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An Giang, a land of diverse cultures and ethnicities, has become a familiar destination for travelers seeking tranquility or religious pilgrimage to its many sacred temples and shrines. In this article, I want to share with you a different perspective of An Giang through the exploration of Long Xuyên, the vibrant provincial capital nestled along the mighty Hậu River.
Long Xuyên Floating Market
The floating markets are often likened to a 'living cultural museum' of the Mekong Delta region. In the past, when land transportation systems were underdeveloped, people began trading and exchanging goods on the confluence of rivers. Among them, Long Xuyên Floating Market on the Hậu River branch stands out. Today, despite the development of the new Long Xuyên market with its modern facilities and convenient roads, the locals here still preserve the distinctive cultural traits of the floating market, with its rustic trading life and deep sense of community.
Sunrise at Long Xuyên Floating Market
Navigating the Floating Market
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Starting Point: Embarking on the Long Xuyen Floating Market Tour from Ô Môi Ferry Terminal
Long Xuyen Floating Market sits at the confluence of two branches of the Hau River after splitting at My Hoa Hung Island. It's a prime location bustling with activity, with Ô Môi and An Hoa ferry terminals, Long Xuyen Market on the shore, and the floating market. The floating market is approximately 2km from Ô Môi Ferry Terminal, so you can leave your motorbike there and rent a boat. Just ask the local vendors, and they'll kindly guide you. We rented a boat package for 200,000 VND, suitable for groups of 1-10 people. However, if you prefer a private tour, you can rent a boat for a fixed route (about 2 hours) regardless of the number of people.
Ô Môi Ferry Terminal is located adjacent to the new Long Xuyen Market
We embarked from Ô Môi Ferry Terminal, right next to Long Xuyen Market, and headed eastward along the Hau River. The ideal time is around 5-6 am when the sun begins to rise, casting a golden hue over the sky, with gentle and soothing waves, and the vast river providing a serene and tranquil ambiance. The weather at this time is cool and pleasant, perfect for leisurely exploration, breakfast, and capturing picturesque moments against the backdrop of the expansive Hau River.
Witnessing the sunrise on the river as the sun peeks over the horizon
Cultural Space of the Floating Market
The rhythmic sound of boat engines breaks the calm waters, bringing me closer to the cultural space of the floating market. The scenery gradually unfolds, the bustling market ambiance fills the air, and in the distance, the horizon stretches with pink clouds intertwined in the golden sunlight. The tranquil water space extends along a stretch of the Hau River, with boats docking closely together, forming clusters for trading goods amidst the bustling crowd of buyers and sellers.
Boats bustling on the floating market
Unique to the floating market, traders use a visual advertising method known as 'bending trees.' Sellers use a long pole to erect vertically and hang on the products, fruits that the boats have for sale. Because the selling announcements are often drowned out by the noise of boat engines, and signboards may get tangled in the wind, 'bending trees' are used for display and to attract tourists.
Bending Trees
Unlike other floating markets like Cai Rang, Cai Be, which mainly trade fruits and goods, at Long Xuyen Floating Market, there are also agricultural products brought by farmers on boats from various places in the region to sell to traders on the shore.
Long Xuyen Floating Market
Clustered boats dock together to facilitate the exchange of goods
The food boats are very flexible. You can ask one boat to call another to buy different dishes. The menu here includes dishes such as grilled meat vermicelli, stir-fried meat vermicelli, rice noodles, fish vermicelli... as well as drinks, and morning coffee.
Boats trade a variety of goods
The boats will stop for tourists to have breakfast, but because they are always swaying with the waves, it requires you to be clever in holding the food while enjoying it. I was truly impressed by the image of women steering the boats while trading, they even shared stories with me about the very friendly and prosperous life on the water here.
Boat selling stir-fried vermicelli
The boats, selling breakfast
In the floating market area, there are also fixed boats anchored along the shore. Particularly, in front of each boat hangs the national flag, red with a yellow star, fluttering in the early morning. These are not only means of transportation but also homes of fishing families. Their lives flow along the water, compactly living on these boats, serving as both home and livelihood, swaying with the waves.
The national flag, red with a yellow star, fluttering in the early morning
Boats and sampans serve both as transportation and as the 'homes' of the floating market people
Boats bustling on the floating market
Pho Ba Islet
Around 8:00 AM, the floating market will disperse, and the boat driver will continue to take us back along Pho Ba Islet on the other side of the Hau River. You can ask the boat drivers to stop here for sightseeing.
