Top 18 Things You Must Do in Can Tho 2024

Top 18 Things You Must Do in Can Tho 2024 

Hello, Can Tho! You can find all the best things to do in Can Tho on Vietnam Budget Carrental, which also sells tickets and information about tourists. This guide will show you everything you can do when traveling to Can Tho. If you can't go right now, plan to get the most out of your wish lists.

1. Phong Dien Floating Market

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx)
• Hours: Daily 5:00 am to 7:30 am
• Food: Yes, tiny floating food boat serves fruits, food, hot noodle soup, coffee, soft drinks
• Shop: Yes
• Parking lot: Yes for boat
• Address: Tay Do Bridge, Nhon Ai, Phong Dien District, Can Tho City. About 17km from Can Tho city center.
• Added values: You can explore Can Tho’s countryside, cool villages, and small canals by Can Tho sampan.

We live in the area and know the Phong Dien Floating Market ends at 7:30 a.m. There are about 45 boats and sampans at this market because it is small and close to home.

Let me tell you, we check this market out often, and it's always busy, especially in the morning when people start leaving for the day at 6:45 a.m. Tip: Be there between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. for the best time. I hope you have a beautiful morning in the Mekong Delta.

The market on the water in Phong Dien will always be there. A boat or sampan is the best way to get around this market. Anyway, there is a bridge close to the market that lets you see this beautiful market from above. There are many ways to get to Phong Dien and find the need.

From Can Tho town, it's about 17 kilometers away. It takes about two hours by boat and 45 minutes by car or scooter. After the market, the sampan will take you to several towns and small canals in Phong Dien. The sampan is the best way to see the bazaar on water...

>>Read more: Mekong Delta Tour 1 Day From Ho Chi Minh, Private Car Transfers

2. Binh Thuy Ancient House

• Ticket: 20,000VND
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx)
• Hours: Daily 7 am to 12 pm & 2 pm to 6 pm
• Food: a small coffee shop
• Shop: a painting shop
• Parking lot: Yes, for coach
• Address: 144 Bui Huu Nghia Street, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City. About 6km from Can Tho city center.
• Recognition(s): was recognised as a National architectural and artistic monument in 2009.
• Added values: The most amazing thing is the locals still make all fresh noodles in manual ways from mixing, making, drying, cutting noodles, packing…all done by hand. You can explore Can Tho’s countryside, cool villages, small canals, local roads and gardens by walking or cycling.

The French-style house in Binh Thuy was built privately by the Duong family in 1870, and the eighth generation now runs it. The famous movie "L'Amant" ("The Lover"), which came out in 1992 and was directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, was based on the same-named book by French author Marguerite Duras. It was about a young Marguerite Duras and her boyfriend Huynh Thuy Le in Indochina.

The Duong family's house is a rare example of an old house kept in good shape in Binh Thuy, Can Tho. People in the area used to call it the Binh Thuy ancient house or the Binh Thuy orchid garden old house.

In the late 1700s, the Duong family moved to the South. Mr. Duong Minh Hien was the sixth generation, and in 1870, Mr. Duong Van Vi built the first house to honor the elders out of valuable wood and roof tiles. Between 1904 and 1911, Mr. Duong Chan Ky, also known as "Mr. Landlord 3," built the house you're in now…

3. Cai Rang Floating Market

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: An hour (approx)
• Hours: Dawn – dusk
• Food: Yes
• Shop: Yes
• Parking lot: Yes for boat, coach
• Address: Cai Rang Bridge, Cai Rang District, Can Tho City. About 6 km from Can Tho city center.
• Recognition(s): was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in June 2016. The UK’s Rough Guide selected Cai Rang Floating Market as one of the ten most impressive markets in the world, characterized by colorful boats selling tropical agricultural products.

People interested in the simplicity, uniqueness, and originality of Mekong River life sometimes think it's one of the pearls they should investigate.

One of the best-known and most significant in the Mekong Delta is the Cai Rang Floating Market. Because of how the canals in the Mekong Delta connect, it is also a live museum of traditional southern culture. The market is in the middle of the Cai Rang River. Five kilometers separate it from the center of Can Tho. This is a big market where goods from Can Tho and 13 other Mekong Delta provinces are sold in bulk. The interests include fruits, veggies, and other farm products.

Since the Cai Rang floating market isn't focused much on tourists, there are only some gift stands like there are in mainland markets. In contrast to mainland markets, the shops and stalls in Cai Rang's floating market are kept in boats of different sizes.

