Things to do in Can Tho
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Can Tho
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry and cooler, markets most reliable, cycling at its best. Peak December to February.
Fruit season peak with short afternoon downpours, thinner crowds and softer prices.
Floating season, Tra Su floods and Bang Lang birds return, but daily rain and possible street flooding.
What's on
- Tet late Jan/Feb
Flower streets and floating flower markets before the day, family quiet on the day itself.
- Southern Folk Cake Festival 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, usually April
Hundreds of traditional southern cakes from artisans across the Delta.
- Chol Chnam Thmay mid-April
Khmer New Year, pagodas in Can Tho and Soc Trang at their most alive.
- Tan Loc Fruit Festival 5th day of the 5th lunar month, usually late May/June
Tan Loc Islet orchard belt celebrating itself at fruit peak.
- Ong Pagoda Festival 7th day of the 7th lunar month, usually August
Chinese community festival at Ong Temple at its ceremonial peak.
- Ok Om Bok and Ngo Boat Races 15th day of the 10th lunar month, usually November
Khmer moon worship festival and the Delta great boat racing spectacle in Soc Trang.
Best things to do in Can Tho
Cai Rang Floating Market
Dawn wholesale market where boats sell from poles and noodle and coffee boats serve breakfast on the water.
Con Son Islet
Community islet where households string together fish farms, fruit gardens, cake making and a flying fish show.
Ninh Kieu Wharf
Riverside promenade and park where the city walks at dusk, with lotus ponds and the old market hall.
Ninh Kieu Pedestrian Bridge
Colour lit Y shaped bridge to Cai Khe Islet with the best skyline view back over the Hau River.
Phong Dien Floating Market
Smaller retail floating market selling to local buyers, most authentic in the first hour after dawn.
Binh Thuy Ancient House
Best preserved Delta merchant house from the 1870s, with carved wood, a family altar and an orchid garden.
Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery
Largest monastery in the Delta, a serene Zen complex with gate, bell tower and lacquered halls before crowds.
Ong Temple
Richly decorated Cantonese assembly hall temple opposite the riverside, dense with incense coils and carving.
Where to stay in Can Tho
Ninh Kieu riverside / Hai Ba Trung
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the wharf, night market, temples and most restaurants. Boats leave at 5am with no pre dawn drive.
Cai Khe Islet / 30/4 Road corridor
big-hotel comfort
Better hardware per dollar in large hotels, a short walk or Grab ride to the wharf and promenade.
Con Au Islet / Hung Phu
resort escape, split stay
Boat access only resort chapter. Superb for two nights but impractical as the only base for dawns and dinners.
Countryside homestay belt (Phong Dien / Binh Thuy / orchards)
slow travel, second visits
Garden homestays with home cooking, bicycles and canal hammocks, 20 to 40 minutes from the centre.
Binh Thuy district
repeat visitors, local alternative
Real neighbourhoods and good local eating at lower prices, about 15 minutes by Grab to the wharf.
Think twice about
- Cai Rang town / QL1A highway corridor
Noisy truck and market district from 3am, thin night eating and 6 to 7 km from Ninh Kieu evening life. Visit at dawn, sleep in Ninh Kieu.
- Airport / highway fringe and Nguyen Van Cu extension motel strip
Driver stopover motels with no pavement life and a Grab ride to everything. The saving costs your evenings.
- O Mon and beyond, Xuan Khanh away from 30/4 Road
Not unsafe, simply not Can Tho for a visitor. Distance from Ninh Kieu Wharf is the hidden price.
Best restaurants in Can Tho
Floating Breakfast at Cai Rang
Hu tieu or bun rieu passed across the gunwale at sunrise, then strong sweet iced coffee from a coffee boat.
Banh Xeo 7 Toi
Legendary vast lacy coconut milk pancake with shrimp and pork, rolled in lettuce and herbs with nuoc cham.
Banh Cong Co Ut
Signature deep fried rice and mung bean cake topped with a whole shrimp, served with herbs and pickles.
Nem Nuong Thanh Van
Charcoal grilled pork skewers you roll yourself with rice paper, herbs and a hoisin peanut garlic dip.
Spices Restaurant
Best sit down dinner in town, a serene garden and river room for Vietnamese and European dishes.
