March, 2023
Captivating Can Tho
Our final few days in Vietnam were spent in a stunning resort on the shores of the Mekong River in Can Tho. The resort was only accessible by boat and was a perfect R&R after a busy three weeks in this beautiful country. But there’s only so much R&R we are inclined to do when there are markets, monks and more markets!
A borrowed outfit from the lovely head monk at a Khmer temple. In 35C heat plus humidity, I shudder to think of how many others sweated in this outfit before me!
The head monk took us up to the fourth floor to show us his library under the eaves. He was very proud to show us his 100-year-old Sanskrit texts.
The library was full of books, Buddhist and others, with walls covered in colourful artwork.
A modern and practical monk has pockets in his robes…a place to put his iPhone and other necessities.
He blessed us on the way out and gave us each beautiful orange bracelets.
What I didn’t ask the monk was why I had to cover up and she didn’t…
From the serenity of the temple to the hustle and bustle of the food street market. Always wash your vegetables before you eat them…they may have been in someone’s armpit.
Repackaging rice into “smaller” bags. So many different kinds of white rice!
If you don’t have a storefront, just spread your wares on the street. And we won't discuss the safety of the child on the motorcycle with the pink "helmet"...
Knife seller…don’t want to have road rage with this guy!
Nap time, bug zapper at the ready.
Love this basket! Can’t imagine how heavy it would be when full.
Nap time again! Glad she wasn't awake to ask what she was selling...not sure I want to know what was sitting unrefrigerated on her table.
The retail section of the market.
The wholesale section of the market.
I thought this Buddha follower was showing off his piercing but it turns out Khai Tâm La hán is showing us his heart open to Buddha.
Mani pedi time! For all the sneaky pictures I take of people around and about, I caught the spa staff taking pictures of us! Adam chickened out on his pedicure…
This barge carrying a crane must have been in a bit of a rush. It didn’t wait for the tide to be low enough and got stuck under the bridge. They broke off a cover that was the high point and they managed to get through.
We took an early morning boat trip to the Cai Rang Floating Market. Opening at dawn, it’s pretty much wrapped up by 9am, so we received a bougie breakfast on the way to make it in time! Cai Rang means “terra cotta pots” which the Khmer people used to sell in this area and became the name of this district in Can Tho. This floating market was started in the early 1900s before the road system was built. Despite the very developed roads now, the floating market remains a bustling place.
Filling up time at the floating gas station. A once-a-week fill up of 150L does it for our boat. We were followed by a little boat who comes two or three times per week to fill up with five litres. Note the hammock for resting between customers.
Tossing pineapples two at a time from seller to buyer. This is the pineapple area of the market and all the sellers price fix. Not sure how they agree on prices but the message seems to get to those who need to know. The big boats buy directly from the farmers, or are the farmers themselves who load up from their farms upriver (sometimes hundreds of km away) and come here to sell. They will stay until they sell out.
This longan and mangosteen seller rocked up to our boat and tied on! How’s that for a sales tactic.
She passed us delicious samples and tried to sell us a bag of a dozen of each fruit for the equivalent of $1.50. We were leaving the next day and really couldn’t take it.
She was totally fine with our refusal and was either happy to have met us or is laughing at us. I’ll go with the first…
Watermelon pick up and then we are ready to go! It’s pretty clear what this boat is selling with its artfully stacked (what if a wave comes?) watermelons visible on the deck.
But what if you’re unable to show your wares? Or your wares are not as pretty as watermelons or pineapples? Attach your wares, in this case sweet potato, to a long bamboo pole for all to see! No calling out at this market; you’d never be heard over the din of the boats and their motors.
This one is a veritable supermarket! She’s got lettuce, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots and garlic.
Loaded with watermelons, sweet potatoes and squash and heading to one of many land markets to resell to the vendors there.
Big boats, medium-sized boats and small ones. There’s room for everyone but that little one in the middle looks like it’s close to sinking!
Those are mighty big engines driving those little propellers.
Cozy with our little mangosteen.
While waterfront property commands a premium in our real estate markets, here it’s the cheapest property you can buy.
One of the Dutch Ocean Clean Up boats along the Mekong River. This is Interceptor 3, installed just over a year ago and designed for heavily trafficked areas with varying currents. It’s removing 10,000kg of plastic per month! A good test site as the Mekong River is one of the most polluted.
Good night and tạm biệt beautiful Vietnam.