The market started a hundred years ago (some French sources say it opened in 1899) because people in the area liked to move and do business by boat on the region's interconnected waterway systems. In the southwest, boats and rafts are essential ways to get around, just like bikes and cars are in other places.

Local sellers do all of their business from boats that float along the river. All goods are brought to the market by sampans, boats, and rafts, which are getting harder to find. The floating market is more than just a place to buy and sell goods from the countryside. It also has unique parts of everyday life.

The market is like a "canal civilization", with many sellers living on the river and others using boats to connect. On the decks of the boats, which are the family's mobile homes, people can see children, babies, dogs, hens, and gardens, as well as different generations of the same family.

4. Can Tho Rice Noodle Factory

• Ticket: Free and flexible
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx)
• Hours: Dawn – dusk
• Food: Yes
• Shop: Yes
• Parking lot: Yes for coach
• Address: Lo Vong Cung Street, An Binh Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City. About 6,5km from Can Tho City center.
• Added values: The most amazing thing is the locals still make all fresh noodles in manual ways from mixing, making, drying, cutting noodles, packing…all done by hand. You can explore Can Tho’s countryside, cool villages, small canals, local roads and gardens by walking or cycling.

Before 10 a.m. is the best time to go because, after that time, you might miss the chance to see, experience, and eat noodles. At this point, most of the fresh cakes have been left out in the sun to dry for the next step. Tip: During the rainy season, keep the factory open and going, but use fewer colors and noodles than you would on a sunny day. Going to this place during the flood season is more exciting and opens your eyes.

This area is best seen by boat. If you're on a bicycle trip, you should include this stop along with the Cai Rang floating market and rice noodle factory.

The best and cheapest way to get to the Can Tho Rice Noodle Factory is by bike or scooter. It's in Can Tho and along many excellent small trails and canals that you should explore all the way through. Tips: If you want to continue your two-wheel trip in Can Tho to the guesthouse, remember to bring insect-repellent cream.

This place has a lot of exciting things about it. The fantastic thing is that the locals still do everything by hand when making fresh noodles: mixing, producing, drying, cutting, and packing them. Most of the guests are welcome to help the locals make the noodles. Their "noodle pizza" is made from scratch and tastes excellent. The noodles are bright and colorful. Top tip: Knowing the locals and enjoying their kindness is educational and fun...

>>Read more: Top 10 Special Dishes Only In Mekong Delta VietNam

5. Ninh Kieu Wharf

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx)
• Hours: Dawn – dust
• Food: Yes
• Shop: Yes
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: Hai Ba Trung Street, Tan An Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City. The wharf runs from the Ninh Kieu walking bridge to Tan An fruit market area.
• Added values: The sky bars, the floating restaurants and the walking bridge make this place the most attractive and interesting destination for visitors.

It's about 500 meters away from the center. Many beautiful ornamental trees line Ninh Kieu Park, which is wide and open. The green grass growing between the white cement panels is a feature, as is the 7.2-meter-tall bronze statue of Uncle Ho. It's where all the mental and physical activities in the neighborhood come together.

In the area, you can find night markets, historic markets, floating restaurants, many restaurants and sky bars, hotels, small shops, convenience stores, and even travel agents. At dusk, the view from the Can Tho bridge over the Can Tho River is breathtaking, with brightly colored fishing and trading boats docked at different points on the lake's sparkling surface…

6. Nam Nha Pagoda

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx.)
• Hours: Dawn – dust  
• Food:
• Shop:
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: 612 CMT8 street, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City.
• Recognition(s): The pagoda Nam Nha became a historical – cultural relic on January 25th 1991 with the approval of MOCI.

 

At first, the tower only had three simple homes made of trees and tiles: the chamber and the eastern and western dwellings made up the thing. Five rooms and two lean-tos were added to the pagoda in 1905. The center room was changed for the third time in 1917. When the critical bonze Nguyen Giac Nguyen died on December 22, 1917, Mr. Tran Van Nhieu, Mrs. Thai Tu, and Thai Nam were only halfway through the job.

The pagoda, which is 100 years old, is famous for both its old-fashioned beauty and its role in national freedom movements.

7. Ong pagoda

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx.)
• Hours: Daily from 7 am to 9 pm
• Food:
• Shop:
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: 32, Hai Ba Trung street, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City. Right across from the temple is the Ho Chi Minh statue which you can visit at any time of the day.

