Can Tho: Floating Market, Canals, Nature Reserve & Forest
Description
What makes this tour special: • A unique tour in Can Tho combining the Cai Rang Floating Market and Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve — an experience you won’t find anywhere else, at a great price. • Sunrise at Cai Rang Floating Market – the liveliest and most colorful time of day to witness real river life. • Cruising through peaceful small canals – escape the crowds and explore the hidden beauty of the Mekong Delta. • Visit a traditional noodle factory • Connect with local people – hear personal stories and learn about daily life in the countryside. • Guided by a passionate local expert – who brings the region’s culture and traditions to life in an authentic and engaging way. • Explore Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve & Forests
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover the real Mekong Delta — beyond the crowds. A unique tour in Can Tho combining the famous Cai Rang Floating Market with the untouched Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve. Authentic, peaceful, and full of local life. At 5:45 AM, we pick you up at your hotel in Can Tho by car and take you to the boat station, where you’ll board a traditional wooden sampan — the beginning of your Mekong journey. ⸻ Visit Local Market Before heading to the river, you’ll stop by a small morning market where locals buy fresh produce, flowers, and breakfast food. It’s an authentic glimpse of daily Mekong life before the city wakes up.
Sunrise on the Mekong River Around 6:00 AM, the river is quiet and the sky begins to glow. As the sun rises over the water, you’ll enjoy one of the calmest and most beautiful moments of the day. ⸻ Cai Rang Floating Market When the river gets busier, you arrive at the famous floating market, where boats sell fruits and vegetables right on the water. Here, you’ll enjoy a hot bowl of noodle soup on the boat — with a vegetarian option available. ⸻ Life on the River You’ll switch to a smaller sampan to explore deeper. Fresh pineapple will be cut and served right on the river. Your guide shares stories about how local people live, trade, and raise their families on the water.
Traditional Rice Noodle Factory You visit a small family workshop where colorful rice noodles are made by hand. This is a working place, not a tourist shop — you’ll see the full process from steaming to drying and cutting.
Lung Ngoc Hoang Wetland Conservation Area About 45 minutes from Can Tho, Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve is a 2,800-hectare protected wetland and a hidden gem of the Mekong Delta, far from mass tourism. Explore the reserve by small traditional boat, gliding through quiet natural canals covered with water hyacinths and aquatic plants. Surrounded by flooded forest, reeds, and palms, you’ll experience a peaceful and authentic side of the wild Mekong. Highlights • Boat ride through hidden forest canals • 25-meter watchtower with panoramic wetland views • Birdwatching in a natural habitat • Optional 1.4 km nature walk or return by boat
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up included from any hotel in Can Tho. Please wait in the hotel lobby from 10 minutes before your scheduled pickup time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(80)
Tien was a superb guide and as extremely knowledgable and professional. The water market and village was very memorable and it was great to meet some Vietnamese folk and Tien was fantastic at setting up the situations where I could do that. The tour is well mixed and I learnt a lot about the Mekong people and how they live and prosper. Really enjoyable thank you so much Tien.
It was overall a very insightful & experiential tour! We started the boat ride around 5.15am, and managed to catch the sunrise - got some rice noodle breakfast on the boat, coffee, and stopped by various stops for fresh tropical fruits, visited a rice noodle making factory (and experiencing them yourself), rowing a small sampan, and many more! My guide - Vy, was very passionate and friendly about sharing the stories, legacies, and explanations about the cai rang floating market, and the mekong region. Not to mention helping me to take many great photos! Would recommend :-))
Such a great experience, from the floating market at the beginning of the day to the nature reserve. Nick made the whole day so easy, and so enjoyable! 100% recommend if doing a short trip through Mekong delta and you want to have a hands on and complete experience.
Our English guide Vy, was so knowledgeable about the culture and daily life of the Cai Rang market and villages making noodles and Cacao. We had a wonderful 5 hour small boat trip with a hands on experience of cutting rice noodles and seeing cacao being processed. The breakfast at the Cai Rang Floating Market was delicious and the trip ended with a visit to a boat house that sold fruit and iced tea. We were really well taken care of. Thank you Vy and Mint Travel for such a wonderful and meaningful time!!!
We had a fantastic tour guide in Vy. She is very engaging and knowledgeable in local history, nature and the culture. Learnt so much on the trip. Very relaxing tour and logistic wise was smooth sailing. Great job Vj.
The tour was absolutely fantastic! Our tour guide, Nick, was so kind, knowledgable, and attentive. The food and fruits at the floating market was great. The rice noodle factory was small but interesting; you get to see the whole process and try steps out yourself. The nature reserve was beautiful and the guides stop to let you see the wildlife and get photos. Would definitely recommend!
One of my favorite experiences in Vietnam! We transitioned smoothly from one activity to another and nothing felt rushed. Nick was a thoughtful and knowledgeable guide that was very comfortable to be around and made every detail of the tour enjoyable. The breakfast on the floating market was delicious and we were able to visit a family who lives on the river. The nature reserve was very beautiful and we were the only ones going through the river, no other boats. Again, Nick pointed out and explained many things during the boat ride which made it more fun. Weather at this time (May) was warm but not unbearably hot and there was a breeze on the water. Overall would highly recommend this tour!!!
Great guide, amazing tour and so much good food. I would recommend it to everyone! Thanks so much 😊
The tour with Vy were fabtastic, good explications, a big knowledge she is very kind person and smily! It was a pleasure shsre this experience with her! 100% recomended
Our lovely guide V took us on a great tour through the river markets; shaking noodles for breakfast on the river and showed us how people live and work on and around the river. The cacao farm was very interesting and the products exceptional. Great day and highly recommended.
