Western tourists flock to Cai Rang floating market, traders earn more than 500 thousand a day

(Dan Tri) - On the morning of the 27th of Tet, hundreds of Western tourists flocked to Cai Rang floating market. The traders were excited, and trading activities took place bustlingly among hundreds of boats and ships.

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According to Dan Tri reporters, on the morning of February 6 (the 27th day of the Lunar New Year), the Cai Rang floating market was bustling with foreign tourists. More than a hundred boats were selling agricultural products, serving food and drinks, and bustling with tourism. Both traders and tourists were excited.

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According to traders, Cai Rang floating market is welcoming a large number of foreign tourists, and people's income is also better than many months ago.

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After visiting traditional craft villages, most tourists request to experience the characteristics of floating markets such as having breakfast, drinking coffee, chatting, and cheering on the river. In addition to following tours designed by travel agencies, Western tourists also enjoy self-guided experiences led by local people.

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Western tourists enjoy sharing their experiences of having breakfast and drinking coffee on the Can Tho River.

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Ms. Abigail (American nationality) was surprised to witness the scene of people skillfully seasoning the broth, cooking breakfast on a boat and then running along the river to sell to tourists.

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Khách Tây đổ bộ chợ nổi Cái Răng, thương hồ kiếm hơn 500 nghìn một buổi - 7

Cai Rang floating market cuisine at the end of the year is diverse, from vermicelli, rice noodles, pho, hu tieu, banh canh, congee with prices ranging from 25,000 - 40,000 VND. The price of coffee, fresh coconut, juice, and bottled soft drinks ranges from 10,000 - 30,000 VND. With the current surge in tourists, people selling breakfast on the floating market can earn from 300,000 - 600,000 VND/session.

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Western tourists enjoy the typical noodles from the noodle factory operating on the floating market.

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The friendly greetings and waves between tourists and locals have become a long-standing feature in the culture of Cai Rang floating market.

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The output of goods and agricultural products consumed at Cai Rang floating market has gradually stabilized at around 200-300 boats for trading. The amount of agricultural products consumed at the floating market can increase to more than 2,000 tons/month at the end of the year.

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Thanks to the surge in visitors, this man earns from 300,000 - 500,000 VND/session thanks to the boat service taking visitors to visit the floating market. Although there are many advantages, to maintain the number of Western visitors to Cai Rang floating market throughout the year, cultural researcher and writer Nham Hung believes that the locality needs to boldly experiment with models of developing the night economy on the floating market. In addition to night trading, managers should organize night parties and traditional music on the river at night to recreate the scenery of the old floating market, emphasizing the special factor compared to other floating markets.

According to statistics, Can Tho tourism welcomed nearly 5.99 million visitors, an increase of 17% over the same period in 2022; of which international visitors reached about 159,000; more than 70% of visitors to Can Tho will visit the floating market. Can Tho City's total tourism revenue reached VND 5,420 billion, an increase of 32% over the same period in 2022. Experts say that businesses play an important role in preserving and promoting the development of floating markets. Localities also need to link up to form a more professional service supply chain to divide roles and share benefits among businesses, small traders, merchants and tourists. Can Tho tourism in 2023 will develop positively thanks to trade promotion and tourism promotion activities. However, this locality still faces many challenges, including the exploitation of inter-provincial flights at Can Tho International Airport, which is still limited in capacity, the tourism service staff has not been professionally and systematically trained, many projects to preserve and develop the city are still slow and lack synchronization, etc. In 2024, Can Tho is expected to welcome 6.1 million visitors. Total revenue from tourism is about 6,000 billion VND.