dien and this was a very small and cosy one where the locals went to shop.

Then we were off slowly cruising through the lovely countryside and the beautiful small canals with water coconuts hanging over the sides. Perfect ending for our trip following the Mekong down from northern Laos.

Since we got up so early in the morning, we still had almost the whole day left to explore the city after tour. So we walked around the streets, were gazed at by locals and ended up visiting the busy Can Tho market in the evening. Here they ha lots and lots of colourful, fresh produce, everything from seafood to fruits and herbs. And everything lined up on both sides of the street, easily accessible by motorbike.