Nga Bay Floating Market

Nga Bay Floating Market, also known as Phung Hiep Floating Market, is located at the intersection of seven canals in Nga Bay Ward, Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta. Established in 1915, it is one of the oldest floating markets in southern Vietnam. The market is notable for its unique seven-way water junction and its role as a traditional riverine trading hub where vendors sell fruits, vegetables and household goods directly from boats.

Visitors can expect an early-morning river market at the confluence of seven waterways, with dozens of wooden boats anchored and moving while vendors display produce and goods hung on tall poles called cay beo. The setting is entirely on water, surrounded by canal banks, small riverside houses and coconut palms. Visitors explore by hiring a small motorboat to navigate between trading boats, observe wholesale and retail exchange, sample local foods and drinks sold from boats, and photograph daily river life.

Formed in 1915 at the junction of seven canals excavated during the French colonial period, Nga Bay Floating Market developed as a major waterborne trading center for the Mekong Delta, connecting Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Can Tho waterways and serving as a distribution point for agricultural produce.

The market represents the traditional river-based trading culture of the Mekong Delta, showcasing the floating commerce lifestyle, boat-dwelling communities and the cay beo advertising custom that has been preserved for over a century.