Cần Thơ is famous for its gentle river and water beauty, lush green orchards, and the cheerful and hospitable temperament of local citizens in the Mekong Delta that have captivated tourists. Cần Thơ tourist itinerary discovers the land known as “the capital of the West” with a cool fresh climate, bold landscapes of the South, immense fields, tangled canals, ancient houses, and many rustic delicacies only available in the South West.

Vietdreamtravel would like to share some travel experiences, and useful information selected over the years to help you have a meaningful trip to this city.

What is the best time to visit Cần Thơ?

Cần Thơ is located in a tropical climate with warm and sunny all year round. The weather is pleasant, less stormy, hot and humid all year round, with no wintertime, the annual average temperature is about 28ºC, so when travelling to this city you should bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, anti-cream sun, insect repellent …

Also the same with other areas, Cần Thơ has 2 seasons: rainy season and dry season. The dry season is from December to April next year. The rainy season lasts from May to November, you should bring an umbrella or a raincoat. Each season has its own interesting things such as below:

Fruit season: Cần Thơ has fertile alluvial soils, so fruit trees all year round. But the months in June, July, and August are the times with the ripest fruits. So if you are a fan of fruit, you should go in the summer.

Floating water season: From September to November, coming on this season, you will see water flooding the whole field. It’s also a good chance to take a boat to explore the fields, sail along a floating market or explore countless creeks in the province.

Blooming season: From December to January, February of the solar calendar is the time near the Tết holiday. Come to Cần Thơ on this occasion to immerse yourself in the colourful flowers, specialities, and cultural activities.

Where you should visit?

The city has many idyllic river landscapes that attract you such as below:

Ninh Kiều Wharf and Pedestrian Bridge

Referring to the famous tourist destinations in Cần Thơ, it is impossible not to mention Ninh Kiều Wharf. Located in the heart of the city, the poetic Ninh Kiều wharf, the charming river is considered the symbol of the province and is a typical destination of any tourists coming to this city. Especially, this place has the first tourist pedestrian bridge of the Mekong Delta connecting Ninh Kiều Wharf and Cái Khế islet. The pedestrian bridge is attracted by colourful and colourful lights. Here, visitors can enjoy the cool breeze blowing in from the Hậu River, and admire the shimmering landscape of Cần Thơ city at night.

Cần Thơ Market

The attraction of Cần Thơ market, which is located near the Ninh Kiều Wharf, is one of the major markets in the western region of South Vietnam. The market is located on a rectangular campus with a total area of ​​1,723 m², with curved ceilings, and roof tiles in the yin-yang style. In addition to sightseeing, shopping, and admiring the architecture, what makes many people excited when coming here is discovering the delicious culinary delights of Europe and Asia, especially at night time. From the floating restaurant on the Hậu River, diners can enjoy the specialities of the province and watch the hundreds of boats sailing by. 

Ông temple

Ông temple is one of the ancient pagodas in Cần Thơ with its delicate architecture and unique patterns bearing Chinese culture. The temple also plays an important role in the spiritual lives of the Hoa community (Chinese people living in Vietnam) in the Southwest region. During the war, the Ông Temple was a place to support the revolutionary forces fighting against the American troops and its alliance, which contributed to the success of the unification of the country.

The temple is also a place where the cultural and religious activities of the Hoa people living in Cần Thơ are held. The beauty of the temple still endures over time and was listed as a National Heritage Site in 1993.

Address: 32 Hai Bà Trưng Street, Tân An Ward, near the Ninh Kiều Wharf.

Cái Răng floating market

Cái Răng Floating Market is one of the three largest floating markets in the Mekong Delta region. The simple beauty, everyday life, and village activities have created a unique image of this area.

Activities in the floating market start quite early, from around 4 or 5 am, many boats come to the market for trading so this is the ideal time for you to visit. In the market, each boat will sell a different item, from fresh and delicious fruits to the household appliances needed for daily life. The owners of the boats will hang the items they sell on a pole so that the buyers can easily recognize them from far away. This form of “selling goods” is a unique trade culture that only floating markets have – a way of advertising products that are not noisy, and hasty but bring interesting things to tourists as well as customers.

Bình Thủy Temple

Among all the remaining ancient temples in the southwestern region, it can be said that Bình Thủy temple in Cần Thơ is the most majestic and beautiful superstructure. The temple is located at 46/11A Lê Hồng Phong District, Bình Thủy Ward, Cần Thơ. This is a very unique project, signifying the strong vitality of the village community in the South from the reclamation period, the spirit of respect, ancestor worship, and people with meritorious services to the country … It also shows the skilful hands of local people.

Bình Thủy Communal House

The Bình Thủy communal house is one of the most beautiful old houses in Cần Thơ, over 100 years old. Located at No. 142/144 Bùi Hữu Nghĩa, Bình Thủy, Cần Thơ, the house has become an attractive destination as it harmonious architecture. The living room is decorated in European style, but one of the most important places – a worshipping area decorated with the traditional style of the locals in the Mekong Delta river. In addition, the house also has been preserving many valuable antiques for centuries. 

With its unique ancient beauty, the communal house of Bình Thủy has become the famous studio of many Vietnamese films and one of them you may know is called L’Amant (the Lover), created by director Jean Jacques Annaud. 

