Can Tho



Can Tho (or Cantho; Vietnamese: Cần Thơ) is the biggest city of the Mekong Delta, in Vietnam with an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2019. The name comes from "cầm thi giang", river of poems. It is also referred to as "Tay Do" meaning "western capital". The city is famous for its floating markets, Buddhist pagodas, delicious food, fresh fruit, its large student population, and welcoming atmosphere.

Understand
Can Tho is on the south bank of the Hậu River, the bigger branch of the Mekong River. It is in the vicinity of Sóc Trăng, 1½ hours from Long Xuyen, 3 hours from Châu Đốc, and Rạch Giá, about 6 hours from Cà Mau, and 169 km (3 hours) from Ho Chi Minh City.

Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta. Although it has been developing fast, it retains its charm as the center of a rural area, as urban development is taking place in a rather orderly manner. Can Tho has a reputation for being a welcoming place, where everybody is smiling and welcoming. Indeed the Vietnamese in the Mekong Delta have a saying that goes:

"Cần Thơ gạo trắng nước trong Ai đi tới đó lòng không muốn về" "Cần Thơ, white rice, clear waters, All who come wish never to leave."

The climate is tropical and monsoonal with two seasons: rainy, from May thru Nov; and dry, from Dec-Apr. Average annual humidity is 83%, rainfall 1,635 mm, and temperature 27°C.

Get in
As a regional hub, it is easy to get to Can Tho from cities in the Mekong Delta. There are buses from all the big cities and minibuses from the smaller ones. If you arrive from Cambodia, you will probably stop in Chau Duc and catch a bus to Can Tho there. There is also one bus line directly from Phnom Penh once a day. It is difficult, not to say impossible, to get in by car from Cambodia as a tourist. That likely also applies to bicycles and motorbikes.

Can Tho is 34 km from Vinh Long, 62 km from Long Xuyen, 63 km from Soc Trang, 104 km from Mytho, 116 km from Rach Gia, 117 km from Chau Doc, 169 km from Ho Chi Minh City and 179 km from Camau.

By bus
Many operators serve Can Tho from cities in the Mekong Delta up to the center and north of Vietnam. You may have a short stop in Ho Chi Minh City. Most travelers arrive in Can Tho from Ho Chi Minh City.

From Ho Chi Minh City, buses serving Can Tho leave every 1–2 hours around the clock from the Western Bus Station (Bến Xe Miền Tây). Prices are USD4-7. From downtown, travel operators will quote you about double this price, but they will include a transfer to the bus station. Smaller, more local, buses from Saigon to Can Tho leave in the morning.

There are three operators serving routes from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and other destinations: Thanh Buoi, Phuong Trang, and Mai Linh. The big operators also have a departure point in the centre of the city on Le Hong Phong St, from where shuttle buses will take you to Bến Xe Miền Tây. You can take a taxi to Le Hong Phong St in District 10. Look for the office of Thanh Buoi (white background logo with a flower), Phuong Trang (red signs) or Mai Linh (all green) or go straight to Mien Tay bus station in District 6. The taxi from District 1 costs around USD12 (May 2012).

With most operators you will get a small bottle of water included in your ticket price. Bigger buses offer air-con, and also Vietnamese films and music shows, usually perceived as too loud for Western ears.



By motorbike, car, or taxi
By chauffeured car, allow about 1½ hours from Sóc Trăng, about 3 hours from Châu Đốc, about 3½ hours from Rạch Giá (85,000 dong, Apr 2012), less than 4 hours from Ho Chi Minh City (169 km, 100,000 dong), about 6 hours from Cà Mau and about 1½ hours from Long Xuyen. It is possible to rent a car for USD70-150 for a one-way trip (or return trip on the same day) for 2-3 passengers from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. A driver is included in the price. If you want to drive yourself, you should check terms well in advance.

You might be slightly faster by motorbike than by car depending on your driving. It is quite easy to rent a motorbike in the tourist areas of Ho Chi Minh City, District 1. Most rental shops will rent a motorbike to you if you can show a driving license from any country. They may not ask for a license at all. You are only covered by accident insurance if your driving license is valid in Vietnam. Most European licenses are not automatically accepted. You might need to take an additional test with Vietnamese authorities in order to comply with the local rules.

It's also possible to rent a taxi for about almost the same price as a car for a 1-way trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. Try hiring a Vinasun or Mai Linh taxi.

By boat
Apart from overnight boat cruises for tourists, there are no scheduled boat services to Can Tho. This is because driving time to Can Tho has been reduced to less than 4 hours with the opening of the Can Tho Bridge in 2011 and the completion of the motorway around HCMC.

Get around
It is easy to get around in Can Tho by motorbike or bicycle. Mai Linh and Happy Taxi are the two main taxi operators of the city. If you want to travel on the river, you can easily rent a boat service at Ninh Kieu Pier. There are also ferries to surrounding areas here. Can Tho is a big city, but the centre can be easily explored on foot (đi bộ). Most hotels will offer you a map.

