Floating markets – the outstanding in Mekong Delta - Floating markets – the outstanding in Mekong Delta

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Source: vietnam-beauty - 2009/12/22, 04:05 GMT+7 - Total view: 1194

Floating markets – the outstanding in Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta became famous world wide during what locals call the anti-American War. The Delta is also famous for its floating markets which are typical of the Phung Hiep and the Cai Be. On arriving in the Delta, you can start the motorized boat to visit the Cai Be floating market, experience how people exchanging goods, fruit and many other commodities on their vessels.

Farmersfrom the region bring their goods, fruits and vegetables mainly, to themarkets and sell them to local dealers. These dealers sell the productsto shops in the neighboring towns and to wholesale dealers from the bigtowns. In the picture you can see a local farmer with fruits for sale.All big boats have a pole. Each wholesaler hangs the goods hebuys/sells on this pole. This way, people on small boats know wherethey have to go from a certain distance. In this case, this is afloating vegetable supermarket. On the floating markets you do not onlyfind people buying and selling goods, you also find floatingrestaurants, floating bars, floating gas stations, and many otherfloating shops. Canals are here the easiest and fastest way oftransportation.

The biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta is the busy market of Phung Hiep.The market open at 4.00 am and are open till 11.00 am. To visit thefloating market, you should stay in the Mekong Delta area, wake upearly and take one of the boats first hour in the morning. If you do aone day excursion, the market will be already closed by the time youget here. On a typical day, youmight see coconuts, mangoes, a heap of turtles, a box of snakesor even a pot-bellied pig being paddled from a riverside villageto be haggled over in the floating market.Trading begins as early as 4.00 am, and by sunrise, the waterwaysare clogged with the sampans of marketeers and customers. Vendorsof smaller items hoist a sample of their wares on a bamboo pole.Shoppers come by land and water, and as they stumble from boatto boat, they often interrupt their shopping to enjoy bowlsof noodles prepared, rather alarmingly, on open fires in special‘fast food’ sampans.

Cai Be,one of the many well-known floating markets in the western region ofsouthern Vietnam was formed in the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century.The Cai Be Floating Market is always busy, bearing all thecharacteristics of the locals’ life in the western region. All thegoods are transported to the market by rafts and boats.

The floating market lies in the Tien River, adjacent to three provinces of Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre. The market is divided into two parts: buying and selling places. Rafts

Phung Hiep Floating Market

andboats are anchored along the two sides of the river for kilometres.Approximately 400 to 500 boats filled with fruits, vegetables, andother products are anchored along the banks of the river. Themerchandise sold in each boat is hung on a pole in front of the boat toattract customers. From the floating market, goods are shifted forselling at inland markets or small boats take them for delivery alongcanals in the Plain of Reeds.

Fromthree 3.00 am in the early morning, rafts and boats are crowded becauseCai Be is one of the biggest wholesale markets in the region. Traderslive on the river and some link their lives with boats like theirmobile house for generations. Cai Be seems to be an inseparable part oftheir daily lives. On each boat, goods are hung on poles that arecalled dialectically “cay beo”. Hundreds of such poles point the skywards. Boats also operate like “taxis,” very convenient for touristsaround the region. Along the criss crossing canals, people in the Plainof Reeds take not only goods of each countryside to the Cai Be FloatingMarket but also their unique cultural characteristics, creating such abeautiful river painting.

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