Return to Can Tho

Posted by Jim St. George on February 23, 2015
Posted in: Vietnam. Leave a Comment
The Victoria Can Tho Resort - a big improvement over our first Can Tho hotel and not a bad place to hang out when there's not a lot else to do

The Victoria Can Tho Resort – a big improvement over our first Can Tho hotel and not a bad place to hang out when there’s not a lot else to do

We were amused to find this small but well-lit replica of the Bitexco Financial Tower that I'd liked so much in Saigon, sponsored by Tiger Beer

We were amused to find this small but well-lit replica of the Bitexco Financial Tower that I’d liked so much in Saigon, sponsored by Tiger Beer

Can Tho has long held a place of great importance in our travel history. We came here in late 2001 as part of a tour of the Mekong Delta out of Saigon and stayed in the worst hotel we’ve ever had: an interior room with no windows in a crummy building. Worst hotel ever. I’d loved the Mekong Delta, the floating markets, the life on the river, but I wanted to experience it from a more comfortable place. So from Saigon we headed south to this city of somewhat over a million people, the largest city in the delta.

The delta region is exceptionally flat, so it’s a great place to bicycle, and there are lots of opportunities to go out on little boats to see the floating markets and all the rest the Mekong Delta has to offer. Wave at all the little kids playing and swimming in the river, that sort of thing. Well, to be somewhat more precise, there are lots of opportunities to do all that except during Tet. We forgot to ask about that little part. Nope, no bike tours this week. And no floating market this week, either.

Downtown Can Tho also has a huge statue of Uncle Ho

Downtown Can Tho also has a huge statue of Uncle Ho

So there you go – three days and not a lot to do. There was a pretty cool little, local market in the early evenings in town, and one really nice restaurant. We were, however, in a much nicer hotel than our first trip through Can Tho, and hanging around the pool reading in between little walking trips into town isn’t the worst way to spend a couple days though it doesn’t give a lot to report.

From here we’re headed back to Saigon for a couple days before flying to Con Dao, an island south of here for a little beach time. After all, we don’t get enough of that.

We were supposed to take a bus to Can Tho, having been told that buses run every 30 minutes. When we got to the bus station, though, we discovered that there were no seats available for several hours. So we hired a car and drove through scenery like this. Sweet.

We were supposed to take a bus to Can Tho, having been told that buses run every 30 minutes. When we got to the bus station, though, we discovered that there were no seats available for several hours. So we hired a car and drove through scenery like this. Sweet.

A little piece of the local market in Can Tho

A little piece of the local market in Can Tho

Much of the traffic in the area is on these little boats. Interestingly, they're mostly driven by women. And you can see how friendly people are; these were just strangers who gave me big smiles as they approached the pier where I was standing. I didn't get a picture of it, but when they got out of the boat she was wearing the biggest heels you could imagine, four- or five-inch spikes. Not what I think of as boat shoes.

Much of the traffic in the area is on these little boats. Interestingly, they’re mostly driven by women. And you can see how friendly people are; these were just strangers who gave me big smiles as they approached the pier where I was standing. I didn’t get a picture of it, but when they got out of the boat she was wearing the biggest heels you could imagine, four- or five-inch spikes. Not what I think of as boat shoes.

The approach to Can Tho is over the Boston-like bridge in the background here, the longest cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia. How's that for trivia?

The approach to Can Tho is over the Boston-like bridge in the background here, the longest cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia. How’s that for trivia?

A nice flat city is great for running. This was my morning run along the river. Not bad!

A nice flat city is great for running. This was my morning run along the river. Not bad!

And in the evening it was into town to L'Escale, a nice place on the fifth floor of a hotel with great views

And in the evening it was into town to L’Escale, a nice place on the fifth floor of a hotel with great views

One of the things we love about traveling is the occasional mystery of just what we're going to get. Here our friendly waiter is showing Mark how to wrap the various ingredients he's been served into a Vietnamese dish.

One of the things we love about traveling is the occasional mystery of just what we’re going to get. Here our friendly waiter is showing Mark how to wrap the various ingredients he’s been served into a Vietnamese dish.

One last shot of the little local market that. I love walking through these things, just looking and smelling and watching...

One last shot of the little local market that. I love walking through these things, just looking and smelling and watching…

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