See



 * Mau Than St is the central street of Xuan Khan and famous as the longest street in the Mekong Delta stretching for over 30 km. The street is named after the Tet Offensive, launched on Vietnamese New Year, 30 Jan 1968. In Vietnamese, the offensive is called Tết Mậu Thân (hence the name "Mau Than", meaning "year of the monkey"). Xuan Khanh Market at the start of the street is a daily stop for many citizens. Mau Than is also centre for the local community as there are two churches and the Quang Duc Pagoda just a few hundred metres distance. Depending on the day of your visit you may see traditionally dressed monks or a celebration service at one of the churches that often reach into the street in the evening.
 * Xuan Khanh Student Quarter: Many students from nearby Can Tho University live in Xuan Khanh or do their daily shopping here. There are small eateries in the street and alleys as well as cafes catering to the student population. As this quarter is less frequented by tourists, visiting Xuan Khanh you will find more local colour than in the upmarket Ninh Kieu Pier. The best time to visit is in the afternoon and early evening.}}
 * Mau Than St is the central street of Xuan Khan and famous as the longest street in the Mekong Delta stretching for over 30 km. The street is named after the Tet Offensive, launched on Vietnamese New Year, 30 Jan 1968. In Vietnamese, the offensive is called Tết Mậu Thân (hence the name "Mau Than", meaning "year of the monkey"). Xuan Khanh Market at the start of the street is a daily stop for many citizens. Mau Than is also centre for the local community as there are two churches and the Quang Duc Pagoda just a few hundred metres distance. Depending on the day of your visit you may see traditionally dressed monks or a celebration service at one of the churches that often reach into the street in the evening.
 * Xuan Khanh Student Quarter: Many students from nearby Can Tho University live in Xuan Khanh or do their daily shopping here. There are small eateries in the street and alleys as well as cafes catering to the student population. As this quarter is less frequented by tourists, visiting Xuan Khanh you will find more local colour than in the upmarket Ninh Kieu Pier. The best time to visit is in the afternoon and early evening.}}

Do

 * Cai Rang (Cái Răng) floating market is the main wholesale floating market near Can Tho. Go there early in the morning (as early as 05:30), and come back through the small tributaries to Can Tho River, 3-4 hours. The Mystic Sampans offer higher-end breakfast cruises to the Cai Rang floating market. Late risers will still see plenty going on by arriving by around 8am. An alternative to the boat trip from Ninh Kieu wharf is to take a taxi to Cai Rang. (Giving the taxi driver the location of a cafe such as Cafe Chợ Nổi will prevent him from taking you to one of the expensive boat tour companies.)
 * Phong Dien (Phong Điền) is further up the Can Tho River, and worth seeing as it is a retail market. It is very active at dawn, but slows down early too, so you may want to go there by land. The canals back to Can Tho are also very much worth the ride in a small boat.
 * Phung Hiep (Phụng Hiệp) is much farther away, in the neighbouring Hậu Giang Province, but deserves a trip if you are going to stay more than a few days, as it is always bustling with activity.
 * Tra On (Trà Ôn), in Vinh Long Province, is just over an hour downstream the Bassac (the lower Mekong branch, also called Hậu Giang or Sông Hậu). It is a small floating village's market anchored near Clouds Island (Cù Lao Mây).
 * Phung Hiep (Phụng Hiệp) is much farther away, in the neighbouring Hậu Giang Province, but deserves a trip if you are going to stay more than a few days, as it is always bustling with activity.
 * Tra On (Trà Ôn), in Vinh Long Province, is just over an hour downstream the Bassac (the lower Mekong branch, also called Hậu Giang or Sông Hậu). It is a small floating village's market anchored near Clouds Island (Cù Lao Mây).



Eat "Banh Xeo" with a local family, take a boat go to some small canals and see how the local people living and trading fruits in the local market on a motorbike.
 * Play a game of pool or billiards with the locals during the day, when it is too hot to walk around. Billiards is extremely popular in Vietnam and billiard halls are frequented throughout the day. There is billiard place on Mau Than St next to the petrol station.
 * Enjoy a head massage at a hairdresser and get a haircut if you dare. There are some salons close to Xuan Khan Market and the Quang Duc Pagoda. Depending on the hairdresser, from very stylish and air conditioned to very rustic you may pay between USD5-10 or 100,000-200,000 dong (May 2012). Ask how much it will cost and how long the massage will take. A good head massage should be around 30 minutes. If they do not understand English, agree at least on the price.
 * Start the evening with a manicure in one of the manicure shops. Several shops are in Nguyen Viet Hong St (nice tree-lined street connecting Mau Than St and Ly Tu Trong St at Luu Huu Phuoc Park)
 * Visit the Luu Huu Phuoc entertainment park in the evening. Vietnamese enjoy extremely loud music and do not mind distorting speakers. It might be very loud, but it is definitely a cultural experience.
 * If you are with kids, be creative and paint small ceramic figures in one of the bigger bookstores, usually on the upper floor. The fee is very small. You can take them home afterwards as a souvenir.

