One early morning in November, we had just got off the O Moi ferry on the Hau River when Mr. Nguyen Van Linh offered us: “100,000 VND per person, you can go as long as you want.” The small boat with its diesel engine started, taking us speeding towards the rising sun.
As soon as dawn breaks, the scene on the Hau River is truly poetic. Rows of boats carrying coconuts, sweet potatoes, and pineapples are anchored on a 2km stretch of the river. Entering the last months of the year, the sky is misty and the air is cool.
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Panoramic view of Long Xuyen floating market from above. Photo: Ngoc Tai |
Having worked at the floating market for nearly 20 years, Ms. Ly Thi Bich Quyen, who lives in Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province, said that at first, an acquaintance showed her to Long Xuyen floating market to sell goods. After many trips, seeing that the floating market was crowded with small traders and had a source of income to support her family, she and her husband decided to stay until today.
Each boat of about 9,000 coconuts, she had to buy from the gardeners for 3-4 days to have enough. When finished, she and her husband started the engine and headed upstream to the Hau River, taking a night of traveling downstream to get there. Anchoring the boat securely on the river, she waited for her familiar traders to come and buy. They were people who bought and sold along the canals, each coconut was cumbersome if traveling by road, but very convenient if transported by boat. People who bought the goods just brought them from the river dock to their homes.
Trading all year round, each boat trip she makes a profit of a couple of million, losing 2-3 days if she sells well. When it rains and storms continuously, she sometimes loses money because her goods are unsold, and her costs increase. There are profits and losses, high prices and low prices, but she still manages her family's finances with this river trading job. "It's hard, but I'm used to it. I do any job that can support my family," Quyen confided.
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People still keep the habit of buying goods on boats and canoes. Photo: Ngoc Tai |
When the market opens, boats selling soft drinks, breakfast, and food also circulate around the boats to sell their goods. Soft drinks and food are reasonably priced, ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 VND.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu has been selling breakfast food for over 20 years, since she was still single. Now her children are all grown up. She and her husband live on a shaky boat, the husband rowing the boat, the wife selling goods, the income is enough for the old couple to get by.
Mrs. Thu sells noodles, crab noodle soup, pork leg noodle soup, and grilled pork noodle soup, each bowl costs only 25,000 VND. She prepares food for customers very quickly, while doing so she does not forget to chat and talk about the floating market that she is always proud of. "It's a lot of fun, even though I don't sell as much as before," Mrs. Thu said.
Without any training in tourism, the Western woman uses her gentleness and sincerity to convince tourists. That is also the simple, rustic beauty still evident in the floating market.
The market also attracts many tourists to visit and enjoy a breakfast on the river. Tourists will hire a boat to take them to the river for 100,000 VND per person. When there are many tourists, the boats often gather at one place to drink coffee, have breakfast and chat with each other.
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Boats selling soft drinks, breakfast food, and food circle around merchant boats to sell their goods. Photo: Ngoc Tai |
Having also made a living on the floating market for decades, Nguyen Van Linh still sticks to his job as a ferryman. At first, his customers were mainly small traders, but gradually, tourists became the majority. Each time he takes a ferry, he charges 100,000 VND per person, and they can visit for as long as they want. While running the boat, he also acts as a tour guide, introducing the market.
Happily taking passengers from one place to another, captain Van Linh has been a ferryman for more than 15 years. In the past, he mainly drove small traders, but now his customers are tourists from near and far. His daily income can be a few hundred, but sometimes he doesn't have any money. He said that as long as customers come to the floating market, he will stick with the job, because the job has become addictive, and he will miss the bustling scene of the floating market.
For many people in the West, floating markets are a typical feature of a simple and harmonious lifestyle. Nowadays, the market is becoming less crowded, due to the changes of the times, trading on the river is gradually being replaced by road. However, the rustic spirit of the floating market is still strong, the simple beauty makes many people linger, wanting to visit it once.
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Mr. Le Trung Hieu - Director of An Giang Province Trade and Investment Promotion Center. |
According to the An Giang Province Trade and Investment Promotion Center, Long Xuyen floating market is a unique feature of the culture of making a living and trading in the river region. This place gathers many local merchants and those from other places who come here with many different types of goods and agricultural products.
Currently, Long Xuyen floating market is considered by travel companies inside and outside the province and tourists to be the most beautiful floating market, still retaining the most pristine features of the Mekong Delta.
In the general development of tourism in the province, it is necessary to put Long Xuyen floating market into professional tourism exploitation. Long Xuyen floating market will be a highlight, contributing to creating new tourism products and services that can attract and retain tourists, the issue that is currently of top concern for An Giang tourism.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/an-giang-co-cho-noi-long-xuyen-dam-da-hon-que-post535635.html
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