The real attractions in Can Tho are the floating markets and riverside life. Most days in this part of the delta begin early, around 6am. You'll go by boat on a circuitous route to a number of rural sights, including the large Cai Rang Floating Market, where you're not sure who's watching whom as your tiny long-tail boat makes its way among busy sellers in packed sampan-style boats -- great photo opportunities and best early in the morning. A number of handicraft villages are in the area, and boat trips make stops at some rather canned tour attractions, the likes of a weaving village, rice-paper factory, vermicelli-production plant, rice mill, and cool "monkey bridge" made of vines as well as a large island orchard. The riverside scenery is beautiful and the sights, though touristy, are quite interesting. Other floating markets include Phong Dien and Phong Hiep, both slightly farther afield and part of an all-day loop with stops at a small mangrove swamp. If you arrive in the city in the midafternoon and have some free time on tour or while in transit back to Saigon, check out the few sights.
