Phong Điền floating market travel guide

Mekong Delta of Vietnam is a unique destination full of things that is possible to make not only foreign tourists but also domestic tourists from other provinces surprise because of its charming. Fruit orchards, cuisine, the maze of Mekong rivers, canals and floating markets are the things which attract most. Besides that, Cai Rang floating markets nowadays become very popular. So in case if you want to visit another floating market, I suggest you can pay Phong Dien floating market a visit. How can you travel to Phong Dien floating market? Let’s dig into this blog with me.

1. Where is Phong Điền floating market?

Phong Điền floating market is one of the floating markets in Mekong Delta that I have already mentioned in my previous blog. It is located at the intersection of Mekong river and flows to 3 different directions: Cần Thơ City, Trường Long ward (Phong Điền district) and Cầu Nhím ward (Phong Điền district). The distance from Phong Điền floating market to the downtown of Cần Thơ City (Ninh Kiều district) is around 17 kilometers.

Read more: Can Tho City - Completely travel guide

2. What is the special about Phong Điền floating market?

Though Cái Răng floating market and Phong Điền floating market is not so far from each other, the biggest difference between them is the function of the market. Cái Răng floating market is known as the largest wholesale floating market in Mekong Delta and it still retains its function until now. At Cái Răng floating market, many merchandisers from other surrounding areas will come here and buy the products and sell them to other rural areas. On the other hand, Phong Điền floating market was founded as a truly retail floating market of Mekong Delta. Specificity of this land is the connection to each other by the complex system of rivers and canals. Local people use small sampan as their daily vehicle instead of other vehicles that we have already know: motorbike and bicycle. With the function of a retail market, it is hard to see any big boats here. You will only see the small sampans and hear the sound from the merchants to advertise their own products which they are selling. For example, a woman who sells coffee on her own sampan can raise her voice “Ai cà phê hôn?” which means “Does anyone want coffee?”. Yes, it is the way those merchants at Phong Điền floating market advertise their own merchandise.

Mekong Delta, in general, is the perfect land for growing fruits like Vietnamese plum and lychees, and Cần Thơ City is not the exception. The fact is the retailer at Phong Điền floating market do not only sell fruits like Cái Răng floating market, but they also sell other products like other inland markets. For example: household appliances, grocery stores, tailor, fixing machine, etc. That unique scene creates unforgettable memories for tourists who are lucky enough to have a chance to visit Phong Điền floating market. Especially at the time near Tết holiday, Phong Điền floating market is extremely crowded with lots of sampans. From 23rd December to 29th December on the lunar calendar is the time when people and sampans gather mosts. Phong Điền floating market at this moment will be decorated by colorful flowers that are put up for sale from other areas. Besides flowers, the local people also sell other necessary things during Tet holiday such as candy, cloth, etc. What’s we have in the inland market, Phong Điền floating market has that too. There are more than one thousand turns of sampans come here to trade per day. Another point that makes the floating markets in Mekong Delta become interesting is “cây bẹo”. “Cây bẹo” is a wooden bamboo stick made by the locals. Instead of having banners like other stores in the cities or land markets, the trader will hang the products which they offer on the top of the bamboo stick to make sure that the customers will easily know what they sell. But some sampans don’t have this bamboo stick because they offer coffee or breakfast. You can’t hang a cup of coffee or a bowl of noodles on that, right? Those coffee or breakfast sampans arrive at Phong Điền floating market to serve for traders and customers who have to get up from the early morning to reach this location.

Read more: Mekong Delta floating markets - Things you need to know before traveling

3. What to expect when travel to Phong Điền floating market?

Because Phong Điền is just a retail market, you will not encounter any big boats, it only has small sampans. The size of this market is also smaller than Cái Răng floating market. To catch the best scene of Phong Điền floating market, you must come here from the very early morning. Maybe around 5:30 AM is the best time for you to start your visit.

There are just a few travelers who know about this place so you can avoid a huge number of tourists and feel the authentic atmosphere of a truly Mekong Delta. Based on the reviews from tourists on TripAdvisor, you can find a nice spot on a rooftop of a coffee shop nearby to observe the market. A downside of this destination is that the river is slightly polluted.

4. How to travel to Phong Điền floating market?

To reach Phong Điền floating market, you must arrive at Cần Thơ City first, which means you have to spend at least 1 night in Cần Thơ. There are a lot of travel agencies offer boat rides from Ninh Kiều wharf to visit both Cái Răng floating market and Phong Điền floating market.

With travelers who had already visited Cái Răng floating market before, you can skip it and stay at a homestay close to Phong Điền floating market for more convenient.  You can rent a bicycle from the homestay to travel around the rural area. Furthermore, you can join in more activities with the owner of the homestay. Innoviet Travel is a travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City that can arrange for you a private trip to Phong Điền floating market with many interesting activities.

Read more: Mekong Delta Homestay - Things you should know before experiencing

5. Overall

In conclusion, Phong Điền floating market can be an option for those who want to find something different with Cái Răng floating market. Phong Điền is a small floating market so it will costs you around 1 - 1,5 hours for visiting. Then you can add more destinations and activities to your itinerary to make your trip more diverse. If you have already visited this destination, let’s share with us your stories on our Facebook Group - Mekong Lovers. This is a group with many people who love the culture, people, cuisine, etc. of the Mekong Delta region. To read more information about Mekong Delta, let's visit our Blog site More topics you may like Top 8 food you should try in Mekong Delta when you come here Top things must do in Mekong Delta Why you need to travel to Mekong Delta

More than that, Innoviet commit plant 1 tree in Mekong Delta for any Mekong Delta Tour depart in 2022. Let's visit Mekong Delta and plant a tree with us. 

Be sure not to miss out on our special offer when you join us for this experience.

We hope that your experience will be nothing short of amazing

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