Life at Cai Rang floating market rises before the sun. By 5am the market is up and running. It is essentially a floating, wholesale greengrocer's. Traders come from across the Mekong's network of waterways and canals to buy and sell fruit and vegetables.
To see the market come alive, we decide to rise at the ungodly hour of 4am – it's only a 6km trip from the centre of Can Tho. You have two options. You can take a boat from Ninh Kieu Quay, a small boat with 5-7 seats can be rented for VND300,000 ($15), while larger boats cost VND500,000 ($25). The second option is taking a bus from Binh An market and hiring a boat at the market for VND30,000 per person ($1.50). You can also hire the whole boat for VND150,000 ($7).
It's our first time to the market. At first we're not interested in buying anything. We just soak up the atmosphere as the sun, noise and excitement rise simultaneously. The din of the boat engines makes it hard to hear much; nevertheless, our boatman endeavours to tell us about the market. Each boat advertises its wares by hanging a sample off a long upright pole. This way you can see from a distance what is on offer and nobody really needs to shout. The boating skill of the traders is impressive. They suddenly twist their boat to sidle in alongside us with just the tiniest of gaps on offer. One boat catering for tourists calmly crosses our path. Cold water? Coconuts? Yes, please!