On the evening of November 29, at Ninh Kieu wharf area, Can Tho city officially opened Ninh Kieu walking street, marking a turning point in the development of urban cultural and tourism space at night.
The event attracted a large number of local people and domestic and foreign tourists, creating a vibrant, youthful atmosphere rich in the identity of the Mekong Delta.
According to Mr. Pham Van Dong, Chairman of Ninh Kieu Ward People's Committee, the walking street is about 750m long, organized on Hai Ba Trung Street (from Ngo Gia Tu to Phan Chu Trinh) and neighboring routes, operating periodically on Saturday and Sunday evenings every week.
The street space is designed into many functional zones including art program stage; general music and dance stage; fashion shows, child models; and dance sport programs.
Visitors can also experience folk games, games with prizes, and many chess and Chinese chess competitions for community exchange.
At the Ho Chi Minh President statue square, children's groups performed drums and trumpets, creating a joyful and friendly highlight.
At the three-light intersection, groups of young artists perform street art, especially street dance performances that attract a large number of young audiences.
In addition, on the walking routes there are also booths to introduce OCOP products, areas to display and introduce books, perform calligraphy and give away free words.
Along with inheriting traditional cultural and artistic activities from the old walking street of Ninh Kieu district, the new model adds exchange programs to help audiences sing with cai luong artists, perform folk songs, and folk songs; at the same time, expand artistic activities associated with the culture of Khmer and Chinese people... contributing to spreading the cultural diversity of Can Tho city.
The funding for the pedestrian street development comes from the state budget. Notably, Ninh Kieu Ward has developed a project to renovate the entire Ben Ninh Kieu Park area with a total budget of more than 200 billion VND, to be implemented in the period 2026-2030.
Accordingly, the items will include renovating the closed river embankment; paving the entire sidewalk; upgrading the inland waterway wharf; building an artistic lighting system... aiming to form a modern, safe and unique public space, serving the long-term development of tourism, services and the city's night-time economy.
Oliver Bennett, a tourist from the UK who was in Can Tho on the occasion of the opening of the walking street, shared his thoughts: “I was completely surprised by the vibrant atmosphere here. There were a lot of cultural activities, from performing arts to traditional games. I was especially impressed to see many families and children participating in the performances together. For a tourist like me, this was a truly memorable experience and very different from other places I have been to.”
He added that developing a riverside walking space brings a sense of relaxation, an attractive spot for tourists who like to explore local life.
Putting Ninh Kieu walking street into operation not only creates a highlight for tourism and entertainment in the city center, but also contributes to promoting the vitality of the night-time economy - one of the important development orientations of Can Tho in the coming time.
Many tourists commented that the walking street brings the image of a dynamic urban area rich in cultural identity, while opening up opportunities for the locality to attract more international visitors.
Thereby contributing to affirming Can Tho's position as the center of the Southwest region in service-tourism development.
Previously, in June 2025, Ninh Kieu walking street had to temporarily suspend operations because the winning bidder was operating at a loss and terminated the contract early after more than 3 years of operation.
The reorganization of Ninh Kieu walking street is an important step in the city's night-time economic development strategy./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/can-tho-mo-lai-tuyen-pho-di-bo-o-khu-vuc-ben-ninh-kieu-post1080054.vnp
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