Sao Hom Restaurant
Big lantern lit room in the old market hall on the water, the easiest good group dinner off the promenade.
Hoi Do Quan
Home style southern table of clay pot rice, caramelised catfish, sour snakehead soup and morning glory.
Da Ly Banh Mi
The lau mam house locals pass on by name, fermented fish hotpot with river fish, squid, pork and bitter herbs at the table.
Outdoor things to do in Can Tho
Cai Rang, Cacao and Hidden Small Canal Tour
Best bookable morning: dawn market and floating breakfast, a narrow canal, cacao farm and noodle workshop.
Can Tho Countryside Bike Tour
Flat guided ride past orchards to the Gian Gua ficus and Muoi Cuong cacao, eating fruit you pick.
Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve
Protected flooded cajuput forest and wetland by boat and on foot, wilder and closer than Tra Su.
Tra Su Cajuput Forest
Postcard flooded melaleuca forest with duckweed canals and a canopy tower, best in flood season.
Can Tho Countryside Cooking Class
Cook the Delta canon at a countryside home, from banh xeo in a wood fired pan to clay pot fish.
Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary
Thousands of storks stream home to roost at dusk in season. Worthwhile only at sunset, never midday.
Soc Trang
Khmer day trip to the Bat Pagoda and Clay Pagoda, strongest in November for Ok Om Bok boat races.
GolfA Can Tho
Golf shop and practice option only. Can Tho has no 18 hole course, so this is an hour of swings.
Best hotels in Can Tho
Legacy Mekong, Can Tho, Autograph Collection
Boat access island resort with banyan grounds, lotus lake, pool villas and hushed high end service.
Victoria Can Tho Resort
Colonial style garden resort on the river with two pools, its own boats and a true base location.
Sheraton Can Tho
Tallest hotel in the city above Vincom mall, with big river view rooms and strong breakfast value.
Muong Thanh Luxury Can Tho
Large chain five star on Cai Khe islet with river views, a big pool and a generous breakfast buffet.
Ninh Kieu Riverside Hotel
Location play directly on the promenade by the wharf, with everything walkable.
Charmant Suites - a Boutique Hotel
Small boutique near Ninh Kieu Park with contemporary suites and praised staff. Pay for the river view.
Wink Hotel Can Tho Centre, Unscripted by Hyatt
Design forward compact rooms with a 24 hour stay model that helps after a late arrival before dawn.
Mekong Rustic
Garden homestay pattern with home cooked dinners, bicycles and canal settings in the orchard belt.
Is Can Tho expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫750,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫2,250,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫6,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cai Rang Floating Market: a few days ahead
- Cai Rang, Cacao and Hidden Small Canal Tour: a few days ahead
- Tra Su Cajuput Forest: a few days ahead
- Soc Trang: a few days ahead
- Legacy Mekong, Can Tho, Autograph Collection: a few days ahead
- Victoria Can Tho Resort: a few days ahead
- Spices Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book a named small boat operator a day ahead, several days around Tet and weekends.
- Book Victoria or the island resort ahead for dry season weekends and Tet, and always book overnight cruises ahead.
- Book FUTA buses a day ahead on holiday weekends. Only Spices and the island resort need restaurant reservations.
Is Can Tho safe?
- Can Tho is relaxed and safe. Main risks are traffic, heat, sun, mosquitoes and dengue.
- Do not swim in the Hau River or canals. Wear a life jacket on boats and keep phones in a dry bag.
- Rainy season downpours can flood low riverside streets ankle deep for an hour.
Can Tho travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Ho Chi Minh City day tours arrive after the floating market peak and spend hours on sales stops.
- Wharf boat quotes can switch between per person and per boat. Fix boat, route, hours and total price first.
- Big boats cannot enter small canals. One noodle workshop is culture, a morning of workshops is retail.
- Dinner cruise food is weak and Bang Lang is empty at midday. Take a sunset boat and eat on land.
Getting around Can Tho: public transport and more
- Fly into Can Tho Airport or take a FUTA limousine bus from Ho Chi Minh City, about 3.5 to 4 hours.
- Central Ninh Kieu is walkable in 20 minutes. Use Grab beyond that and keep small dong for markets and boats.
- Agree the whole boat and whole trip price before stepping into a sampan.
Who Can Tho suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Can Tho your trip
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