Pham Hoang Anh Dao discovers the old and new of Cai Rang market, the bustling centre of Mekong Delta trade.
Visiting Long Bien market, the famous wholesale market in Ha noi 25-year-old Minh Phuong is happy.
"It will sound strange and a little crazy when I explain why I come to Long Bien market," Phuong said with a smile.
I come to the market to recall memories of my trip to Cai Rang floating market in the southwestern province of Can Tho, Phuong says.
"I am sure that the people working and living there will never forget Cai Rang market, just as Hanoians can never forget Long Bien market, even when they are not in Ha Noi," she adds.
Phuong is a young girl in Ha Noi. Nearly one year ago, she had the chance to work in and around Hcm city During this time, she went several times to visit Cai Rang floating market. This was an unforgettable time in her life.
Cai Rang is a famous floating market in the country’s southwestern region. Like Long Bien market in the capital city, it’s a wholesale market selling fruit and vegetables. However, unlike its capital counterpart, this market resides on the river.
In the Cuu Long (Mekong Delta) region, there are many floating markets, such as Cai Rang, Nga Bay, Binh Dien, Phong Dien, Cai Be, Long Xuyen and Chau Doc. Cai Rang, however, is the most famous, because it has the most specific trading activities.
The Cai Rang floating market is on the Cai Rang river. If you go by road, it’s 6km away from Can tho city And if you’re travelling from HCM City, it takes about four hours to get to the market.
The market was born many years ago, after the local people’s habit of travelling and doing business by boat. Boats and junks in the southwestern region were important means of transportation, like motorbikes and cars in other regions.
"In the southwestern provinces, people mostly travel on rivers. In the past, people living on the river had to go to the land to buy goods. Now they can buy everything on the river.
Now, all trading activities are carried out along the river," Phuong recalls.
The market is a destination for consumer agricultural products from 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta region. Aside from selling fruit and vegetables from Can Tho Province, the market also sells special agricultural products from neighbouring provinces.
The market opens everyday from 4am to 9am. In the early morning, hundreds of boats and junks come to the 1km-long floating market, all carrying a variety of fruit and vegetables.
Small and large junks travel on the river like motorbikes and cars on land. And everyone is busy trading. Being a wholesale market, the trading activities are carried out quickly; there’s no bargaining here.
Traders come to the market to buy fruit and vegetables and then bring them to other, smaller markets or to export them to China and Cambodia.
It’s difficult to hear people’s voices because of the loud sounds from the boat engines and the rolling of the river. That’s why each boat has one large stick, called cay beo, from which the sellers hang their products, called treo beo. Everything here hangs from the sticks.
"If they sell bananas and durian, they will hang bananas and durian on the stick so that a buyer can see them from a distance. It looks so fun," Phuong says.
On many of the boats and junks, there are paintings and decorations. Looking at this, one can guess that they come from Vinh long Tien Giang or Dong Thap provinces.
Recently, to meet the demands of traders throughout the market, many new services have been created. Going to the market now, one can see many boats and junks selling breakfast and coffee. These boats are often small, so they can move through crowded areas to serve people.
This specific feature of Cai Rang floating market has attracted not only Vietnamese people but also foreign tourists.
Tourists often purchase a tour or hire small boats to visit the market. And they never forget to bring their cameras.
The people at Cai Rang market are getting used to the visitors and their cameras, so they are very friendly and ready to answer what questions they can.
At 9am, the traders exit the market and move to bring fruit and vegetables to other retail markets. Once the scene on Cai Rang river ends, the boats and junks leave, and the river returns to its relaxed state. Until the next morning.
Upon leaving the market, tourists have a chance to buy some of the fruit they’ve seen, ripe on the poles. However, the most treasured possessions are the pictures they take and their memories of the local people at Cai Rang market.
"You can’t come to Can Tho Province and not visit Cai Rang floating market," Phuong says.
(Source: VNS)
Tag: Mekong Delta , Tourist , Vietnam , Hcm City , Tour , Vietnamese , Paintings , Hanoi , Travel , Can Tho , Dong Thap , Hcm , Ha Noi Rising early to reach Cai Rang market
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