The Ong pagoda was named a cultural historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI) on June 21, 1993. It is a place with historical and architectural value.

People from the area come to this simple building to pray to Than Tai, the God of Fortune, and Quan Am, the Goddess of Mercy.

It is 532 square meters big and was built by a group of Hoa people in the two main towns of Quang Chau and Trieu Khanh in Quang Dong, China, between 1894 and 1896 as a place to worship Quan Cong. In terms of design, it is very similar to Chinese architecture because almost all of the materials, like stone columns, underpinning, purling, and so on, came from Wangdoung. An ancient Han script character called "Quoc" describes it. It has closed ranges of apartments that square off against each other and an open, healthy place called Thien Tinh in the middle.

The sanctum is the most essential part of the pagoda. Its main job is to worship Quan Cong at the main altar in the middle while also honoring Tho Dia (God of the Earth) and Thien Hau Thanh Mau on the right, as well as Dong Vinh, the first doctoral candidate, and Tai Bach Tinh Quan on the right hand.

There are six incense tables in front of the shrine. Three of them were built in 1974 and have bronze urns with the year 1896 written on them, along with three relief characters that say "Hiep thien cung" in Han script. In the back row, there are three tables with gold-plated reliefs that are framed in wood and have glass tops. The last few rows honor the Goddess of Mercy and welcome people to the administration part of the pagoda...

>>Read more: The Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas To See in Vietnam

8. Tarot Museum

• Ticket: Flexible, a person from the museum will guide you.
• Spend-time: An hour (approx.)
• Hours: Daily 10 am – 12 pm, 1 pm – 5 pm
• Food:
• Shop: Yes
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: 44 Nguyen Khuyen street, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City.

Philippe NGO is the founder of the DIGIDOC Project and a Ph.D. researcher at the BNF (National Library of France) in the Agence Nationale de Recherche (French National Research Agency) funded project that digitizes old and necessary human culture materials.

The owner, Mr. Ngo, has gathered over 2,000 items, such as old playing cards, ivory, bone, rock, and other things. They are stored in a small room that's only 150 m2. There are tarot readings, traditional tea service, and small items for sale that help the museum run (no pressure).

It has one of the most extensive collections in Asia and is an excellent show in the style of Europe. You can get into the museum for free, but if you want to help it run, you can donate. No one will force you to. There are lots of strange things in that place...

9. Can Tho Museum

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: An hour (approx)
• Hours: Tue, Wed, Thu: 8 am – 11 am, 2 pm to 5 pm and Sat, Sun: 8 am – 11 am, 6:30 pm to 9 pm).
• Food:
• Shop:
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: on the corner of Hoa Binh and Tran Quoc Toan streets.
• Added values: This large, well-presented museum brings local history to life with manikins and life-size reproductions of buildings (5000 objects and historical relics).

The whole thing is 2,700 square meters and was built in 1976. This large, well-kept museum uses manikins and full-size models of buildings to bring local history to life. It has more than 5,000 artifacts and historical gems.

The museum shows artifacts from Can Tho's past that show the city's cultures and the people who lived there at different times. It also has native plant and fish specimens, as well as the rice-growing skills of three main ethnic groups: Kinh (Viet), Hoa (Chinese Vietnamese), and Khmer during the process of building the country, protecting it, and developing it into the beautiful Tay Do land it is today.

>>Read more: What A Beautiful Artinus 3D Art Museum Sightseeing In Ho Chi Minh!

10. Binh Thuy Temple

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx.)
• Hours: Daily 7:30 am – 10:30 am & 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm.
• Food:
• Shop:
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: Binh Thuy ward, Binh Thuy district, Can Tho City.
• Recognition(s): In 1853, the 5th of Tu Duc King, he granted the title of Land Founding Deity to Binh Thuy Temple.

There is a yard next to the house that is pretty big but not very long. In the front yard, which is made of Chinese bricks, there are rock gardens, plants in pots, and a temple gate with three doors. In the outside area, there are two joss-houses. One worships the Farm Deity (than nong), and the other the Tiger Deity. Three-door temple gate with two joss-houses that worship Forest Deity and "Than khai kenh dan nuoc" (the one who helps farmers grow big crops).

There are statues of people, lions, and fish that change into dragons on the roof. No nails were used at all during the building of the house; all of the joints between the rafters were held together with duoc glue. Craftsmen made all of this using expensive woods that were red-lacquered, gilded, or covered in nacre. They also added beautiful images of trees, fruits, and water activities in the Southwest. 