The boat driver takes us to explore the other side of the Hau River
Pho Ba Islet is a lush green islet in the middle of the Hau River
Pho Ba Islet is a small lush green islet nestled in the Hau River. Particularly, along the banks of the islet are the characteristic floating houses of the river region, serving as the residence for families engaged in fish farming, river transportation, and trading at the floating market. Here, each boat is like a connected house stretching along both riverbanks, encapsulating the lives of families on boats measuring about 3 - 4 meters wide and 7 - 8 meters long.
The floating houses along Pho Ba Islet
Life here is very peaceful, with residents mainly living by fishing, in contrast to the urban Long Xuyen city. In the morning, on the lush gardens of the river islet, it's gentle and serene. From here, it's also an ideal spot to admire the entire Long Xuyen city across the river. If you have time, you can visit the Memorial Area of President Ton Duc Thang on My Hoa Hung Islet, right next to Pho Ba Islet.
Viewing Long Xuyen City from Pho Ba Islet
What to Eat in Long Xuyen for Breakfast?
Apart from experiencing breakfast at the floating market, Long Xuyen also offers countless specialty dishes worth trying in the morning. Let's explore together!
Long Xuyen Broken Rice
Long Xuyen Broken Rice
Long Xuyen Broken Rice has become a famous brand, a must-try signature dish. Unlike Saigon's broken rice, the broken rice here is made from finely ground rice, with the large grilled ribs replaced by thinly sliced meat, and fried eggs substituted with sliced dried eggs. Especially, the meat is processed in a unique way to retain its chewiness and deliciousness. Additionally, broken rice is served with egg loaf, pickled vegetables, and a sweet and sour fish sauce, which is thicker. Although the ingredients are simple, the preparation and combination have created a distinctive, completely unique dish compared to other regions.
Distinctive Components of Long Xuyen Broken Rice
Allow me to introduce you to 3 renowned broken rice restaurants in Long Xuyen that you'll surely become addicted to if you give them a try:
Huong Duong Broken Rice:
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Indulge in the savory delights at Tung's Broken Rice:
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Experience the exquisite flavors of Cây Điệp's Broken Rice:
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Fish Sauce Hotpot
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A portion of Fish Sauce Hotpot for 4 people
If you're a fan of the Mekong Delta's fish sauce hotpot or have never tried it before, you should definitely visit Coconut Tree Restaurant - a famous spot in Long Xuyen. The restaurant serves authentic Mekong Delta dishes, set meals, plates of rice, and especially fish sauce hotpot. We ordered a pot of fish sauce hotpot with snakehead fish, catfish, carp, squid, shrimp, pork belly, and more, served with noodles and various fresh vegetables such as water mimosa, herbs, banana flowers, bitter vegetables, and water spinach. The flavor of the fish sauce hotpot is incredibly aromatic, flavorful, slightly sweet, just the right taste for people from the Mekong Delta. Depending on the number of people, the restaurant will adjust the size of the hotpot for you at a very reasonable price. For our group of 4 people, the cost for the meal was around 400,000 VND.
Fish Sauce Hotpot is incomplete without fresh vegetables
Crocodile Farm Long Xuyen
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Crocodile Breeding Pond
Despite being a crocodile farm, this place is surrounded by lush greenery with an area serving food and drinks for visitors. It's also a local choice for morning outings where you can have breakfast and coffee while enjoying the scenery. The restaurant also offers some dishes made from crocodile meat, but I don't recommend trying this. Instead, there are breakfast dishes like broken rice, stir-fried noodles, pho, hu tieu, noodles, and various drinks. There are over 10,000 crocodiles of all kinds raised in large water tanks here, allowing visitors to stroll around for sightseeing. Additionally, people can try their hand at the quite interesting crocodile fishing game.
Children enjoy the crocodile fishing game
Sunrise over the Hau River
The culture and character of the people of An Giang are closely tied to the riverine culture. People and water coexist, adapt, and harmonize with the sedimentary flow of the Mekong River nurturing this land. If you have the chance to visit An Giang, don't miss experiencing the early morning on the bustling Long Xuyen floating market and the culinary culture here!
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