For tourists who have already visited Can Tho City and taken a boat ride to Cai Rang Floating Market, the Lady Hau operated by Victoria Can Tho Resort is a new option for them to explore attractions along rivers in Can Tho City.
The Lady Hau cruises in a river in Can Tho City
Named after the Hau River – a renowned river in the Mekong Delta, the wooden boat was converted from a traditional rice transporting barge that is popular in the delta. Unlike tourist boats which traverse fast between tourist sites in the city, the Lady Hau offers guests a spacious upper deck to see attractions along the way. On top of that, it serves guests food and drinks during their journey.
As usual, the Lady Hau sets sail at 7 a.m. for the breakfast cruise. Guests can view boats on the Can Tho River and breathe fresh air while enjoying pho (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup), other dishes and fresh fruits of the delta. The Lady Hau passes through Ninh Kieu Wharf, an old market, busy cafes and eateries on the right bank of the river in downtown Can Tho during the 7-kilometer-long journey from the resort to Cai Rang Floating Market.
The breakfast cruise takes three and a half hours. As part of the tour, guests stay on the Lady Hau to shoot pictures of locals bargaining, advertising and selling their farm produce to traders, including fresh fruits, at the bustling floating market. At the market, they can learn about how people in the delta use their boats as a mobile shop and home.
After guests take photographs at the floating market, they disembark from the Lady Hau and then get on traditional sampans to continue their exploratory journey deep into the delta. The sampans cruise narrow creeks and canals that crisscross the delta to transport guests to a noodle factory and orchards where they are offered to taste regional fruit specialties.
The Lady Hau also escorts guests for their lunch and dinner cruises, which are scheduled to depart at noon and 7 p.m. respectively. They can opt for a set menu or buffet while cruising on the Hau River and admiring the beautiful Can Tho Bridge, one of the landmarks in the commercial hub of the Mekong Delta region. Looking at the pedestrian bridge Ninh Kieu shone at night from the river and enjoing breezes are memorable experiences for participants of the dinner cruise.
The breakfast cruise costs VND770,000 per person for in-house guests of the resort and VND870,000 per person for non-staying guests, and these prices are applied to a group of at least 20 persons. Meanwhile, the dinner/lunch cruise includes a boat rental fee of VND 6.35 million plus the cost of dishes in the set menu from VND570,000 per person (minimum two persons) or buffet at VND800,000 per person (minimum 20 persons).
Small groups of guests can rent the Mekong Princess boats from Victoria Can Tho Resort for similar tours at lower charges.