Vietnam
Cai Be
Cái Bè: A Floating Market and Old Garden Houses on the Mekong
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Where Ships Moor
Cái Bè stands on the north bank of the Tiền River, one of the two main branches of the Mekong in Vietnam, about 40 km west of Mỹ Tho and 110 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Your cruise line will tell you where your ship moors; the floating market stretches about a kilometer along the river from the Cái Bè bridge to the mouth of the Cái Bè canal.
- The old village of Đông Hòa Hiệp is a little over 1 km from the floating market.
- Tân Phong island lies in the middle of the Tiền, and a ferry crosses to it from Cái Bè.
Cái Bè on Your Own
The floating market is on the water, so you see it from a boat, while the old houses of Đông Hòa Hiệp sit close enough together to explore on foot or by bicycle. If your ship's own excursion does not include them, these are the two places to aim for.
- The floating market: Trading has traditionally gone on day and night, busiest from midnight to dawn, but the market is much smaller now. Boats hang what they have for sale from a tall pole at the bow.
- A smaller market than it was: Far fewer boats come than in the past, because roads and bridges have taken over much of the river trade.
- Đông Hòa Hiệp: The old houses lie within about 2 km of one another, and local families offer guiding, meals and homestays.
- Tân Phong island: The island's orchards of rambutan, durian and longan are across the river by ferry.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Carry photo ID: Vietnamese law requires you to carry photo ID at all times, and a printed copy of your passport photo page and visa is accepted.
- On small boats: Make sure there are life jackets and ask for a safety briefing before you join any boat.
Food and Drink
Cái Bè's floating market has long been a wholesale hub for the fruit of the surrounding orchards, and small boats move among the larger ones selling breakfast and drinks to the traders. Look for the fruit varieties of the old Tiền Giang province.
- Fruit traded here includes Lò Rèn star apples, green-skinned pomelos, mangoes, guavas, oranges and Tân Lập pineapples.
- Floating vendors sell phở, hủ tiếu noodle soup, bánh canh, rice porridge, coffee and iced tea.
- Tân Phong island is known locally for ốc gạo, small river snails.
- Goods sold on the water can cost more than the same things on land, so compare before you buy.
Tipping in Vietnam
Vietnamese people do not generally tip, and a tip is not expected, though one will not be refused. Pay in Vietnamese dong, the currency sellers expect.
- Some places that cater mainly to Western visitors may expect a tip.
Culture and Local Life
Life around Cái Bè turns on the river and the orchards, and its culture shows in the old garden houses of Đông Hòa Hiệp and in đờn ca tài tử, a music performed at village festivals. The market is busiest around Tết, the lunar new year, and the Đoan Ngọ festival.
- The houses of Đông Hòa Hiệp follow the southern garden-house pattern: wooden halls of five bays with carved panels and mother-of-pearl inlay, set among fruit trees with a small boat landing on the canal.
- The Trần Tuấn Kiệt house, built around 1838, rests on 108 wooden columns, and the Phan Văn Đức house of 1850 blends southern Vietnamese and French styles.
- Đông Hòa Hiệp was ranked a national architectural and artistic relic in 2017.
- Villagers keep up traditional cake making and calligraphy.
History
Cái Bè has been a trading place for the western Mekong Delta since the 1680s, when people from many places began to gather here to buy and sell by boat. From 1732 it was for 25 years the seat of Long Hồ, the Nguyễn lords' administrative center for the lands south of the Tiền River.
- A river market: The market took shape when canals were the main roads of the delta and goods moved by boat.
- Long Hồ, 1732: Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chú set up the Long Hồ garrison in 1732 with its seat at An Bình Đông, now part of Cái Bè. The seat moved to present-day Vĩnh Long province in 1757.
- A busy trading town: The imperial geography compiled under Emperor Tự Đức describes Cái Bè as a busy market, where bamboo rafts brought rice, dried fish and areca nuts.
- A village name: In the early 20th century, neighboring villages were merged under the name Đông Hòa Hiệp.
- Restoration: Japanese technical help for the old houses began in the early 2000s, and a boat landing, a footbridge and lit walkways opened to visitors in 2019.
- A shrinking market: About 80 to 100 boats once traded here regularly; in 2017 there were about 50, and in 2018 about 30.
- New boundaries: In 2025 the former Tiền Giang province, which included Cái Bè, was merged into Đồng Tháp.
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