For a Mekong Delta trip to Soc Trang, Nga Nam Floating Market is where you can get dozens of stimulating things in culture, life, and people in the wet area of Vietnam. Just see what’s inside Nga Nam Floating Market so that it can appeal to more and more visitors every year.
The history of Nga Nam Floating Market
Some historical documents show that Nga Nam was officially discovered in the early 19th century thanks to the Nguyen Dynasty’s land reclamation policy applied to the Mekong Delta.
In the late 19th century, the district of Nga Nam was still a forest full of mangroves and reeds and also a sparsely populated area. The French colonists considered the land a place quite adventurous to explore.
In the tactics for Indochina conquest from 1900-1924, the French colonists dug a system of large canals with the aim of exploiting new lands and making the region’s management better. There is Quan Lo Phung Hiep Canal, Long My – Phu Loc Canal, Gia Rai – Pho Sinh Canal, and Ngan Dua – Cau Sap Canal.
The word “Nga Nam”, meaning five directions was born when Xang Canal and Quan Lo Phung Hiep Canal crossed a river, forming a tributary which emptied into five directions.
Because Nga Nam was an ideal position for trading, people from Rach Gia, Soc Trang, Vinh Long, Can Tho, and My Tho have come to exchange their agricultural products and goods. Therefore, we have Nga Nam Floating Market as you see nowadays.
When to visit Nga Nam Floating Market
While it’s often hustling in other markets from morning to noon, 3:00AM – 4:00AM is the most high-octane time of Nga Nam Market. By that time, although the sky is still dark, there are lots of boats full of vegetables, fruits, and other agricultural products, creating a vibrant picture in the early morning. Hence, to see such a wonderful prospect, you’d better walk up early and visit the market at about 5:00AM – 6:00AM.
How to get to Nga Nam Floating Market from Ho Chi Minh City
It’s known that bus is the most common and convenient means of transport for a trip to Nga Nam Floating Market from Ho Chi Minh City. You just spend about USD8 – USD9 catching a bus from Ho Chi Minh Chi City. It’s easy to have the bus ticket at Mien Tay Bus Station. It takes you approximately 8 hours by bus to the city center of Ca Mau. After you get off the bus, take another shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes at Ca Mau Bus Station.
Right after you hit the pier, rent a small boat which costs you about USD1 in order to have a sightseeing tour of the floating market.
What makes Nga Nam Floating Market special?
A colorful and vibrant prospect of Nga Nam Floating Market
Since the market was established, people from many different places come to exchange their agricultural products. All sellers and buyers move on the river by boats and canoes for trading, creating a hustling vista anyone will feel regrettable if losing out on it. Boats and canoes are always full of eye-catching colors, such as green of vegetables, orange, red, purple, white, and yellow of fruits, colorful clothes, and others. They slowly go through waterways so that everyone can see their products.
“Advertising bamboo”
One of the impressive features in the market culture in Nga Nam is that sellers always know how to spring up among numerous the others. They use a bamboo to hang what they want to sell in front of the boat, making buyers and travelers, even from a far distance, catch the images of those products more easily. As you see, it’s too expensive and complex in advertising products, but’s special and prominent enough to attract the shoppers. More excitingly, it has become a unique feature in the culture of the Nga Nam floating market.
Savoring delicacies of the Mekong Delta on the river
An interesting version of street food will be found when you visit Nga Nam Floating Market. It’s exactly street food on the river. While you have a sightseeing trip of the floating market, sometimes vendors will come to offer breakfasts, e.g. rice noodle soup with pork and meat, paddy crab paste vermicelli soup, vermicelli with grilled pork and sweet and sour fish sauce, rice noodle soup with seafood, iced or hot coffee, iced or hot coffee milk, orange juice, and so forth.
Perceiving simple and authentic things in the life of locals
Just with a sightseeing trip of Nga Nam Floating Market, you are enabled to explore lots of things you’ve never figured out before. The life of locals in the Mekong Delta is one of those things; the trip brings new experiences for you whereby you can delve into how they live, work, and behavior toward each other. The market is where everything in their life is exposed clearly.
If you are interested in going on a tour of exploring Nga Nam Floating Market, in which you can visit more destinations instead of only the mentioned market, TNK Travel can help customize an ideal itinerary to the Mekong Delta for you.
