The Cái Răng Floating Market in Cần Thơ City in southern Việt Nam is losing its attractiveness as a tourist site as the number of boats, vendors, and buyers has gradually fallen, local authorities have warned.

According to the Cái Răng District People’s Committee [District authority], about 200 boats are now operating regularly in the market, a sharp decline from the 500 operating there in 2016.

Over the past two decades, floating markets in the Mekong Delta, once key cultural, transport and economic hubs, have been shrinking.

Cái Răng Market, a tourist magnet of the city, was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage site in 2016. However, it is yet to be developed to its tourism potential and is deteriorating.

Traders have gradually left the market due to several reasons.

The development of road traffic has significantly affected the operation and transport of goods by boat in terms of cost, according to Trần Thị Phương Thúy, owner of the Sắc Màu Chợ Nổi floating raft.

In addition, the completion of the river's embankment has impacted the trade of goods on both the shore and the river. In the past, it only took two to three workers to transport eight tonnes of agricultural products, but now it takes eight to nine workers, and the goods must be transported a long distance from the boat to the warehouse.

The embankment caused the departure of some agricultural wholesalers because there is no place to anchor their boats, leading to small traders to also leave Cái Răng floating market. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate the exchange of goods between vendors on the river and on the shore. 

Overlapping state management, cumbersome administrative procedures, and the rapid development of road traffic also greatly affect the number of boats on the floating market. Moreover, environmental protection still has many shortcomings.

Preserving Cái Răng floating market has been the subject of numerous seminars and conferences. 

The Cần Thơ City People’s Committee [Municipal government] approved and initiated the “Preserving and Developing Cái Răng Floating Market” project in 2016. 

The project aims to transform Cái Răng into a wholesale market and a hub for the Mekong Delta region’s agricultural products, while promoting tourism, maintaining environmental hygiene, and addressing social security concerns.

The Cái Răng district authority together with the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and businesses present the people of the floating market with more than 2,000 gifts, worth over VNĐ700 million every year.

Moreover, local authorities focus on preserving and protecting the environment, ensuring security and order by organising garbage collection, building public toilets, renovating the electricity system, and ensuring traffic safety.

However, the Cái Răng floating market is yet to be developed to its tourism potential and is facing many problems such as poor quality products and services, unfair competition among small traders, and river pollution.

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Cần Thơ City, said that the department was making efforts to promote the image of the floating market. However, he said that to retain visitors, the city would need new tourism products and shopping spots.

The chief of the Cần Thơ City tourism authority added that in the near future, his agency would coordinate with large investors to develop the industry. The night economy was a project of interest being piloted in Ninh Kiều District, but there were still difficulties that need to be overcome.

In order to support traders to sell more and more goods in floating markets, the Cần Thơ City authorities have proposed a series of solutions related to improving public works such as a floating market jetty, public toilets, yachts, parking lots, and warehouses. They have also reorganised the floating market operations, trained management personnel and and applied e-commerce in market operations.

Preserving the Cái Răng floating market is a collective responsibility that requires the involvement of various agencies. VNS