The "Cai Rang Floating Market Culture" Tourism Festival is an annual event organized by the People's Committee of Cai Rang District and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, in response to Vietnam Tourism Day (July 9), and is also an event that contributes to preserving and connecting the conservation of the floating market cultural heritage.

Boats parade at the 7th Can Tho City "Cai Rang Floating Market Culture" Tourism Festival in 2023.

The "Cai Rang Floating Market Culture" Tourism Festival was first held in 2016, the time when Cai Rang Floating Market Culture was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. After 6 times of organization, the Festival has become an indispensable event, connecting and closely associated with the daily life of floating market people. The Festival is an annual event to introduce and promote Can Tho land and people, contributing to preserving, conserving and promoting heritage, gradually bringing a new look to Cai Rang floating market, attracting tourists from near and far.

Competition to display models of boats and ships - buying and selling agricultural products on Cai Rang floating market.

The 7th Can Tho City “Cai Rang Floating Market Culture” Tourism Festival in 2023 with the theme of Preserving and Developing Cai Rang Floating Market Culture will take place for 3 days, from July 10 to 12 at Cai Rang Floating Market Rest Stop. This year, the Festival has 15 activities with highlights such as: Opening ceremony, cruise boat parade on the river, Ao Ba Ba Beauty Contest of the Past and Present, Contest to display models of boats and ships - bamboo poles for trading agricultural products on Cai Rang Floating Market, Digital Transformation Festival of Tourism between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.

Within the framework of the Festival, there will also be an art performance program with elaborately staged performances, emphasizing the characteristics of the life of people in the river region, the uniqueness of Cai Rang floating market culture. The festival also includes tourism promotion activities, booths introducing OCOP products, local agricultural products, folk cakes, amateur music performances on the floating market, an expanded dragon boat race, social security activities, art performances, environmental protection activities, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee delivered the opening speech at Cai Rang Floating Market Cultural Tourism Festival.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, requested Cai Rang District People's Committee, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with relevant departments and branches to focus on implementing a number of tasks to develop Cai Rang floating market effectively and sustainably.

Specifically, focus on effectively implementing the key task of preserving and developing Cai Rang floating market in 2023; accelerate the development of the Project "Preserving and promoting the value of national intangible cultural heritage Cai Rang floating market culture to serve tourism development until 2030, vision to 2045"; pay attention to innovating propaganda work to raise social awareness of tourism, especially Cai Rang floating market people about the cultural value of floating markets in tourism development.

News and photos: THUY AN