Return to Tay Do

I had already made plans with the young men, so even though it was almost the end of the year and I was quite busy with work, I still managed to take a trip to the South. The first leg of the journey was Can Tho , also known as Tay Do, considered the capital of the Southwestern region of Vietnam.

Return to Tay Do

Yachts at Ninh Kieu Wharf - Photo: PXD

Ninh Kieu Wharf

While the central coast and many areas of the Central Highlands were reporting heavy rain and flooding, when the plane from Hue landed at Tan Son Nhat airport, the weather was calm, with white clouds and golden sunshine. As soon as I landed, I bought a bus ticket and went straight to Can Tho. It had been exactly 10 years since I last visited this place.

The taxi driver was a cheerful, open-minded local, like many people from the Mekong Delta. He chatted animatedly while driving. He asked me if I knew Can Tho, and I replied that I had stayed there for a few days, so I knew the area well and wasn't completely unfamiliar with it. He exclaimed, "So you're quite familiar with the six verses of 'Vong Co' (a type of Vietnamese folk song)..." Wow, that's a very ordinary, familiar phrase in the Mekong Delta, yet it had been a long time since I'd heard it again, uttered by a local. That's how the Mekong Delta is; no sophisticated theories, no lengthy explanations. Anyone who knows something, understands a particular region... simply calls it "familiar with the six verses of 'Vong Co'." The six verses here refer to six verses of Vong Co, because the people of the Mekong Delta are most passionate about it—whether happy or sad, during festivals or celebrations, like eating, drinking, or breathing. Therefore, it seems everything is likened to the six verses of Vong Co.

We booked a room right by Ninh Kieu Wharf, a place immortalized in poetry and music. We took a stroll on Sunday night. The Ninh Kieu night market, with its impressive signage, attracted a large number of tourists. Along the riverbank, colorful electric tourist boats looked magnificent. Occasionally, a large cruise ship would pass by, its hull filled with the sounds of folk music from the riverside, a typical weekend activity. My young friends seemed to enjoy the free-spirited, Western-style folk music. Continuing on to Ninh Kieu Park, we saw a map marking the history of Vietnam's sovereignty over its islands and seas, and the young people stopped to take pictures next to it. We then encountered an outdoor music performance organized by a group of young people. The setup was simple: one person introduced the performance, two musicians played, and the singers were from the audience. The public stood in a circle, full of enthusiasm. There was a mix of old and new songs, what you'd call a blend of traditional and modern music. This kind of activity is similar to what you see around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Walking about a hundred meters further, we saw a group of four or five young people sitting on the ground playing acoustic guitars and singing to each other. There were several such groups along Ninh Kieu Wharf. This kind of cultural activity is healthy, quite civilized, historical, relaxed, and free, without disturbing others. I believe this is something new that should be encouraged, especially for the younger generation returning to Ninh Kieu after a 10-year hiatus.

Visiting Cai Rang Floating Market

Although we went to bed late the night before, all four of us woke up early at 4 a.m. to catch the first boat trip to Cai Rang floating market.

While the city was still half-asleep and the night hadn't yet faded, the docks and boats were already bustling with activity. Tourists crowded around, their voices echoing as the female boat owners directed the drivers to dock. After reminding passengers to wear life jackets, the drivers started their engines and the boats cut through the waves. The driver, a man under 40 named Vo Trung Hiep, steered the boat while saying, "We'll pass four bridges, stop at Cai Rang Floating Market, where you can have breakfast and coffee right on the boat, then visit a traditional craft village before returning..." Although I had been to this floating market before, I still enjoyed going again, especially experiencing the feeling of watching the sunrise on the river from the skillfully maneuvered boats. As the boat sped along, a bridge appeared before us with a sign advertising the brand, clearly stating: "Cai Rang Floating Market," flashing continuously. Three young men were thrilled, exclaiming, "Amazing!" and quickly taking photos and videos as souvenirs. Boatman Hiep explained over the engine noise: "These boats, which look like houses on land, belong to people who have been trading on the waterways for many years; they're called river traders. The boat is divided into three parts: the front, the most important part, is for worship; the middle part is for sleeping and resting; and the back part is for drying clothes, daily activities, and bathing." Traveling along the Mekong Delta, you see that whatever you see on land is exactly the same on the river. There are gas stations along the river for boats to refuel, and even the boats that resemble floating houses have addresses written on them, just like houses on land...

Here we are, Cai Rang floating market, bustling with boats. Each boat has a long bamboo pole, a few meters long, used as a pole to hang its goods for sale. Locals call this "hanging whatever you sell," for example, if you hang sweet potatoes, you sell sweet potatoes; if you hang coconuts, you sell coconuts... At that moment, boats selling breakfast and coffee circled around the tourist boats, cheerfully inviting people in. We ate noodle soup, crab noodle soup, and drank coffee, not forgetting to invite the boatman to share breakfast with the passengers. Several young men praised the food and really enjoyed the experience of eating on the water. Looking around, many foreign tourists were equally delighted to have such interesting and unique experiences.

Afterward, everyone was invited to the traditional craft village. First-time visitors would be curious to see the locals demonstrate how to make rice noodles. Beside the blazing furnaces, the nimble hands of the artisans impressed many onlookers.

On the way back, we saw more boats heading towards Cai Rang floating market... This unique cultural region continues to welcome visitors from near and far every day.

Pham Xuan Dung

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