Season · 2026-10-21
Cai Rang still starts at 4am, with fewer trading boats than it once had
Vietnam News reported on 13 May that the market opens every day from 4am to 9am, with around 100 to 200 boats, down from as many as 300. In September the same department said trader numbers were still falling, and gave no new count.
Hours from a 13 May 2026 report. September did not update the boat count.
Go early, and go for the trading boats rather than the idea of a crowd. On 13 May, Vietnam News quoted Sầm Long Giang, deputy director of Can Tho’s culture and sports department, on a project to preserve and restructure Cai Rang while keeping what is local about it. The same article says the market opens every day from 4am to 9am, that it once drew as many as 300 boats, and that around 100 to 200 were there then. It dates the market’s recognition as national intangible cultural heritage to 2016, and puts it six kilometres from downtown Can Tho. Trương Văn Vĩnh of the city’s tourism association said agencies were selling a morning boat that takes in the market, sunrise, breakfast, coffee, and tài tử music, plus nearby craft villages.
September does not cancel those hours, and it does not confirm the boat count. On 21 September, Giang told Tuổi Trẻ that the number of traders keeps falling as roads and the wider economy pull trade off the river, and that the department is still studying how to make staying worthwhile. He gave no replacement figure for the 100 to 200. So the May range and the September decline are both in print. The photograph is a trading boat at the market, which is the scene the May hours describe.