Fruit Gardens in Phong Điền – Cần Thơ 

Cần Thơ is not only known as one of the largest cities in the Mekong Delta but also a famous garden tourism city with many large and small fruit gardens to serve the needs of ecotourism and deliver fresh fruit to many markets. Phong Điền is about 15km from the centre of Cần Thơ city, which is famous for lush fruit gardens, and intertwined canals create a fresh environment. In the fruit season, visitors will enjoy all kinds of sweet fruit trees, garden space, and the daily life of the sincere Phong Điền people. Below is a list of the most famous orchards in Phong Điền district, Cần Thơ for you to explore.

Sơn Islet

Sơn islet is the ideal place for tourists to find a peaceful, away from the noisy and bustling city, and find the most comfortable feeling in the countryside. This is a small floating land on the Hậu River with an area of ​​about 70 hectares, located in Bùi Hữu Nghĩa ward, Bình Thủy district, nearly 1km from the mainland and about 6km from Ninh Kiều wharf. Travelling to Sơn islet, visitors can only ride bicycles, walk on small village roads or paddle among the immense fruit trees. The life of the people has a bold style of the southwestern region, which is a very unique feature for Son Islet to attract and hold tourists.

Tân Lộc Islet

This islet is located in Tân Lộc ward, Thốt Nốt district, more than 40km from the centre of Cần Thơ city with about 15 minutes via ferry. This place not only attracts tourists by the charming scenery and the fruit orchards but also impressed with the ancient houses and cultural symbol of the southwestern land.

With the rustic beauty of a village, Tân Lộc islet is very suitable for developing ecotourism in various forms such as excursions, fishing, sightseeing, enjoying specialities, and learning about cultural features of the delta river region.

Trúc Lâm Phương Nam Monastery

Trúc Lâm Phương Nam Monastery is located in Mỹ Nhơn Hamlet, Mỹ Khánh Commune, Phong Điền District. It is a unique artwork built in the style of Lý – Trần dynasty and is a famous spiritual tourist destination. The monastery followed the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử sect of Emperor Trần Nhân Tông who led the Vietnamese against the Mongol invasions. When the country was at peace again, the emperor ceded the throne to his son and went to Yên Tử mountain to practice on his own. He founded the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử sect, showing influence from Confucian and Taoist philosophy

The peaceful and serene beauty of Trúc Lâm Phương Nam Monastery attracts numerous followers and visitors coming. After admiring the monastery you can combine visiting the nearby Phong Điền orchards which are only about 1km away. 

Mỹ Khánh tourist village

Mỹ Khánh tourist village is considered a miniature Mekong Delta – this is a famous ecotourism destination in Can Tho. Come here, enjoy all kinds of fruits in the garden and specialities, visit traditional craft villages and listen to folk songs of the South.

At the same time, do not miss folk games such as tree climbing, sack jumping, pig racing, …

 

Bằng Lăng stork garden

Located about 60km from Cần Thơ city, follow Highway 91, cross Ô Môn district, go to Thốt Nốt district to Bằng Lăng bridge, cross the bridge, turn left, you will reach Bằng Lăng stork garden. Tickets to Vietnamese tourists are 10,000 VND / per person, foreign visitors are 20,000 VND / person. There are many types of storks such as cattle egret, Chinese pond heron, Bubulcus ibis, striated heron, scarlet ibis …The stork garden is “busies” in each breeding season, from August (lunar month) until January (lunar month) next year. Only the Chinese pond heron species is from February to April (lunar calendar). You can climb up to the 8m-high observatory to enjoy the panoramic view of the stork garden. Every day from 6 am to 7 am, thousands of storks fly to search for food and return at around 5 pm – 6 pm, creating a peaceful scene in the rural area of the Mekong Delta River.  

Traditional craft village of making Hủ Tiếu

The traditional village is located in An Bình ward, Ninh Kiều district near the Rau Răm bridge. Boats are the main transportation which often carries rice to the local businesses for making noodles and then bring dry noodles to their customers. It’s also the best way for tourists to visit this area after exploring Cái Răng floating market. 

Setting foot into the traditional craft village of making Hủ Tiếu in the morning, tourists can witness the whole procedure of making fresh hủ tiếu, from mixing, coating, drying, cutting noodles, packing…all done by hand. Each workshop has its own technique for making the noodles stand out from the others. However, the most important step is the source of quality raw materials, mainly chosen from Sa Đéc or Đồng Nai. Then rice will be soaked before grounding and mixing with other materials. The powder phase step is usually done the night before. The next day, it will be coated to become cakes. After that, the cakes need to be put on bamboo frames to air out for a couple of hours before being cut into regular noodles. Visitors can join and participate in the stage of coating and cutting. Of course, the final stage is still packed and delivered to buyers.

What specialities from Cần Thơ?

Besides the top tourist destinations, Cần Thơ also attracts visitors through local cuisines. Here is a list of some of the most lovely food you should try:

  • Hotpot with fish sauce
  • Grilled snail with pepper
  • Fried rolls, Stuffed pancakes in Cái Răng
  • Grilled Snakehead Fish with chilli & citronella
  • Crab with tamarind
  • Hot sour fish soup
  • Grilled duck in fermented bean curd
  • Pancakes with the core of a coconut tree

Above is a combination of travel guides to Cần Thơ. Vietdreamtravel is also running daily tours; package tours and offering car/bus rental services to explore this lovely destination. Don’t hesitate to contact us at (+84) 028 3838 8322 for more details.