The coconut-laden ship pulls up to the overgrown-bank. Back and forth, the bare-chested workers tangle their fingers around the stems and scramble up the embankment. With a toss, a couple more coconuts are added to the pile. You watch this from a riverside cafe, after having first befriended a tall iced-coffee. A journey around Can Tho through photographs. Let’s continue…
She sits on the northern-side of the road, squatting at the curb. Her oil-laden cooking pot exudes some character with its oil-stained patina, but nothing has more character than the hand-wound metal fry-basket, with its many wavy-looped wires and irregular look. You order two fried bananas. The cooking-setup and old lady at the helm was the dead giveaway that the best fried banana in Vietnam was seconds away.
On your way home, after slicing through the market, you note this hand-chopped charcoal spot. As if finding someone hand-chopping charcoal is not enough of a wonder, her outfit seals the deal.
And if hand-chopped charcoal isn’t your bag, perhaps maybe you are looking for the moto-bike seat kid, with his hand-crafted seats ready for the road.
Yet another thing you wished existed more back home–the outdoor barbershoppe.
Just up from the river, and just past the market, you find this worker repairing motherboards.
You looking for a solenoid? Random electronics dealers are scattered about in the complex.
And of course there is the fan vendor with these classy numbers. If you like vintage-fan shopping, you have your spot here in Can Tho.
If James Dean chopped coconuts in his day, he found his match.
More coconut-prepwork just around the corner. This one selling cold coconuts for your refreshing pleasure.
Bananas anyone?
And more bananas.
Chili peppers
As you ramble though the marketplace on the banks of the river in Can Tho, you notice stall after stall of great looking fruits and vegetables.
Even though most of the Vietnamese-bread would fail miserably in a Parisian-baguette competition, the exterior often has a great looking texture. Of course, you have continued to notice the amazing outfits that the older Vietnamese ladies wear. Typically, the tops and bottoms match. Others are ready for disco night.
Vietnamese cherries (Acerola berries). Not very similar at all to cherries from New Zealand, Australia and United States. These are not sweet and have two to three seeds in them.
Dried squid, fish and shrimp, along with other seafood possibilities.
The vegetable monger.
You motor, row and float along in this finely-built number.
A riverbank scene
Houses on the riverbank. You notice the chickens and other animals in the cages at center.
Something textural and alluring to this riverbank scene. It seems there is a store somewhere in there.
Two participants in the Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho. You admire the carved wooden boats and the engines.
Houses in Vietnam typically have a lack of furniture, which allows for things like setting up shop as an auto mechanic during the evening hours. As you shot several photographs, the woman (see in back) gets up from her bed/couch and scowls while the gentleman in front smiles.
For those who’d rather buy their produce at night from nicely stacked baskets. This couple did much of their negotiating or questioning while still on the bike. Once satisfied with the answers, the woman got off and did some shopping. Fruit is seemingly everywhere in Can Tho.
An interesting juxtaposition of the old and new Can Tho scenes, with the crisp white building in the background.
Another fine river scene, with colourful clothes hanging from the line.
A ship loaded with watermelons at the Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho, Vietnam. The usage of hammocks is very widespread in the country.
Life on a houseboat. Once again, the wood that still keeps these boats afloat is amazing.
And when the motors need fuel, they dock up to this floating gas station on the Hậu River
Can Tho got you close to a lot of great fruit, great food and great people, while getting you away from tourists and aggressive street sellers. Nevertheless it is time for you to pack your bags for the north…
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