Can Tho & Mekong Delta

The largest city in the Mekong Delta: early-morning boat rides to Cai Rang Floating Market, orchards, rice noodle workshops, riverside night markets and the Khmer temples of Soc Trang.

Can Tho lies on the south bank of the Hau River (a lower tributary of the Mekong) in southern Vietnam. It is the largest city and transport hub of the Mekong Delta, about 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City. After merging with Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces in 2025, its territory now extends to Soc Trang's Khmer temples. The climate is tropical monsoon, and the dry season from December to April is the best time to travel; May–November is the rainy season with frequent afternoon showers, while the August–November flood season reveals the delta's waterlands as rivers rise and paddies merge into one sheet of water. The sights fall into three areas: downtown around Ninh Kieu Wharf (the riverside park, pedestrian bridge, night market, Quang Trieu Assembly Hall, old market, Khmer pagoda and museum, all walkable); the waterways upstream on the Can Tho River (Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets, rice noodle workshops, My Khanh Tourist Village and Truc Lam Zen Monastery, usually visited on a half-day morning boat trip); and day trips in the surrounding area: Binh Thuy Ancient House and Con Son Islet, Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary to the north, the Bat Pagoda and Clay Pagoda in Soc Trang to the south, and An Binh Island in Vinh Long across the river. Getting there: Can Tho International Airport has flights to and from Hanoi, Da Nang and Phu Quoc; buses from Ho Chi Minh City take about 3.5–4 hours (e.g. Phương Trang); taxis and Grab are easy to find in the city. A stay of 2–3 days is recommended, with at least one night so you can catch the floating market at dawn. Note: confirm the price and route before chartering a boat, and wear a life jacket on board; it is hot and humid, so protect yourself against sun and mosquitoes.

Top sights

• Cai Rang Floating Market – The largest floating wholesale market in the Mekong Delta. Boats hang samples of their fruit on tall poles, and at dawn the boats crowd tog…
• Ninh Kieu Wharf – Can Tho's city living room. A riverside park on the Hau River bank, home to the sightseeing boat pier, a Ho Chi Minh statue, and night view…
• Binh Thuy Ancient House – A mansion built in 1870 that blends East and West. A French-style facade stands alongside traditional Vietnamese halls, and it was the film…
• Ninh Kieu Pedestrian Bridge – A pedestrian bridge over the Can Tho River completed in 2016, shaped like a lotus, with multicolored lights at night reflecting on the wate…
• Ninh Kieu Night Market – A night market and snack street beside Ninh Kieu Wharf, where you can sample Mekong grilled fish, seafood and Vietnamese desserts in one go.
• Can Tho Ancient Market Hall – A French colonial-era market building on the Hau River's edge, renovated into a handicraft and specialty store, a historic landmark of Can…
• Ong Pagoda (Quang Trieu Assembly Hall) – A clan hall built by Chinese from Guangzhou and Zhaoqing in 1894, dedicated to Guan Yu, whose woodcarvings and incense coils reflect Chines…
• Sau Hoai Hu Tieu Noodle Workshop – A family-run rice noodle workshop in Cái Răng district where you can watch the whole process from grinding to steaming, drying and cutting…
• Phong Dien Floating Market – A smaller, more traditional floating market than Cái Răng, mostly selling fruit grown by local farmers, with fewer visitors.
• My Khanh Tourist Village – A river-village eco-park in Phong Dien district offering orchard picking, piglet races, folk music and traditional southern houses in one p…
• Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery – The largest Zen monastery in the Mekong Delta, with wooden halls in Lý dynasty style and a tranquil garden of lotus ponds.
• Munirangsyaram Pagoda – A Theravada Buddhist temple of the Khmer community in central Can Tho, with golden spires and naga decorations reflecting the Khmer culture…
• Can Tho Museum – A city museum offering a systematic introduction to the history of the Mekong Delta and the folk cultures of the Kinh, Chinese and Khmer co…
• Can Tho Bridge – A cable-stayed bridge over the Hau River, opened in 2010 with a 550-meter main span, a modern landmark of the Mekong Delta.
• Con Son Islet – A community tourism island in the Hau River offering 'jumping fish' feeding shows, rowboat trips, fruit picking and farm lunches for a slow…
• Bang Lang Stork Garden – A private bird garden of about 1.3 hectares, home to hundreds of thousands of egrets and storks, with birds blanketing the sky as they retu…
• Nga Bay Floating Market – A traditional floating market where seven river channels meet, formerly known as Phung Hiep Market, smaller than Cái Răng but full of local…
• Bat Pagoda (Mahatup) – A Khmer temple in Soc Trang with over 400 years of history, where thousands of fruit bats hang from ancient trees and fly out in flocks at…
• Kh'Leang Pagoda – One of Soc Trang's oldest Khmer Buddhist temples, with Khmer-style halls and fine carvings, and a national-level historical and cultural re…
• Clay Pagoda (Buu Son Tu) – A temple whose clay statues were hand-modeled over several decades by a lay devotee. Inside are more than a thousand clay Buddha figures an…
• An Binh Islet – An orchard island across the river from Vinh Long, laced with waterways. Cycle the rural lanes and stay in an orchard homestay for one of t…

Where to eat

• Banh Xeo 7 Toi – A well-known banh xeo restaurant in Can Tho, famous for its crispy Vietnamese pancakes filled with coconut heart or duc…
• Lua Nep Restaurant – A southern folk restaurant on the banks of the Hau River, featuring thatched-roof huts, a lotus pond, river views, and…
• Nem Nuong Thanh Van – An established eatery on Hoa Binh Avenue in the city center, famous for its charcoal-grilled pork patties that you wrap…
• Vit Nau Chao Thanh Giao – A famous hotpot restaurant hidden in an alley off Ly Tu Trong Street, serving a rich broth with coconut notes, perfect…
• Sao Hom Restaurant – An open-air restaurant located by the river inside the Can Tho Old Market, popular with tourists for its scenic river v…

Itineraries

• Saigon, Mekong Delta to Angkor Vietnam-Cambodia – Cross the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City, enter Cambodia by speed ferry, and travel via Phnom Penh to Angkor.
• Mekong Delta to Phu Quoc Island – Travel from Saigon through Ben Tre, Can Tho, Chau Doc, and Ha Tien, then take a ferry to Phu Quoc Island.