The annual festival is part of activities to respond to the Viet Nam Tourism Day (July 9), and honour and promote the images and culture of the Cai Rang floating market, a national intangible cultural heritage.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Van Tam stressed that the Cai Rang floating market is one of the highlights of Can Tho’s tourism as it honours cultural values of river areas and trading on the rivers. 

The market’s operation helps transfer economic structure, create jobs and attract investment, contributing to promoting the locality’s socio-economic development and raising its position. 

The organiser said a wide range of activities are featured in the three-day event, including a parade of tourism boats, a composite boat race,  a photo, book and magazine exhibition, tourism promotion programmes and a Don ca tai tu performance exchange. 

The Cai Rang Floating Market, located about 6km from the centre of Can Tho city, has been around for centuries. It is a prime example of the waterway market culture in the southwestern region, where people buy and sell goods on boats.

It becomes an attractive destination for tourists, helping the locality to promote tourism development. 

The municipal authority has made efforts to preserve and develop the heritage, focusing on raising public awareness of the importance of the market for tourism development, enhancing tourism links in the region, towards attracting more and more holiday-makers to the city.