Can Tho

I spent several hours wandering the open market of the small Mekong Delta town of Can Tho in south Vietnam.

It is a place where real people who actually live in the city go to get fresh fish, meat and vegetables each day. There are few tourists in this market, because it is not set up as a tourist destination. A few blocks away is the main town square. It’s a part of town that does cater to tourists with nice hotels, shops and street vendors trying to entice foreigners to take small boat tours on the river all day long. The best time to take a tour of course is in the early morning when the floating markets are in full operation and the sun has not reached its full strength.

It was hot that morning and I found myself seated in the deep inside shade of a coffee and tea shop looking out into the town square. In this part of the world coffee shops also sell various hand made cold drinks. And that’s what I had.

It is the kind of building you can push over with a good shove. I was the only paying customer. At the front of the shop a few old women from town sat and gossiped as others carried out their daily chores on the streets. This local scene plays out everyday. The shopkeeper was delighted to serve a foreigner and chased me down the street to return the tip I left thinking he was being an honest merchant.

“No, that’s for you,” I said. “A tip.” He could not understand my English, but he did understand the gesture. He smiled and waved me good bye having experienced the habits of a foreign culture.