Can Tho is a very off-the-beaten-track destination in Vietnam, but it is the perfect place to stop for a day or two to visit the Mekong Delta and explore the Cai Rang Floating Markets. While you can do this as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, it is a super long and rushed day, and you really do not get the same experience as staying overnight in Can Tho. By staying overnight, you can experience this small city at night when all the day tourists have departed, eat great local food at the night market and enjoy the area at a leisurely pace.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about visiting Can Tho, including how to get there, how to get around, how many days to spend there and what to do. I’ve also included my list of foods you should try in Can Tho, which are famous in this region of Vietnam!
How many days to spend in Can Tho
One of the best parts about visiting Can Tho is you really do not need to allow too much time to get there and see the main attractions. If you’re on a super-tight itinerary, you could spend less than 24 hours in Can Tho and still get to enjoy the main highlights. This would involve arriving late afternoon, spending one night there before embarking on a Floating Market Half-Day tour, and then getting a bus back as soon as the tour has dropped you back in Can Tho town. If you have the time though, 2-3 days in Can Tho would allow you to enjoy the city more, try lots of good food and see a few more sights. This would also be way less tiring as sightseeing in the humidity of Can Tho can really take it out of you.
How to get to Can Tho
Can Tho is located in the far south of Vietnam, nestled halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and the land border with Cambodia. Due to Can Tho being more of an off-the-beaten-track destination, there are not a lot of direct transfers here. Really, the only place you can get to Can Tho from directly is Ho Chi Minh City. Buses to Can Tho can be booked online on 12GOAsia. Somewhat annoyingly, as Ho Chi Minh is the only direct place you can get a bus to Can Tho from, it usually means you have to backtrack in your travel route. However, on the way back, you could get an early morning bus from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City and then get an afternoon bus to another destination, such as Mui Ne or Dalat, to avoid spending extra time in Ho Chi Minh City.
How to get to Can Tho from Ho Chi Minh City
Buses between Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho run virtually 24 hours a day. They run every hour on the hour, and there are multiple bus companies servicing this route. The journey takes around 4 hours on a sleeper bus or minivan. If possible, book the sleeper bus, as they are more comfortable and offer more privacy than minivans.
All the sleeper buses depart from Mien Tay Bus Station (also called Western Bus Station) in Ho Chi Minh City. This is around a 20-minute drive from District 1. There are some alternative pickup locations, but these are only usually for minivan transfers, which depart from travel agencies as opposed to big bus stations. All buses arrive at Can Tho Bus Station, which is on the opposite side of the river to the city centre. It’s super easy to get a taxi or Grab car from the bus station to your hostel. For a sleeper bus, expect to pay 230k VND Vietnamese Dong ($9 USD).
How to get to Can Tho from Cambodia
Recently, minivan services from Cambodia to Can Tho have started running, but as this is quite new, I’m yet to meet anyone who has experienced this journey. There are minivans running from Kampot in Cambodia to Can Tho in Vietnam, bookable online on 12GOAsia. The vans depart at 8:30 am, 10:30 am, and 3 pm daily and take around 6-7 hours, but they could be delayed further depending on any delays crossing the border. The journey is in a minivan, meaning the seats won’t recline all the way, and the aircon can be sketchy. The journey may not be the most comfortable; however, it means you don’t have to backtrack from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, which is a bonus. Expect to pay 600k VND Vietnamese Dong ($24 USD) for this bus route.
How to get around Can Tho
Can Tho is a fairly small city by Vietnamese city standards, but it is also quite spread out. If you stay in the older part of Can Tho (near the wharf and the historic prison), everything will be within walking distance, but it is quite a busy and noisy part of town. This means you will walking distance to the night market, ancient house, historic prison, the wharf and bridge that lights up at night and the pagoda.
If you stay further out along the river, it will be much quieter and more peaceful, but you won’t be able to walk into town. If you do stay further away, there are a few transport options: renting a bicycle, getting a Grab car or renting a motorbike/moped. I stayed at Riverside Hostel, which was further away, but they had bicycle and motorbike rentals available on-site. They were also able to call a taxi for us to get into town if we couldn’t get a Grab. While there is Grab is Can Tho, there are not that many drivers, and they may be unwilling to drive out of town to pick you up. Usually, it’s easier to get a Grab from the centre travelling further out than in the reverse route.
Where to stay in Can Tho
There are two main hostels in Can Tho that backpackers will stay at, each with their different features and benefits. Depending on what you plan on doing in Can Tho, being in a central location may or may not be the important detail. There really aren’t many hostels in Can Tho, and most are smaller, family-run businesses as opposed to bigger hostel chains that have social reps and host events. The other thing to consider would be staying in a homestay or hotel, which are both very affordable in Can Tho. However, I’d only recommend this if you’re already travelling with others or do really want some alone time. You can book all accommodation online here.
