Cities: Can Tho

Can Tho is located on the south bank of the Hậu River, the bigger branch of the Mekong River. It is in vicinity to Sóc Trăng, 1.5 hours from Long Xuyen, 3 hours from Châu Đốc and Rạch Giá, about 6 hours from Cà Mau, and 169 km (3 hours) from Ho Chi Minh City.

The climate is tropical and monsoonal with two seasons: rainy, from May to November; and dry, from December to April. Average annual humidity is 83%, rainfall 1,635 mm and temperature 27 °C.

Get in

As a regional hub, it is easy to get to Can Tho from cities in the Mekong Delta. There are bus operators from all big cities and minibuses from smaller ones. If you arrive from Cambodia, you will probably stop in Chau Duc and catch a bus to Can Tho here. There is also one bus line directly from Phnom Penh once a day. It is difficult, not to say impossible, to get in by car from Cambodia as a tourist. You should also check, if you want to enter Vietnam by bicycle or motorbike. A new airport services Can Tho. Currently flight destinations are limited, but as the city grows more destinations are planned.

From Ha Tien (Cambodian border): There are multiple daily buses that take 6 hours to Can Tho from Ha Tien departing from the large bus station on the other side of the river from the main downtown area.

From Ho Chi Minh City:

By Express BusEdit

Many operators serve Can Tho from cities in the Mekong Delta up to the center and north of Vietnam. You may have a short stop in Ho Chi Minh City. Most travelers arrive in Can Tho from Ho Chi Minh City.

From Ho Chi Minh City bus operators servicing Can Tho are leaving every one to two hours around the clock from the Western Bus Station (Bến Xe Miền Tây). Prices are US$4-7. Smaller more local buses from Saigon to Can Tho leave in the morning. There are three main operators servicing routes from Ho Chi Minh City as well as other destinations - "Thanh Buoi", "Phuong Trang" and "Mailinh". The big operators also have a departure point in the center of the city at Le Hong Phong street, from where shuttle buses will bring you to Bến Xe Miền Tây. You can take a taxi to Le Hong Phong street in district 10. Look out for the office of "Thanh Buoi" (white background logo with a flower), "Phuong Trang" (red signs) or "Mailinh" (all green) or go straight to Mien Tay bus station in district 6. The taxi from district 1 costs around US$15 in August 2013. With most operators you will get a small bottle of water included in your ticket price. Bigger buses offer AC, but also entertainment program of Vietnamese films and music shows, which are usually perceived as too loud for "Western ears".

Major Bus OperatorsEdit

Thanh Buoi is providing the fastest service to Can Tho as the bus only stops for a 10 minutes on the way from Ho Chi Minh city. The ride takes about 3 hours. The company provides a small bun as a free snack and free water for customers. At the arrival in Can Tho shuttle buses bring you to your final destination inside the city. Have the address of your hotel ready. The shuttle buses are paid for as part of your ticket. Cost from HCMC (Mar. 2014): 125,000VND

Phuong Trang has the largest number of services to Can Tho daily. There is a stop for 30 minutes in the large Phuong Trang highway service and restaurant point. The ride takes 4 hours. The operator provides free water in the bus. In Can Tho a shuttle bus will bring you to your final destination, if you have the address of your hotel ready. This is included in the price of your ticket! Cost from HCMC (March 2016): 100,000VND

By motorbike, car and taxi 

By car, allow about 1.5 hours from Sóc Trăng, about 3 hours from Châu Đốc, about 3.5 hours from Rạch Giá, less than 4 hours from Ho Chi Minh City (169 km), about 6 hours from Cà Mau and about 1.5 hours from Long Xuyen. It is possible to rent a car for US$140-180 for a one-way trip (or return trip in the same day) for 2-3 passengers from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. A driver is included in the price. In case you want to drive yourself, you should check well in advance about the conditions.

Get around

Can Tho is a big city, but the center between the university and the quay can be easily explored on foot (đi bộ). Good hotels will offer you a map.

