Cần Thơ

Cần Thơ is the largest city in the Mekong Delta and the best base for getting to know life on the water. Since 2025, Sóc Trăng with its Khmer pagodas and rural Hậu Giang have also been part of the city province. A vacation in Can Tho means getting up early, climbing into a boat, and eating breakfast among barges piled with fruit.

Life on the Hậu River

The city lies on the south bank of the Hậu, the larger of the two main arms of the Mekong, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Around it, a network of canals winds through rice paddies and fruit orchards. Following the merger with Sóc Trăng and Hậu Giang, the area now extends all the way to where the Hậu meets the sea; down in the south you'll find mangroves, salt marshes, and shrimp ponds. Vị Thanh, the former capital of Hậu Giang, and Thốt Nốt to the north are smaller market towns. Together, about four million people live here, including many Khmer, especially around Sóc Trăng.

Sights in Can Tho

The Cái Răng floating market is the best-known destination. Shortly after sunrise, cargo barges are already anchored here, with samples of their wares hanging from their masts: pumpkins, pineapples, watermelons. Small boats sell coffee and noodle soup to the traders. The market has shrunk since roads and bridges made transport easier, but it is still well worth a visit. In the city itself, the Ninh Kiều riverfront promenade with its statue of Hồ Chí Minh invites you to take an evening stroll, and next to it a market is housed in an old colonial hall. The Bình Thủy family house, dating from the late 19th century, blends French and Vietnamese architecture and served as a film set for "The Lover." By bicycle or boat, you can explore the fruit orchards on the islands in the river, such as Cồn Sơn.

Sóc Trăng and Hậu Giang

Sóc Trăng is the center of Khmer culture in Vietnam. The Bat Pagoda, Chùa Dơi, owes its name to the fruit bats that hang in the trees during the day. Chùa Chén Kiểu is decorated with porcelain shards, and Chùa Đất Sét houses hundreds of clay figures shaped by a monk in the 20th century. In the fall, the Khmer celebrate the Ok Om Bok festival with Ngo boat races on the river. In Hậu Giang, the Lung Ngọc Hoàng nature reserve draws visitors with its swamp forests and birdlife, and at the Ngã Bảy floating market, seven canals meet.

Food and Drink

The Mekong provides fish, rice, and fruit in abundance. In Cần Thơ, you can try bánh tét lá cẩm, a purple sticky rice cake, and lẩu mắm, a hot pot with fermented fish and a wide variety of wild greens. Sóc Trăng is famous for bún nước lèo, a Khmer noodle soup with fish and prahok, and for bánh pía, flaky pastries filled with durian and mung beans. Every market also offers fresh sugarcane and coconut juices.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Cần Thơ Airport (VCA) has flights from Hanoi and Đà Nẵng. From Saigon, it takes about three and a half hours by expressway and across the big Cần Thơ Bridge. The best time to visit is during the dry season from December to April. From August on, the floodwaters rise; then the delta is green and full of water, but also rainy.