In the temple, people pray to Thanh Hoang, who is in charge of a small village, and many other gods. On the 5th of Tu Duc King's reign, in 1853, he made Binh Thuy Temple the founder of the land.

The people who lived there then fixed up the Temple in this way and worshiped well-known historical figures like Bui Huu Nghia, Dinh Cong Trang, and Nguyen Trung Truc, who were skilled in politics, the military, culture, and economics, hoping that this would help their crops and lives. The different ways that Vietnamese people worship gods show how their society is mixed.

11. Can Tho Prison

• Ticket: Free
• Spend-time: Half an hour (approx.)
• Hours: From Mon to Fri from 8 am to 11 am and 2 pm to 5 pm
• Food:
• Shop:
• Parking lot: Yes
• Address: 8 Ngo Gia Tu street, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City.

The Can Tho Grand Prison is an important piece of history in the city. It was built by French colonists from 1878 to 1886. During the Vietnam War, South Vietnamese and Americans used it as part of colonization to jail all Vietnamese rebels and people who were against the government.

Behind the walls, Vietnamese rebels and people who didn't agree with the government were jailed, tortured, and killed. The prison has 21 big and small rooms divided into two ranges: those for female prisoners and those for male prisoners. There are also special areas for dangerous prisoners, a kitchen, a church, and a pagoda. The mannequins show different parts of the prison's past, and they are pretty disturbing...

12. Bang Lang Stork Garden

It is 45 kilometers from Can Tho City, on National Highway 91, heading toward Long Xuyen City in An Giang Province. It is in Thoi Thuan Commune, Thot Not district. It's best to listen to "folk stork music" early in the morning or late in the afternoon. A helpful tip is that there are more foods and birds to see when the Mekong Delta floods.

People used to be able to get to the garden from National Road 91 by boat or on foot. Walking takes about 30 minutes, and taking a boat takes about 15 minutes. There is now a great road for cars. To get there, you just follow Google Maps. For VND 20,000, a person can get a ticket to go upstairs to the lookout and watch birds and enjoy the beautiful view. Top Tip: Be careful on the outdoor stairs that are slippery.

This has over 10,000 birds, including 10 kinds of storks. It is home to about 20 bird species. It is one of the most important wildlife refuges in the Mekong River Delta. The stork garden used to be a rice farm with lime trees, banyan trees, and coconut trees all around it. In 1983, about 200 storks were seen flying over and landing on his farm.

The owner is a farmer who loves wildlife, so he didn't set traps or poison them to bother them. Instead, he wanted to help and protect them all. For example, he planted a lot of bamboo trees to give them a nice place to live. In 1994, storks and other birds from all over the world started to gather...

>>Read more: Top 10 Best Vietnam National Parks

13. The Sunset Tour in Can Tho

In the afternoon, take your sweetheart on a romantic sampan ride along the calm rivers. From the water, you can see the Can Tho Bridge as you sail past a calm island. Check out the one-of-a-kind brick kiln in the area. Small bottles of fruit cider in an ice cooler box will be given out during the trip! Take a sampan ride around the rivers and forget about the crowds.

As the sun goes down on the Hau stream, it's fun to watch the kids play in the water. You'll never forget the look of happiness on their faces as they splash around. While on the sampan, you can enjoy tasty tropical fruits with glasses of fruit drink. What a lovely sampan ride it was!!!

14. Wildlife and Forest in Can Tho

• Ticket: 50,000VND (visit a part) or 100.000VND
• Spend-time: An hour (approx) or stay overnight
• Hours: Dawn – dusk
• Food: Yes, local restaurant
• Shop: Not really
• Parking lot: Yes for coach
• Address: 927 Road, Hoa An, Phung Hiep, Hau Giang, Vietnam. About 40km to the South of Can Tho City.
• Recognition(s): Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve is known as the “green lung” of the Mekong Delta But also one of the most unique biodiversity conservation areas of Vietnam.

If you like to explore the wildlife & nature & bird sanctuary of Can Tho, Lung Ngoc Hoang forest is one of the most beautiful places to do it in the early morning and late afternoon, rain or shine.

In addition to the Can Tho Floating Market, the wetland conservation is one of the city's secret gems for anyone wanting to get a real feel for the Mekong Delta. It's about 40 kilometers from the city center. You can only get around this area by boat! You might feel like you're in a different place in Vietnam when you're on one of its waters. Top tip: You can see nature and wildlife by trekking or stopping overnight.