Work
If English is your mother tongue and you have a teaching background, then teaching English is a possibility. German, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are also possibilities. If you have IT skills, there is always a chance you might get hired by an international company, though the challenge is to find out about vacancies. In Can Tho, MBM Vietnam provides information on opportunities and job offers for expats with technical backgrounds, freelancers, translators and hospitality industry professionals. There are also meet ups from time to time in the city, where you might meet others who can give you tips about hiring companies.

Eat
The night food market across from the main covered market on Phan Boi Chau offers a selection of mostly local hot food including bánh xèo.

Budget

 * Get a "banh mi" sandwich in the morning at Saigon Bakery on Mau Than St.
 * Buy and eat local fruit at Xuan Khanh Market. Depending on the season there are different fruits. Mangos from sour to very sweet grow in the Mekong Delta and pineapples are available most of the year. A nice speciality are the bon bon fruits.
 * Phương Nam Restaurant, 48 Hai Ba Trung St. Caters to tourists. Specials includ snake, crocodile and lamb with satay, good food and service.

Mid-range

 * The dishes you will find in most places are:
 * Vit Nau Chao (duck hot pot)
 * Lau Hai San (seafood hot pot)
 * Lau Ca Keo (fish hot pot, small fish that looks similar to eel)
 * Lau Chua (sweet- sour hot pot with river fish)
 * As the menu is Vietnamese-only, look around at other tables when you enter the restaurant and point to indicate what you want.
 * Some places are thronged with diners. These are the best. Do not be afraid to enter a place that looks like there are no more tables available, just take your time, look for the server and indicate the number in your party (e.g., show two fingers and say "hai nguoi" meaning "two people"). They will find a table for you or clean up some space.
 * As the menu is Vietnamese-only, look around at other tables when you enter the restaurant and point to indicate what you want.
 * Some places are thronged with diners. These are the best. Do not be afraid to enter a place that looks like there are no more tables available, just take your time, look for the server and indicate the number in your party (e.g., show two fingers and say "hai nguoi" meaning "two people"). They will find a table for you or clean up some space.

Drink
Vietnamese typically enjoy a coffee (strong, with lots of condensed milk, and ice), fresh coconut juice, and fruit drinks (lemonade, orange juice, etc.) in one of the many small stalls along the streets or in the markets. Sugarcane with ice is also very popular. There are sugarcane presses along the roads everywhere in the city. If you want to spend a couple of hours like a Vietnamese, some nice cafes are located on Mau Than St or at Ninh Kieu Pier.

The nightlife in Can Tho is not as vibrant as Ho Chi Minh City, but it is not as "bottle service"-centric as HCMC either. Can Tho clubs often hire famous Vietnamese singers to perform live in their venues and feature go dancers on regular nights. Prices of drinks are around 80,000 dong for a bottle of beer (May 2012), around 1,500,000 dong for a bottle of locally-produced vodka and more for cognac and imported whisky.

Sleep
There is a wide range of hotels available in Can Tho, from the very local Kach San Tây Hồ, to the state-owned (and state-like) hotels like the International Hotel and Kim Tho Hotel or to the more elaborate Hotel Xoai geared towards international business travellers.

The standard design of many buildings in Vietnam is about 4 m wide and 25 m deep. Buildings are very "thin". This means buildings next to each other often have rooms without windows. When you book a hotel, check that there is a window in your room as some cheaper hotels, ones that often cater to 2-hour "transit guests", offer rooms without windows.

Beware the giant, neon, Chinese-style riverside hotels. They come with pounding karaoke and dodgy staff. In particular, avoid the Golf Hotel. The spa staff demand inflated tips then block your exit as you try to leave.

Go next
From Can Tho you can easily reach other cities of the Mekong Delta such as:
 * Sóc Trăng
 * Châu Đốc
 * Rạch Giá
 * Vinh Long
 * Cà Mau

If you are heading to the north from the main bus station be careful about what ticket you buy. If you are going by minibus and your destination is not directly on the route to Ho Chi Minh City they might just drop you off somewhere you have no intention of going. You will have to buy another ticket and end up paying way too much.

Cambodia

 * Phnom Penh - There is a direct bus operator leaving at the petrol station close to the bus station (Can Tho Ben Xe) early in the morning. Alternatively, take a local bus to Chau Doc. From here you can take a bus or one of the Express Boats.
 * Ha Tien (Cambodia Border) from Can Tho take a bus via Rach Gia to Hu Tien.