Riverside Hostel
This is the best hostel in Can Tho for meeting other travellers! It is really small, but the staff are amazing, and the location is super peaceful. Riverside Hostel is located outside of the centre of town, along the riverbanks. They have a common area with tables and chairs on the river, where every night there were people hanging out. They have super dorm beds and private rooms, which are super affordable. Both the rooms and dormitories are pod-style with curtains and air-con. The bathrooms are basic but clean and have hot water. They have a restaurant on site and drinks available to purchase, which is super convenient given their location isn’t super central. The hostel also provides bicycle rental, motorbike rental, and taxi service and runs daily floating market tours privately through the hostel.
Adora Central Park Hostel
Adora is a new hostel located right in the centre of town. Bookable only on Booking.com (not on Hostelworld), Adora is a bit more of a flashpacker hostel in Can Tho. They have pod-style beds with curtains, A/C and large storage lockers. They also have a small common area, but they tend to be quieter than Riverside Hostel, so it can be trickier to make friends. Similar to Riverside, they offer bicycle rental, can call taxis for you, motorbike rental and run a daily floating market tour. The main drawcard for Adora is the location, which is within walking distance to all the sights, night market and other food options. However, Adora is located in a busier and noisier part of town, meaning you don’t get the chilled vibe that you get at Riverside, where you’re relaxing along the river.
What to do in Can Tho
The main activity that you must do in Can Tho is a Floating Market tour via boat. There are shorter tours, which only include the floating markets, and longer 7-hour tours that make a number of different stops at key sights. Strongly recommend the longer tour! If you are staying an extra day in Can Tho, the other activity that is worth doing is renting bicycles and exploring some of the smaller sights of the town.
Floating Market Tour
A must-do! Cai Rang Floating Market Tours depart daily at 5 am and (if you’ve opted for the longer tour) will finish at around midday or 1 pm. You don’t need to book tours in advance, as they’ve got plenty of availability. I booked mine the evening before through Riverside Hostel. Tours include an English-speaking guide, all entrance fees, hostel pickup and dropoff and all boat rides. Food and drink are not included, but you can purchase whatever you want from the Floating Market food boats (I bought breakfast and coffee for less than $1.50 USD).
The tour begins with the main attraction: experiencing the Cai Rang Floating Markets at sunrise. Our guide made stops for food, coffee and to try local fruits. After the market, you travel by boat through smaller sections of the Mekong Delta with information from your guide giving you insight into the lives of local people who live in floating houses along the river. You make stops such as a tour of a local Cacao Farm with free tastings, stops where you get to see how rice noodles are made, and even try to make some yourself. Between all of the stops, you spend the time cruising through the river in a small longboat while being given information by the guide. For a 7-hour Floating Market Tour, you can expect to pay 450k VND Vietnamese Dong ($18 USD).
Rent a bicycle and explore Can Tho
Most hostels will do bicycle rental, which is a great way to explore Can Tho and the surrounding sights. If you don’t fancy renting a bicycle, you can easily get around on foot, by renting a motorbike or by getting a Grab. Some key spots you may want to visit include Can Tho Historic Prison, Ninh Kieu Wharf, Bin Thuy Ancient House, Chùa Ông Temple and Quang Duc Pagoda. As these are sacred sites, you’ll need to make sure you cover your knees, shoulders and torso to enter.
While these sites are great to explore if you have an extra day, in my opinion, they aren’t really “must-see” kind of places, particularly if you’re visiting Can Tho as a part of a wider Vietnam or Southeast Asia itinerary. For example, Can Tho Historic Prison is interesting to visit but provides information similar to Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi or exhibits at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Similarly, the ancient houses, temples, and pagodas were interesting, but they felt like smaller and less well-kept versions of similar places you can find in Hoi An Old Town. Not to say that they weren’t still great places to see, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if I skipped them and instead just chilled by the river.
Where to eat in Can Tho
The majority of travellers only spend 1-2 days in Can Tho, and a lot of that time will be spent on tours of exploring and grabbing quick to-go meals. Dinner is the main meal you’d be eating in the actual town of Can Tho. For dinner, the best option to try local food and if you’re on a budget is the Can Tho Night Market. The Night Market is located in Phan Chu Trinh Street and is open every night from 6 pm to 11 pm. They have a range of different foods including traditional Vietnamese foods such as Pho, Bahn Mi and Vietnamese Pizza/ Pancake.
What you should really try at the night market are some dishes that are local to Can Tho and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. These include dishes like Bun Rieu (crab noodles), Bun Ca (fish noodles) and Nem Nuong Cai Rang (grilled pork rolls). If you’re really adventurous, you may also want to try another famous dish: Fried Rat with lemongrass. Fried Rat probably isn’t going to be for everyone, but it is a significant dish for the region due to the availability of fresh rats living in the rice fields and even swimming in the Mekong Delta.
Can Tho Nightlife
Can Tho is a very sleepy town, with virtually nothing in the way of backpacker nightlife. There are a few dive bars, cocktail bars and more expensive restaurants with bars on site, but these are much more popular with locals, expats and those on vacation. Most backpackers will grab some drinks at the night market, head to the Wharf Bridge to see it lit up at night, and then head back to the hostel. Most nights there were people drinking and playing card games at Riverside Hostel until around midnight. However, a lot of people go to bed much earlier given the Floating Market Tours depart at 5 am.
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