Cai Rang Floating Market & Can Tho Tour from Ho Chi Minh City

Can Tho tour: floating market sunrise, noodle factory, handmade cakes, local lunch, fish raft villages

This full-day guided tour departs Ho Chi Minh City before dawn to reach Can Tho's Cai Rang Floating Market at sunrise, then moves through the Mekong countryside visiting a rice noodle factory, Binh Thuy Ancient House, and a tropical island where you make traditional Vietnamese cakes, walk through orchards, and eat lunch with a local family. Hotel pickup and all entry tickets are included. The guide speaks English. The tour runs 15 hours and returns you to central Ho Chi Minh by around 5 p.m., though timing shifts with the river tide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Cai Rang Floating Market2h · entry included
2. Sau Hoai Rice Noodle Factory20m · entry included
3. Binh Thuy Ancient House30m · entry included
4. Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery2h

Explore Cai Rang floating market and countryside

• Pick-up from Ho Chi Minh City hotel
• Arrive at Cai Rang Floating Market
• Enjoy traditional local breakfast
• Take boat ride among local sellers
• Visit rice noodle and pho factory
• Explore scenic canals of Can Tho
• Visit Binh Thuy Ancient House
• Boat to tropical island in Mekong River
• Scenic trek through Mekong countryside
• Make traditional Vietnamese cakes
• Discover lush orchards with fruits
• Enjoy traditional lunch with local family
• Indulge in cake buffet
• Watch snakehead fish dance
• Visit floating fish raft village
• Return to hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

The experience

The pickup happens between 3:30 and 4 a.m. from your hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. The drive to Can Tho takes a couple of hours, timed so you arrive at Cai Rang Floating Market as the sun rises over the water. This is Vietnam's largest floating market, not a tourist stage but a working wholesale hub where vendors in wooden boats sell agricultural products, and you ride a local boat through the channels watching the commerce happen. Breakfast comes on the water: coffee, coconut water, fresh fruit picked that morning, and other options if you eat vegetarian. The market fills early and thins as the morning goes on, so the dawn arrival is what makes it feel real.

From the market you move inland to the Sau Hoai Rice Noodle Factory, where local experts walk you through how rice noodles and pho are made in an old facility that has been doing this for decades. Then the tour follows the scenic canals that give Can Tho its reputation (mangrove-lined waterways and lush green banks), and stops at Binh Thuy Ancient House, a century-old structure that sits on the water. A small boat then carries you to a tropical island in the heart of the Mekong River, where the day's hands-on part begins: you make traditional Vietnamese cakes with local people, walk through orchards of pomelo and star apple trees, and watch the snakehead fish dance, a local recreational activity. Lunch is eaten at a rural family's home, followed by a cake buffet.

The tour also includes a visit to a floating fish raft village, where you learn how families live and work on the water year-round. By around 5 p.m. you're back in your car heading to central Ho Chi Minh City, though the return time can shift depending on the Mekong's tide. The whole day is guided in English and covers enough ground that you leave feeling you've seen the region's working life, not just its landmarks.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and return to central Ho Chi Minh City.
• breakfast at the floating market including coffee, coconut water and fresh fruit.
• all entry tickets and admissions.
• lunch with a local family in a rural village.
• traditional Vietnamese cake-making experience.
• access to orchards, the floating fish raft village, and the Binh Thuy Ancient House.
• English-speaking guide throughout the day.

Options for this experience

2 options

Guide in English03:30 and 04:00

Guide in English5 departure times: the first at 03:30, the last at 07:00

Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 03:30, the last at 07:00

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (6 to 11 years) · Infant (under 6): free

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Winter Spring Homestay

Is this one for you?Book the small group option to split costs with other travelers, or the private option if you're bringing your own group. The 3:30 a.m. start gets you to Cai Rang Market before crowds arrive and lets you catch the sunrise over the canals.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 11 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What time does the tour pick me up from my hotel in Ho Chi Minh City?

Pickup happens between 3:30 and 4 a.m. from hotels in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, or you can arrange a meeting point if your hotel is outside the central area. The early start is what gets you to Cai Rang Floating Market at sunrise.

What's included in the breakfast at Cai Rang Floating Market?

Breakfast on the boat includes coffee, coconut water, fresh fruit, and other options like vegetarian meals. It's served while you're on the water watching the market activity.

Do I actually make the cakes myself, or do I just watch?

You experience making traditional Vietnamese cakes with local people on the tropical island. It's a hands-on activity, not a demonstration. You also walk through the orchards and eat lunch with the local family afterward.

What time does the tour end and how do I get back to Ho Chi Minh City?

The tour returns you to central Ho Chi Minh City by around 5 p.m., though the exact time can shift slightly depending on the Mekong River's tide. You're dropped at your hotel or a location of your choice in central Ho Chi Minh.

Is this tour available as a private tour or only as a small group?

You can book either a small group departure or a private tour from Ho Chi Minh City. Both options follow the same itinerary and include the same activities, breakfast, lunch, and entry tickets.

What should I bring or wear for a full day on the water and in the countryside?

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes suitable for walking, sun protection, and a hat or cap. The tour involves boat rides, walking through orchards, and time in the sun, so bring sunscreen and water. The guide will advise on anything specific when you're picked up.