By taxiEdit

Unlike in Saigon, there is no significant difference in the quality (or honesty) of the different taxi company drivers. Mai Linhand Happy Taxi are the two main taxi operators; however, they are both more expensive than the cheaper (but less abundant) Hoang Long taxis [071-036-88688]. Wherever you go, keep in mind that taxis are not as abundant as in Saigon. You may wish to keep a taxi company number on hand and call for a pickup rather than wait to flag one down. This will have to be done in Vietnamese (perhaps by a nearby hotel's front desk staff), as English speakers are not particularly common amongst Can Tho taxi drivers or dispatchers.

On the riverEdit

There are ferries to surrounding areas available from two stations at Ninh Kieu quay. If you want to travel on the river, you can rent a private boat at Ninh Kieu pier. Rates vary and depend on your negotiation skills. Refer to the paragraph about floating markets for more details.

The most famous activity in Can Tho in the morning is certainly the visit of the floating market,

Longer tours on a private boat to the floating markets usually include traveling through the canals as well. Make sure the boat you book is a small boat that can take you through the small canals that the larger tour boats cannot navigate. You can rent a boat from the "boat ladies" at the Ninh Kiều pier or from local tour agents. Often they can pick you up at your hotel and the tour included some snacks. Prices depend on your negotiation skills and the longer the tour, the cheaper. On August 2013, starting prices of private boats to the floating markets are about 19$ for a 3 hour tour to Cai Rang floating market and about 39$ for a 7 hour tour to both markets - Cai Rang and Phong Dien - and canals.

Make sure that the boat has a shade, so you do not sit in the sun for too long.

Cái Răng floating market is the main wholesale floating market near Can Tho, and takes place before and around dawn each day. It's literally floating in the middle of a fairly large river, far from the riverbanks, which are lined with private houses and shops. Therefore, you will absolutely have to get on a boat in order to appreciate this floating market. If you don't want to pay foreign tourist prices for a tour from Ninh Kieu, you can hire a taxi. However, don't simply ask to go to Cai Rang Floating Market, as you'll likely end up at a random deserted riverbank where the driver's buddy will try to sell you an overpriced floating market tour. Instead, ask the driver to take you to Chợ An Bình, a local riverside market located next to the floating market. From the public dock there, you can join a motorboat tour of the floating market for 50,000 VND per person. As an added bonus, the (riverside) market offers fresh produce, some shopping (of the blanket-on-the-ground variety), and some of the tastiest banh mi stalls in Can Tho.

The Hot Pot Alley (Hẻm Vit Nau Chao) is located between Mau Than Street and Ly Tu Trong Street. As many of these small alleys do not show up on tourist maps or online maps, you might need to ask somebody on the street for directions, but it is also not difficult to find if you stick to the directions here: From Mau Than Street enter Hem 142 Mau Than opposite the yellow painted Hotel Xoai, after a hundred metres there is a bifurcation. Turn left here and continue on the alley when it turns right. You will cross a tiny bridge and see the first restaurant shortly after that. From Ly Tu Trong Street enter Hem 1 Ly Tu Trong close to Luu Huu Phuoc Park. Google maps location.

Phuong Nam Restaurant (Good food, good feeling), 48 Hai Ba Trung (across Ho Chi Minh statue, near Ninh Kieu park), ☎07103812077 (phuongnamrestaurant48@gmail.com, fax: 07103812077), [12]. 10:00-22:00. Special in this restaurant is snake and crocodile, chicken in clay pot with vodka, one of the best restaurant in Hai Ba Trung, price from 40.000VND to 130.000VND Cheap. edit

Burger King, 1 Hoa Binh street, Tan An, Ninh Kieu, Can Tho City (It's at roof 3 of Sense City Mall, the tower opposite Ninh Kieu 4 restaurant), ☎ 0710 3819 624. 3000 VND- 150.000 VND. edit

