Where did Mekong Delta culture come from?
Mekong Delta culture, also called Cuu Long River Delta culture, formed during the reclamation of the southern lands by the Viet people and is closely tied to a dense system of rivers and canals. According to research by Dr. Ho Thanh Hon and Ho Thi Cam Linh of the Academy of Politics Region IV, the festivals here arose during that very reclamation process, helping residents deepen their gratitude to those who opened the land and strengthening family, village and community bonds.
Water in the Mekong Delta is not only a natural condition but also a living space and a lifeline bound to many generations of residents. On those rivers, boats travel back and forth, floating markets form, and riverside craft villages develop, creating a culture hard to confuse with any other region.
How is river life expressed?
River life appears in daily activities, in livelihoods and in the mindset of local people. It is the image of boats loaded with farm produce, calls of vendors echoing across the water, meals rich with alluvial flavour, and the affection of neighbours. All of it blends into a cultural space that is both simple and deeply humane.
Can Tho is a clear example, as the city is tied to a dense river system and identifies river tourism as one of its signature products. The familiar folk verse "Can Tho, white rice and clear water, once you go there your heart does not want to return" not only praises the fertile land but also carries the depth of river culture, where the Hau River shapes the open, affectionate character of residents.
How did the floating markets of the Cuu Long River Delta come about?
Floating markets arose from the need of river residents to trade goods when road transport was still limited. Researchers affirm that floating markets formed by the inevitable logic of commercial development, meeting the need to distribute and consume goods while reflecting the habit of travelling and trading on rivers among southern residents.
The confluence terrain of river branches forming three-way, four-way, five-way, six-way and even seven-way junctions on the water is one important factor in the formation of floating markets. Tran Thi Bich Thuy, a master's degree holder at the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts in Ho Chi Minh City, explains that to adapt to a life of many rivers and canals, residents of the watery region developed a distinctive livelihood, buying, selling and exchanging goods on the water using waterway transport.
On timing, Dr. Nguyen Trong Nhan of Can Tho University says floating markets arose naturally from travel and trade on rivers, so no document records the specific founding year of each market. Through consultation with local people and floating traders, Cai Be floating market (Tien Giang) may date to the late 18th century, while Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho) formed in the early 20th century after navigation between the Can Tho River, Cai Tu canal and Cai Lon river became convenient. Floating markets in Ca Mau or in Long Xuyen and Chau Doc (An Giang) may have appeared later.
Typical floating markets in the Cuu Long River Delta
| Floating market | Locality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cai Rang | Can Tho | National intangible cultural heritage, listed by Rough Guide magazine (UK) among the world's 10 most impressive markets |
| Phong Dien | Can Tho | Floating market tied to the orchard area |
| Cai Be | Tien Giang | May date to the late 18th century |
| An Huu | Tien Giang | Floating market on the Tien River |
| Nga Nam | Soc Trang | Junction of five rivers, among the oldest and busiest floating markets |
| Tra Men | Soc Trang | Floating market in Soc Trang |
| Nam Can | Ca Mau | Floating market of the Ca Mau cape area |
| Thoi Binh | Ca Mau | Floating market in Ca Mau |
Cay beo and floating trader business culture
A highlight of trade at floating markets is the cay beo, a unique form of marketing and advertising that lets buyers know from afar which farm products a boat sells so they can pull over. According to cultural researcher Tran Phong Dieu, the cay beo is considered the soul of the floating market, usually a pole made of tam vong bamboo with fruits and vegetables sold on the boat hung at its tip so buyers can recognise them from a distance.
Tran Thi Bich Thuy says this is a vivid and concrete way of promoting goods on the spot. At the bow of the boat, the seller only needs to plant or rest a cay beo, a long pole with the goods to sell dangling from it. So at the market one sees a cay beo hung with a gourd or squash, another hung with mango, rambutan, longan or pineapple. This is a distinctive way of calling out goods, not noisy, not insistent, yet attractive to customers, and it is part of the floating trader business culture of the market.
Traders at Cai Rang floating market say the cay beo is usually used to introduce fruits, vegetables and general goods, but some items are sold without being hung on the pole, such as boats selling food and drinks. Conversely, some items are hung but not sold, such as the trader's own clothes drying on the boat.
Daily rhythm and forms of trading
Depending on the goods traded, a floating market may run all day or only one session, but the common point is that it is busiest in the early morning, around 3 to 5 a.m. depending on the market. Previously, before combining with tourism, most floating markets were wholesale markets, selling little retail produce or goods. Each day, after wholesale buyers had nearly finished, sellers switched to retail.
Floating markets are also where many distinctive call-and-response folk songs formed between young male traders and girls of the orchard region, exchanging verses across the vast water. Southern culture researcher Nham Hung notes this as a distinctive feature of the spiritual life at floating markets.
What is special about the festival system of the Cuu Long River Delta?
