To trip to the floating markets gave us the chance to observe life on the Mekong. Sediment collected over hundreds of Km makes the river brown, but the Water Hyacinth that floats along makes the river look bright and busy.
It’s interesting to see the people in tiny row boats. This is a river with a strong current, filled with motor boats that constantly create waves. At the same time, they’re dropping and collecting fishing lines, waving to their friends and chatting on their mobile phones. How these people travel against the current and stay upright is beyond me!
Cai Rang floating markets are one of the biggest in the Mekong Delta. Hundreds of larger boats are anchored along the river, selling produce to locals who weave between them in their Sampans. These are wholesale markets, so the volume of produce is huge.
To indicate what they have for sale, boats have a large bamboo pole with the items tied to it, a bit like a flag. You can just see the watermelon in the photo below, but on other boats the pole was full with taro, sweet potato, onions and a range of other vegetables all the way down the pole.
Like any other market, people need sustenance while they’re shopping, so little boats weave through the markets selling coffee, soft drinks and Pho. Just like a floating coffee shop!
Beside the Cai Rang market there is also a traditional market. We thought we’d seen everything after visiting markets in every town, but in this area there are a whole new range of delicacies. Frogs, snake and pigs eyes will not be going on the menu at home, and we resisted the temptation to try the snake set menu at the restaurant last night. Ugh.
The other interesting sight on our drive to and from Can Tho was the roadside coffee shops, filled with hammocks. This is a hot place, where a siesta would go down well… I reckon this could catch on in Brisbane!
Back to the hotel, and farewell to Sari. Tonight we’re heading back to Cuc Gach Quan for our final dinner in Vietnam – how fortunate that our favourite restaurant is in HCMC!
Love M & theBunch xx
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