Budget/StreetfoodEdit

Chao Long Vit Xiem (Yummy local style rice porridge soup), Mau Than street Hem 95 (Opposite Quang Duc Temple Pagoda in Mau Than Street at the corner of Hem 95). 10:00 - 24:00. This local place offers two tasty types of porridge (congee): Pork chitterlings and muscovy duck. Scary as they may sound, but the restaurant is one of the oldest ones on in town serving those local dishes. Cheap. edit

Mi Vit Tiem – Mien Ga (24h local street restaurant with braised duck soup), Mau Than streete (you find the restaurant opposite Mien Tay hotel and petrol station). 24h. This is a street restaurant that is opened all night long. The speciality here is Braised Duck in Egg Noodle Soup - “Mi Vit Tiem Cheap/50.000VND per soup. edit

Mau Than Bun Bo Hue (Located next to a gas station, but one of the best spicy Hue style Beef Noodle Soups in the city), Mau Than street (next to the petrol station). until 22h. While the location is not the best, the Spicy Hue style Beef Noodle Soup - “Bun Bo Hue” - is definitely very popular and attracts a lot of locals. Cheap/27.000VND per soup. edit

Char Siu bread (nice roasted bread), Mau Than street (next to the corner of 1A alley). until 22h. "Special combo of bread and Xa Xiu, Xa Xiu literally means "skewer roast" (char being skewer (both noun and verb) and siu being roast) after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. Average cost is 10.000VND (0.5USD) per roasted bread. edit

30A Restaurant (Nice place for evenings and midnight snacks, if you want to experience local food on a budget. The place has backyard and an open restaurant with roof, but most people just like to sit in front near some plants.), 30A, Mau Than Street, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho, Vietnam (Coming from Xuan Khanh market head towards the university at Mau Than street and continue over the big intersection. It is a bit after the big Cara cafe sign on the right of the street. You will see people sitting on the outside in the light at night.), ☎ 0710 3 834 767. Opening hours: Midday to 1am or later. This is a nice place, where people like to come in the evening. Many budget travelers like the complete dishes like beefsteak with fries and a bit of salad for about 2 USD Cheap/average cost or cost per dish 40-60k VND (2-3 USD). edit

Xe PHƯƠNG TRANG: 

# Sài Gòn:  272 Đề Thám, quận 1. ĐT: (08) 38375570

Tuyến   Sài Gòn - Cần Thơ

 Sài Gòn: Khởi hành tại bến xe miền Tây lúc 7h-8h-8h30-9h-9h30-10h-10h30-11h-12h-13h-13h30-14h-15h-15h30-16h-17h-18h-19h-20h-21h-22h. Cần Thơ: Khởi hành tại bến xe Nguyễn Trãi (ngã tư đường Hùng Vương) lúc 1h30-2h-2h30-3h30-4h30-5h30-6h30-7h-7h30-8h30-9h-9h30-10h30-11h30-12h30-13h-14h-15h-16h-17h-18h-19h. Giá vé 80.000đ, chạy khoảng 4 tiếng.

Xe Hoàng Long: 

Sài Gòn: Phòng vé BXMĐ (08)35113113. Văn phòng 47Phạm Ngũ Lão Q1 (08)39151818. ĐL Thủ Đức 1153Kha Vạn Cân-Linh Trung (08)37241819. ĐL quận 7 31/5Huỳnh Tấn Phát. ĐL Tân Bình 77Thăng Long-P4 (08)38726205.

Cần Thơ: Bến xe lộ 91B

Xe MAI LINH Tổng đài đặt vé tại Sài Gòn: (08) 39 29 29 29. Đường dây nóng: 0985 29 29 29.

Tuyến  Sài Gòn - Cần Thơ: Xe 15 chỗ và 45 chỗ chạy đan xe nhau 15 phút xuất bến một chuyến hàng ngày, 24/24. Giá vé 75.000đ.

Lưu Trú ở đây,

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