If you really love nature, you'd love to be outside all the time, just like we do! The best time to visit the Mekong is during the dry season, which lasts from December to April. However, the best time to visit this swamp is during the flooding and rainy season, when fish, food, and birds come back and nature and wildlife come to life.

When it floods, the water lettuce fills the whole forest and wild canals, making for some truly beautiful scenery. At other times of the year, especially during the dry season, guests will see nature's beauty in new ways as if they were real travelers... Since 2016, people have been going to the park. However, it wasn't until 2019 that the neighborhood bridge and road officials got a lot better. Tip: The first week of November is beautiful.

Is it safe to go when it rains? Nature and our Mekong Delta jungle are more beautiful when you know more about the animals that live there. Everything is okay! The woods are open all year! There are even more things to see during the rainy season! We think that if you are a real traveler, you will enjoy nature all year long...

>>Read more: Top 20 Best Tourist Attractions To Vietnam 2024

15. Can Tho Motorbike tour and off The Beaten Path

Like riding on a Can Tho sampan, getting around by renting a motorbike gives you a very different view of the city and the outside world than driving a car. On two wheels, you can see all of Can Tho, from the floating market in the farmland to the forests, from the rice paddies to the secret VC camp, from the small village to the hidden village, and all the paths and waterways that flow into the Mekong. Can Tho also has a number of guesthouse gardens that are easy to get to on a motorbike.

It's up to each person to decide. Thank goodness, Can Tho was built to handle all three situations. Some great tour and hire companies are based in Can Tho. It's also easy to get to Can Tho by bike, making it one of the best places to visit in the Mekong Delta.

I am going to be on a motorcycle trip. You might not have much time, it might be your first time going abroad, or you just don't want to spend days planning a trip. In this case, a trip that has already been planned is a great choice. A tour guide who knows the roads and the country like the back of their hand is very helpful. It comes with the bike, motels, rest stops, lunch, and all the papers. You just need to take your bike there.

You can also go on a self-guided tour, which includes your housing, the agenda, the stops, and other things that a guided tour does. The main change is that you're by yourself and have a plan and a Google Maps route...

>>Read more: Transfers From Ho Chi Minh To Can Tho By Car, Van, Taxi, Bus

16. Fruit Garden in Can Tho

• Ticket: Free or 20,000VND (for some gardens)
• Spend-time: One and a half hour (approx)
• Hours: Dawn – dusk
• Food: Yes, local fruits
• Shop: Fresh fruits
• Parking lot: Yes and a short walking
• Address: There are many fruit gardens in Cai Rang, Phong Dien floating market. About 10km to 20km from Can Tho city center.

You can only get fruit when it's in season. During the rainy season is the best time to see a beautiful fruit garden. The flowers open and the tasty fruit grows when it rains. Tip: The yard looks better in the morning.

You can drive, ride a bike, or take a scooter to get to the Can Tho fruit garden. It depends on what you want and how much time you have. This is because the yard is out in the country and can be reached by a short road. We like to go by small boat, sampan, or bike because we live here. Tip: Riding a bike or scooter around the Mekong river and fruit garden is a great experience that you will never forget...

17. Can Tho Bike tour and off The Beaten Track

Can Tho is a great place to ride a motorcycle along the Mekong River. You can only get to hundreds of tropical fruit fields and unlocked villages by bike or scooter. There are rough mountain trails in An Giang's forests and mountains, Tra Vinh's coastal paths, Ca Mau's mangrove forests, Vinh Long's isolated islands, and thousands of kilometers of paddy rice fields and farms that you can explore by bike.

18. Small Canals and Sampan Ride in Can Tho

The people who live along the Mekong use the sampan, which is an original and traditional boat, for markets, floating markets, transportation, loading goods, and even weddings.

The Can Tho sampan can be rowed by hand or with an engine, and it has a roof that can be moved to block the sun and rain. In Can Tho, the span is bigger than usual so that it can carry more things and be used for tours.

In Can Tho, the small sampan can fit about four people, and the big sampan can fit eight adults.

Renting a sampan by yourself for about 12 km costs about 250.000 VND, which is about 11 dollars for two or three people. The price covers getting from Ninh Kieu dock to Cai Rang floating market. This market costs about twice as much as Cai Rang and Phong Dien. If you want fruit fields and little canals along the road, it will cost a little more.

>>Read more: Car hire Ho chi minh to Can tho Vinh long Chau Doc tour 4days