About Con Son: Experience making cakes, going boating, watching flying snakehead fish

(Dan Tri) - With fruit trees laden with fruit, ferries carrying passengers across the river, people making cakes, raising fish... Con Son (Binh Thuy ward, Can Tho city) brings tourists into a peaceful life, imbued with the culture of the Southern countryside.

Con Son is only about 70 hectares wide, located in the middle of the immense Hau River with alluvium. From the center of Can Tho , visitors can travel by road to Co Bac ferry, then take a boat to the islet in just 10-15 minutes. The boat fare ranges from 10,000-20,000 VND per trip.

Without a large bridge connecting to the mainland, that small gap accidentally becomes a "door" to preserve the pristine rustic beauty that many other tourist destinations have lost.

Interesting garden activities in Con Son: Watching flying snakehead fish, making cakes ( Video : Ngoc Dan Thanh).

What is special is that Con Son does not sell entrance tickets. Visitors who want to walk around, take photos, and breathe the countryside air can leisurely experience it.

The cost only arises when participating in experiential activities, optional according to needs, from a few tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand VND per person. Visitors can choose a half-day tour for about 360,000 VND or visit on their own.

In mid-2019, British billionaire Joe Lewis, owner of Tottenham Hotspur Club, and his niece Carolyn Whitney Carter (Miss Virgin Islands, USA) visited Can Tho and chose Con Son as a place to visit and participate in many experiential activities here.

During the trip, he enjoyed finding traditional cakes, participating in interesting river activities and expressing his appreciation for the hospitality of local people.

On the islet, each family is a “small tourist station”. Every house has an orchard, a few fish ponds, a monkey bridge across the ditch, a low table under the shade of the trees to receive guests and traditional cakes made right before the eyes of tourists.

Adults are fascinated by listening to stories about the garden, children are excited about catching fish, making cakes, grilling snakehead fish, crossing monkey bridges, picking ripe fruits and enjoying them on the spot.

All activities are associated with indigenous agriculture, with traditional occupations, with a "self-sufficient" lifestyle in which tourism is an added element that helps increase the value of people's labor.

One of the attractions in Con Son is the model of fish farming in cages on the Hau River. Bay Bon fish raft has become a familiar name to tourists from near and far as soon as they set foot here.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam's family is famous for their performances of flying snakehead fish and snakehead fish drinking from bottles. The big fish leap out of the water when being fed, creating a moment that is both funny and shows the meticulous domestication of the people.

In addition to snakehead fish, many households raise Koi fish, knife fish, and goby fish for visitors. People not only introduce the fish, but also tell about the raising process, the Hau River water source, the flood season, the dry season, and the secrets to keeping the fish healthy and clean.

Cuisine in Con Son is not a sophisticated menu, but is rich in Western flavors such as grilled snakehead fish with chili salt, crispy pancakes and banh khot wrapped in garden vegetables, linh fish hotpot with sesban flowers or freshly picked fruits.

Meals are usually prepared in a local home, served “family” style, not in a professional restaurant. It is this authenticity that creates a sense of familiarity, making visitors feel like they are visiting a friend’s home in the countryside.

The most valuable thing about Con Son is the way people do community tourism. They do not compete to build grand homestays (staying at local houses) or change their gardens into check-in cafes.

Instead, they keep their land for growing crops, keeping their fish ponds, keeping their baking business, and welcoming guests as acquaintances. Tourism has become an “extension” of agricultural production, a way for farmers to introduce local resources, increase their income without losing their identity.

Ms. Be Bay, a resident involved in the tourism model at Con Son, said: “In the past, my family only relied on the garden and a few fish ponds, with an unstable income. Since welcoming guests, I have had an additional source of income, and I am also happy because people like to listen to me tell stories about my hometown and like to eat the food I make.”

Therefore, Con Son has become one of the highly appreciated destinations when referring to the agricultural - rural tourism model in the Mekong Delta.

In the context of the Government promoting the Rural Tourism Development Program for the period 2021-2025, Con Son is considered a typical example of the community-based thinking of exploiting indigenous resources.

No need for huge investment costs, the most important thing is to preserve the agricultural ecosystem, respect the natural environment and let local residents take control of their own tourism stories.

For tourists, a trip to Con Son is not only a journey to "escape the city", but also an opportunity to rediscover the source of Southern culture.

It is the sound of oars splashing in the water, the sound of fish splashing under the raft, the laughter of children crossing the monkey bridge, the smell of straw smoke from grilled snakehead fish or the gentle voice of the gardener inviting guests to eat freshly picked fruit.

Located in the center of the Mekong Delta, Can Tho has a strategic position in terms of transportation, economy and tourism. The international airport, highways, and port and wharf systems help the city become a hub connecting the western provinces with Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country.

Can Tho's greatest strength lies in its river and garden resources, where agriculture and tourism blend together.

From Cai Rang floating market (National Intangible Cultural Heritage) to Con Son, Con Khuong, My Khanh tourist village, Lung Cot Cau... every experience revolves around rural life and indigenous culture such as rowing a boat, picking fruit, catching fish in ditches, making traditional cakes, listening to traditional music in the garden...

Thanks to the tourism model associated with agriculture and rural areas, in the first 10 months of this year, Can Tho welcomed 9.98 million visitors, an increase of 25.83% over the same period, with revenue reaching VND8,670 billion, an increase of nearly 25%, according to information from the Can Tho Department of Finance.

After the merger, the city has more than 100 tourist areas, spots, and gardens along with 860 accommodation facilities with more than 14,500 rooms, expanding the tourism space instead of being limited to each locality as before.

Thanks to this, the tourist journey is now more seamless, from Ninh Kieu wharf - Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho), to the former ecological gardens in Hau Giang, then continuing to explore spiritual tourism and marine ecology in Vinh Chau, Cu Lao Dung, Tran De (formerly Soc Trang). This connection helps to extend the length of stay and increase the spending of tourists.

The Kinh - Hoa - Khmer cultural identity also contributes to shaping the appeal of agricultural tourism. Can Tho cuisine is a vibrant harmony of three communities with many specialties.

Traditional craft villages such as Pho Tho - Ba Bo flowers, Thuan Hung rice paper, and Thoi Long basket weaving are being restored and integrated into rural tourism tours.

The city’s unique tourism products include river ecotourism, cultural-festival tourism, community tourism and culinary tourism. All aim to create authentic experiences, so that visitors can clearly see the working life of the Western people and the sustainable value of tourism associated with agriculture and farming.

Content: Cam Tien

Design: Tuan Nghia

November 24, 2025 - 11:21

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/ve-con-son-trai-nghiem-lam-banh-di-thuyen-xem-ca-loc-biet-bay-20251120213925121.htm