Can Tho

Can Tho is spread along the Can Tho and Mekong rivers, about half way between HCMC and the Gulf of Thailand, if one travels south west. The largest city and the economic heart of the Delta south of HCMC, Can Tho is largely a bustling city with a tiny touristy area along eight blocks of the waterfront. One is unlikely te encounter a European anywhere else in town. Tourism-wise, Can Tho's claim to fame is the largest floating fruit and vegetable markets on the Mekong and is a popular location for home stays - rather than a hotel, tourists will reside in a village with a Vietnamese family.

As the purpose of our stop here was to take the early morning boat trip down the Can Tho river to the floating markets (OK, it was actually to break up the journey from HCMC back to the salt water and beaches and diving and snorkelling and sun bathing and .....), we stayed a a hotel in the tourist area close to the docks. Our boat trip began at 5:30 am as we boarded a 10', wooden, very well used, long tail skiff. Out pilot spoke no English, and as there was no beer on board there was no point in breaking out my entire Vietnamese vocabulary (beer please, thank you). Despite our lack of common language, a muddle of "Hey's", head shakes, pointing and smiles got us through the day. The long tails are not speedy craft so it was a wonderfully lazy, 7 1/2 hour cruise down the Can Tho, with long side trips to the floating markets and through tiny canals far into the rural farm lands. We stopped for a tour of a rice noodle factory as well as a long lunch at some sort of plantation (no fruit on the trees so we couldn't tell what the crop was) before our return to town. A very relaxed and worthwhile adventure.

Later, we wandered the town's night market snacking on street food before a sit down restaurant dinner and drinks. 

Today we travel west by minibus, bus, shuttle, fast-ferry and taxi to Phou Cuoq Island, a bit of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand.