Giorno 8 — Can Tho → Ben Tre → Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Breakfast. At 06:20 departure for the day's visits. The commercial heart of the entire Delta is the Cai Rang market, on the outskirts of Can Tho, which is visited by boat. Here the produce of the plantations that carpet the areas around the Delta is traded, easily transported by river. At Cai Rang everything happens on the boats. The best time to visit the market is early in the morning. This is in fact the most important hour for trading, thanks to the presence of a large number of growers and traders. The junks, laden with tropical fruit such as mango, rambutan, lychee, pineapple and mangosteen, but also rice, vegetables, spices, roots and other local produce, spread out at random over more than a kilometre of the busy river. The fresh-produce market, on the other hand, is on the river banks. You walk through it, savouring its scents and colours, before resuming the journey to Saigon. After approximately two hours' travel you reach the port of Hung Vuong, near the well-known town of Ben Tre. From here you sail aboard a motorboat along the Ben Tre River, a tributary of one of the Delta's main branches, until you reach a remote rural area criss-crossed by a dense network of narrow canals overhung by vegetation; to sail along these you change vessel, opting now for a small rowing sampan. The cruise continues past lush vegetation alternating with coconut palm plantations until you reach a local homestay for lunch featuring local specialities. During the cruise several stops are made to watch local farmers and craftspeople at work, including, for example, those who process coconut. To explore the Ben Tre area thoroughly you will also travel by the typical tuk-tuks. Lunch and onward journey to Saigon, which is reached at dusk. Accommodation in a hotel, dinner not included.
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