Cái Răng Floating Market is one of the most popular rural tourism destinations in Cần Thơ’s Cái Răng District. VNA/VNS Photo

The Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ has expanded its links and cooperation with more than 20 provinces and cities across the country to promote tourism, thereby building new tour packages to attract tourists.

During the peak season of tourism (June - August), the tourism companies earn 60-70 per cent of the total annual revenue in Cần Thơ.

Therefore, tourism businesses have made careful preparations and implemented a variety of plans to attract visitors.

Cần Thơ has more than 24,500 hectares of fruit trees of all kinds, including many specialities, such as strawberries, durians and mangosteens.

Since May, the fruit season has also begun, therefore fruit gardens in Cần Thơ have become a favourite destination that attracts many tourists.

Instead of going on a beach trip, this summer vacation, the family of Đỗ Hữu Phúc in Bình Thủy District, Cần Thơ City, decided to change the plan to experience the fruit gardens in Cần Thơ to enjoy delicious fresh fruits and participate in outdoor activities.

"In hot weather like this, I think it is reasonable to visit a fruit garden. My kids really enjoy visiting and picking delicious fresh fruit and eating them. I think this is also an interesting summer experience for them," Phúc said.

The Sơn Islet Agricultural Tourism Cooperative has added overnight camping tours in this summer.

The cooperative also works with local households on the islet to promote the tour.

According to Lê Thị Bé Bảy, advisor of the cooperative, they have been operating wooden boats with a capacity of seven rooms to serve 14 guests and have camping spots around the lake to promote the nature of the islet to tourists.

The Management Board of the cooperative also guides local people to create more experiential activities to draw in more tourists.

Sơn Islet lies in the middle of the Hậu River, and is home to 79 families who live in traditional style.

Tour operators in Cần Thơ offer half-day tours of Sơn Islet for VNĐ300,000-600,000 (US$12-24) that take visitors by boat to traditional craft villages and enjoy local food specialties.

The ‘flying fish show’ is also a must-try experience. It involves snakehead fish jumping out of the water to feed.

A farmer (centre) performs the ‘flying fish show’, involving snakehead fish jumping out of the water to feed themselves. VNA/VNS Photo

The Cái Răng floating market is also a popular place for tourists when they visit the city.

About five kilometres from downtown Cần Thơ and 30 minutes by boat from Ninh Kiều Wharf is the floating market, the biggest in the delta.

A 40-minute boat ride is the best way to explore life along the waterways as it passes houses built on stilts over the water and boats in a bewildering variety of sizes, shapes and colours.

Traders start their business from early morning to buy fresh vegetables and fruits wholesale to sell elsewhere. The most crowded time is 5:30-6:30am when boats clog the waterway.

Tourists need to embark on a boat at Ninh Kiều Port to get to the market, which floats on the Hậu River, about six kilometres from the city centre.

A boat ride costs VNĐ30,000 ($1.26). If in a group, visitors can rent a boat for VNĐ350,000-400,000 ($15-17).

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Cần Thơ, said that the city as well as the Mekong Delta tourism network had implemented many policies and activities to promote connectivity and strongly develop regional tourism.

Cần Thơ has expanded its connections and cooperation with more than 20 provinces and cities across the country to promote and develop tourism such as the Mekong Delta provinces, HCM City, Hà Nội, Quảng Ninh, Ninh Bình, Bình Định and Thanh Hoá.

Along with that, the city is completing and upgrading infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, to maximise potential, advantages, and effectively exploit its tourism resources.

The Steering Committee for Tourism Development of Cần Thơ City has set several goals in 2024. The city eyes welcoming 6.1 million visitors, with total tourism revenue expected to reach about VNĐ6 trillion.

In the first five months of this year, Cần Thơ City attracted about 3.3 million tourists, reaching 54 per cent of the plan, an increase of 6 per cent over the same period last year.

In addition, tourism revenue is estimated at VNĐ2.9 trillion, an increase of 10 per cent year-on-year. VNS