cai be floating market

Due to the rise of other means for transportation, the floating market is dwindling to about 20 boats. These are largely wholesale fruit vendors who are traders. See it while it lasts.

I've always been a sucker for a boat ride, and my visit to this market was no exception. We boarded the Mekong Queen, a comfortable boat that seated something like 30 people and were taken to a local artisan market, a local place where locals danced and sang, and the Cai Be Floating Market. There were a couple of dozen houseboats, each boasting a type of fruit or tuber or whatever on the masthead. This was the signal that they had turnips or whatever for sale. The people who lived on these boats came from far upstream to sell their wares and I got the impression that they were wholesalers who sold large quantities of greens or vegetables to smaller vendors who would populate the other markets in smaller boats. It seems logical to me. I also think it likely that this market would be more busy at dawn.I loved a couple of things about this market. I loved the well-worn painted boats with eyes depicted on the prow. I also liked seeing people going about their daily lives - hanging out their washing, cooking food, bathing their youngsters. I got lots of local color at this market.

We saw the market whilst traveling on the river. Well worth a visit just to soak up the atmosphere an hustle and bustle of river life, I would also recommend Cai Ramg market when we visited it was much bigger.

I had a wonderful trip down the Mekong Delta with my private guide Xuan, and didn't even know this was part of the tour. I thought it interesting that nobody was out there selling fruits and flowers because they should have been. I was told they were home for the Lunar New Year. Now I'm reading that the same thing had happened to others and nobody was there but told that they would be in numbers during the New Year well that's not true. If you have your heart set on going to the floating markets then don't go on the river cruise tour. If however, you want to see the river, go down it, see a village, eat some fruit, listen to music, be paddled down a canal, then go for it! We thoroughly enjoyed it.

We visited Cai Be at the end of our Bassac Mekong Delta cruise. Having visited the floating markets in Thailand this was a huge dissapointment. Having said that this is part of life on the Mekong, where people earn a living, so fair play. It cannot however really be described as a tourist attraction, but more something to sightsee as you pass.It certainly is not worth making an effort to go and see.

We went for a day tour of Mekong delta. and I was disappointed to realize that the floating market is that one boat selling overpriced fruit. WTH right..? But i quickly overcome the disappointment by enjoying the view and and other boats that has eye (really) and the overall atmosphere. So, if you wanna see the floating market only, you will be disappointed. better take a 2 days tour (with hope that there will be a real floating market there).

The floating market idea is to take a bunch of tourist on a boat to buy some ridiculously overpriced fruits on another boat. you might think you make a small fruit stop on the way to the floating market, but then you will realize.. this was the floating market. the guide knows its on the line of scheme, but no one cares. i would advise to spend your money and time in a real market. the floating market is a tourist trap.

We have been traveling in Asia for 2 months now (Thailand and Cambodia) so we've experienced a decent number of tours. The scenario is always the same. You think you see a floating market.. But unlucky you, today is not busy, the market is finished, to see a real one go for the 2day trip.. However you visit a candy shop/factory, a rice paper shop/factory, etc.. The cruise on the Mekong is ok. A mini bus trip of 6h to see everything but a floating market. Leave it! Better go for a proper 2/3 day trip

the Cai Be cruise visits the floating markets which are borderline interesting. The boats serve as homes and business sites and can give you good pictures. After that you cruise into the rice processing area which is quite interesting. But the cruise is long and after a while quite boring. Add to that if you are staying in Saigon, its a long two hour drive for just an average attraction. That said there may be prettier, more interesting places in Mekong so look carefully. On what I have seen I would not consider a 1+ overnight in the Mekong so investigate carefully

This is one of the typical tours organized by travel agencies of Ho Chi Minh. A great experience, many boat living on the river and houses of people around. We visited a village and it definitely worthed. This is not the biggest floating market but it is really nice to understand the life of the river.

We went there with an organized private tour mainly to see the floating market. It was Saturday and we arrived at around 10am. But there was nothing. A few boats that's it. I showed our guide pictures from other travelers but he told that the most activity is during Chinese New Year. Don't know if it's true or not. We saw the candy fabric and the rest of the touri program and we made the best out of it. Spending time with the family is always nice. Another big disappointment was the lunch. The fish taste like nothing just oily and the other dishes same same. Just to oily and no taste. Considering the amount I've spend for the day trip I would say ok but below average. If you only want to see the floating market you might end up a bit disappointed.

Local people are just using their diesel boats to transport goods. Nothing touristy, but... If you take an organized tour, it will be probably connected with visiting local villages, cooking lessons and bunch of other activities which generally should give you a general impression of how people live their lives in this area. So then - it's worth to spend a day on such a tour. Otherwise - not.

Floating market is a nice place to experience. You will see the real life of Viatnamese people whom struggle everyday to survive. You will have experience to buy from the floating boat and its happening. Great experience!!!

Floating market where commerce actually happens and is not just a tourist attraction. we went with a Mekong delta tour arranged by our hotel which also brought us to a market on land, places where candy is made from leftover from other produce, and a fruit orchard for lunch.

I've never been to Vietnam before so I figured what better way to immerse myself in the Vietnamese culture than by going to the popular Cai Be Floating Market. This islet is one if many in the famous Mekong Delta. Here we witnessed local families make coconut candy, rise paper rolls, rice cakes and different variations of rice wine (e.g. Snake, banana, mixed fruits, etc.). We were also able to try each of these, which were mostly new to my palate. We even got to hold a huge python, and tipped the snake handler $1. Afterwards we took the boat to another part of Cai Be, where we visited French style homes, which were preserved. These homes had different mounts if worship - Buddhist and Christian. This was really interesting to see in such a remote place. We then had lunch in a home stay area where they served us fried elephant fish (wrapped with fresh greens in a rice paper roll, we also rolled them ourselves!); vegetable soup; a local beef dish; giants prawns and fresh mango to finish off the meal. It was such a satisfying meal too. We then visited the brick factory and the popular flea market. All sites were very interesting and eye-opening. Wish we could've stayed longer and done the 2-day cruise along the Mekong Delta, but we were pressed for time and did these all in a day. What a great first visit! Will definitely be back and spend more time here.