Phong Dien floating market is one of the most fantastic sight-seeing of Can Tho city. This is a unique cultural feature of the Mekong Delta, which appeals to numerous tourists.
This is an ideal place for selling and trading agricultural products and an attractive destination of southern Vietnam. This floating market, which is about 17 kilometers to the Southeastern, is located at the intersection of three rivers, where the Can Tho River divided from Hau River. The activities of this market usually start in the early morning, which is about 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM and finish in the late morning around 7:00 AM or 8:00 AM.
 

Features

Unlike the floating market of Cai Rang, of which main goods are agricultural products, the goods of the floating market of Phong Dien are much more diverse. You can find a lot of boats selling items of daily life, or tools for labor as sampan, leaves for cottage houses, knives, hoes, etc. and tools for catching fishes as nets, “lờ”, “lợp”… as well as handicrafts products as rattan baskets, panniers in various shapes and designs and international & national products.
On the other hand, when paying a visit to the floating market of Phong Dien, tourists will have the opportunities to enjoy special local foods such as the balut (or Vietnamese fetal duck eggs), rice vermicelli with tasty soup, rice vermicelli with grilled pork, porridge, duck salads, Kuy teav, coffee…
   
Nowadays, the floating market also experiences the advent of new services as floating petroleum stations for boats, sewing shops, mechanic shops, engineering shops for repairing scales and motors, etc. All of these floating services are now available in this market to meet the need of both sellers and tourists.
  A unique and interesting feature of the floating market is the method of trading, which is so called “Bẹo hàng” in Vietnamese. In details, a long bamboo stick is placed in the frontward of each boat. On each bamboo’s top are the goods that the seller want to sell. This unique trading method is a unique trading culture, which is only available in floating markets. Although “Bẹo hàng” is not so noisy, it still proves itself as an appealing attraction to the tourists. In order to look for the desired goods, travelers must carefully find a suitable bamboo stick with the products that they want to buy.

Unlike the big and small boats, which can anchors along the riverbanks to trade for goods, the sampans seem to be the new vehicles that have just been appearing in this floating market in recent years. These sampans are the place selling juices and fruits or serving as small general stores.
Besides, there is a great deal of traveling boats anchored near the riverbanks so that they can take the tourist a tour around floating market. The owners of these boats are locals, therefore, they will guide and introduce you to this wonderful place.
 

Surrounding benefits

Because of the advantageous location, the trading activities of the floating market of Phong Dien are always in good condition. There are also a lot of restaurants, banks, hotels and stores near here. Especially, the Nhon Ai Temple, which is one of the holiest temples of Can Tho, is also in the surrounding of the floating market. It is connected with important avenues as Nguyen Thai Binh, Phan Van Tri, Lo Vong Cung as well as others vital streets.