The Cuu Long River Delta is home to many ethnic groups living together, and its festivals are a composite form of folk cultural activity, bringing together literature, performing arts, religion, customs and beliefs. According to Dr. Ho Thanh Hon and Ho Thi Cam Linh, the region has more than 1,230 festivals, of which folk and traditional festivals account for nearly 70%.
Typical festivals include the My Long sea worshipping ceremony, the Vu Lan Thang Hoi festival (the Ong Bon Cau Ke worshipping festival), Ok Om Bok, Chol Chnam Thmay, Sen Dolta, the Neak Ta worshipping festival, Nghinh Ong and the cult of Quan Am Nam Hai. At national level there are the Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam festival (An Giang), the commemoration of national hero Nguyen Trung Truc (Kien Giang) and the Nghinh Ong festival (Ca Mau).
Many festivals bear the mark of ethnic groups living in the region, such as Ok Om Bok, Sen Dolta and the Bay Nui ox racing festival of the Khmer, Ramadan and Roya of the Cham, and the Ba Thien Hau worship of the Hoa. There are also festivals promoting specialties of the watery region such as Ben Tre coconut and southern folk cakes.
Co-residence of ethnic groups in the region
The Cuu Long River Delta is home to many ethnic groups living together, playing an important role in shaping the cultural identity of the whole region. Tra Vinh province has many traditional festivals of the Kinh, Khmer and Hoa such as the My Long sea worshipping ceremony (Cau Ngang district), the Dong Cao sea worshipping ceremony (Duyen Hai district), Vu Lan Thang Hoi, Sel Dolta and Ok Om Bok.
In Long An, the Lam Chay festival, the Via Ba Ngu Hanh and the Dai Le Ky Yen at Tan Phuoc Tay communal house have been recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national intangible cultural heritage. Ben Tre currently has 18 national and special national historical relics, along with 4 intangible cultural heritages listed nationally: the Nghinh Ong Binh Thang festival, Phu Le sac bua singing, the traditional My Long rice paper making craft and the traditional Son Doc puffed rice cake making craft.
How are floating markets and festivals being preserved and promoted?
Localities in the region value the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, including festivals, and see it as a precious resource contributing to socio-economic development. The general direction is to develop the economy in connection with cultural development.
In Can Tho, although modern life has partly changed traditional trading methods, floating markets still hold an important place in the community's cultural memory and have become a signature tourism product. The city identifies river tourism as one of its signature products, capable of creating a difference from many other localities in the region. Many tours and routes tied to waterways, eco-tourism and community tourism have formed, gradually tapping local cultural values.
In 2025, Can Tho received more than 11.1 million visitors, up 18% year on year, of which overnight visitors reached nearly 5 million. Tourism revenue was estimated at nearly 10,000 billion VND, up 20% year on year.
In Ben Tre, the province harmoniously combines preserving and promoting cultural heritage values with economic development and sustainable tourism. The culture, sports and tourism sector and localities organise displays, performances, introductions and teaching of distinctive heritage forms at risk of fading.
In Long An, the province values communication to raise awareness and promote heritage through many forms such as propaganda and promotion of relics in the mass media, forums and publications to educate people about history and traditional culture. Many relics, which are also the sites of traditional festivals, have become places of return for young people and students inside and outside the province.
In Tra Vinh, cultural heritage in general and festivals in particular are precious resources always preserved by the locality, and are the foundation for the province to create distinctive tourism products and heritage-themed programmes. Exploiting and promoting heritage values tied to tourism is carried out alongside preservation and restoration.
What sets it apart from other cultural regions?
The fundamental difference is that waterways are the main living space, not just a scenic element. In many other regions, markets are held on land and road trade plays the leading role, whereas in the Cuu Long River Delta, floating markets and waterway trade were once a distinctive livelihood. Marketing with the cay beo is also a unique feature, reflecting floating trader business culture.
As for festivals, the Cuu Long River Delta is a place of co-residence of many ethnic groups, so its festival system is interwoven and brings together different belief traditions. This is a feature rarely found in regions with a more homogeneous ethnic makeup. This diversity is shown by festivals of the Kinh, Khmer, Hoa and Cham coexisting and interacting in one shared cultural space.
Do researchers agree on the origin of floating markets?
They do not fully agree on specific dates. From a research standpoint, scholars all affirm that floating markets arose naturally from travel and trade on rivers, but no document records the specific founding year of each market. Dates such as Cai Be floating market in the late 18th century or Cai Rang floating market in the early 20th century are the result of consulting local people and floating traders, not officially recorded historical documents. Traders, when asked, also say they do not know exactly when the market began, only that since childhood they followed their parents onto boats roaming the rivers.
On the value of floating markets, researchers agree that this is a distinctive culture that needs to be maintained and promoted. Cai Rang floating market has been recognised as national intangible cultural heritage and was voted by Rough Guide travel magazine (UK) as one of the world's 10 most impressive markets.
