Long Xuyen's floating market sits on the Hau River about 2 km south of the city center, and it remains one of the Mekong Delta (메콩 델타 / 湄公河三角洲 / メコンデルタ)'s least-touristed wholesale markets. If you've done Cai Rang in Can Tho and found it overrun with selfie boats, this is the antidote.
What it is
Cho Noi Long Xuyen is a wholesale floating market where traders buy and sell fruit, vegetables, and rice directly from boats. Unlike the retail-oriented markets that cater to day-trippers, this one serves actual commerce — farmers from outlying districts paddle in loaded sampans before dawn, and middlemen purchase in bulk for distribution across An Giang province.
The market has operated in some form since the French colonial period, when Long Xuyen served as a rice-trading hub for the upper Mekong Delta. Each boat hangs a sample of its goods on a tall pole (called a "cay beo") so buyers can identify what's for sale from a distance — mangoes, jackfruit, watermelons, pineapples, or sacks of rice.
Why travelers go
Three reasons. First, authenticity — you won't share the river with twenty other tourist boats here. Second, photography — the light at 5:30 AM on the Hau River is flat gold, and the chaos of boats jostling makes for compelling frames. Third, it connects well with other An Giang destinations: Tra Su cajuput forest, Sam Mountain, and the Cham villages near Chau Doc are all within day-trip range.
Best time to visit
The market peaks between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM. By 8:00 AM most wholesale trading is done and the river clears out. Aim to be on the water by 5:00.
Season-wise, the dry months (December through April) offer calmer water and clearer skies. During the flood season (September–November), the Hau River swells and the market can be more dramatic but harder to navigate in a small boat. The fruit selection shifts seasonally — mango season (March–June) and rambutan season (May–August) bring the most color.
How to get there
From Saigon, Long Xuyen is roughly 190 km southwest — about 4.5 hours by bus from Mien Tay station (tickets around 130,000–150,000 VND). Phuong Trang and Thanh Buoi run frequent departures. If you're coming from Can Tho (껀터 / 芹苴 / カントー), it's 60 km and under 2 hours by local bus or motorbike.
Once in Long Xuyen city, the market launch point is at the Ong Ho pier area on Tran Hung Dao street, near the intersection with Le Loi. Any "xe om" (motorbike taxi) driver knows it — expect 15,000–20,000 VND from the bus station.
To get onto the water, you'll hire a small motorboat at the pier. Negotiate directly with boat owners the evening before or show up at 4:45 AM. A private boat for 1–2 hours runs 150,000–250,000 VND depending on your bargaining and the season. Some guesthouses arrange boats for slightly more.
Photo by Vietnam Tri Duong Photographer on Pexels
What to do
Watch the trading
The main activity is observation. Drift among the boats as traders shout prices, toss fruit between vessels, and load sacks of rice onto larger barges. Your boat driver can pull alongside sellers if you want to buy fruit directly — a kilo of mangoes might cost 15,000–20,000 VND.
Eat breakfast on the water
Smaller boats circulate selling "hu tieu" (the southern noodle soup), coffee, and "banh mi" from floating kitchens. A bowl of hu tieu from a boat vendor costs about 25,000–30,000 VND. The coffee is typically sweet and iced — proper "ca phe sua da" served in a plastic bag with a straw.
Explore the riverbanks
After the market winds down, ask your boat driver to cruise past the stilt houses and fish farms along the Hau River banks. The stretch toward My Hoa Hung island has Khmer pagodas and fruit orchards you can stop at.
Where to eat
Back on land, Long Xuyen has solid street food. The city is known for its "banh canh" (thick tapioca noodle soup) — try the stalls on Nguyen Hue (후에 / 顺化 / フエ) street near the central market, bowls from 30,000 VND. For a proper sit-down meal, Quan Com Tuyet on Tran Hung Dao serves home-style rice plates with braised fish and pickled vegetables for under 50,000 VND.
If you want something familiar, there are a few com tam (껌땀 / 碎米饭 / コムタム) spots along Hai Ba Trung street serving broken rice with grilled pork — decent and cheap at 35,000–45,000 VND.
Where to stay
Long Xuyen isn't a tourist town, so accommodation is basic but functional. Dong Xuyen Hotel on Luong Van Cu street is clean, central, and costs around 300,000–400,000 VND per night for a double with air conditioning. For budget travelers, nha nghi (guesthouses) near the bus station run 150,000–200,000 VND. There's no hostel scene here.
If you prefer more comfort, Hotel Hoa Binh An Giang on Nguyen Van Cung street has river-view rooms from 500,000 VND — nothing fancy, but the balcony overlooks the Hau River and you can watch boats from your room.
Photo by Duy Nguyen on Pexels
Practical tips
- Bring cash. There are ATMs in the city but nothing at the pier or on the water.
- Wear a hat and sunscreen. Even at 5 AM, once the sun rises around 5:45 you're fully exposed on the river.
- Bring a dry bag for your phone and camera. Splashing is inevitable in a small boat.
- Learn two phrases: "Bao nhieu?" (how much?) and "Dat qua" (too expensive). Useful when buying fruit from boats.
- Combine with Chau Doc. Long Xuyen to Chau Doc is only 55 km — easy to visit both the floating market and the Cham communities in the same trip.
Common mistakes
Showing up after 7 AM and finding an empty river. This isn't a tourist attraction with opening hours — it's a working market that starts and ends early.
Booking a packaged "floating market tour" from Saigon (사이공 / 西贡 / サイゴン) that bundles Long Xuyen with three other stops. You'll spend most of your day in a minivan and get twenty minutes on the water. Come independently and give yourself a full morning.
Expecting Cai Rang-level infrastructure. There are no floating souvenir shops, no English signage, no ticket booth. That's the whole point.
Practical notes
Long Xuyen works best as a one-night stop on a wider Mekong Delta loop — pair it with Can Tho, Chau Doc, and Tra Su forest for a three or four-day circuit through the deep south. The city itself won't hold you more than a day, but that single dawn on the Hau River is worth the detour.
Last updated · May 24, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.
