Don't just eat at Ninh Kieu Wharf: A guide to eating like a Can Tho local

Can Tho tourism has long been associated with the picturesque names of the Mekong Delta's river capital, attracting millions of visitors to Ninh Kieu Wharf and popular eco-resorts. However, if you only follow the standardized itineraries found on travel websites, you may unintentionally miss a rich, affordable, and distinctive culinary world that exists within the everyday lives of local residents.

If Ninh Kieu Wharf is the glamorous face of Tay Do tourism, Tan An Traditional Market, located right next to Hai Ba Trung Street, is the familiar "kitchen" of local families. To eat well and affordably like a local, you should enter the market between around 6:00 and 9:00 a.m., when vendors are busy making cakes and preparing steaming hot broths.

The first dish you must try here is Can Tho-style savory banh duc. Unlike the hot banh duc of northern Vietnam, Southern-style savory banh duc is poured into thick molds, cut into smooth white pieces with a soft and chewy texture, then generously topped with stir-fried minced shrimp and pork and golden fried shallots. When served, the vendor adds diluted sweet and sour fish sauce with garlic and chili, along with finely chopped cucumber. A generous plate of savory banh duc at Tan An Market costs only around VND 15,000 to VND 20,000, a price that is difficult to find at restaurants along major streets.

Besides banh duc, Tan An Market is also a "capital" of Southern Vietnamese traditional cakes such as banh tam bi, sweet banh cuon, banh da lon, and grilled sticky rice bananas. Can Tho locals often recommend stopping by the small stalls run by older women at the corners of the market to buy a few small pieces of purple pandan leaf banh tet or boxes of fragrant, chewy savory sticky rice.

The sophistication of Tan An Market's cuisine lies in the fact that all the ingredients are handmade from early morning. The coconut milk is always rich and creamy, with a deep flavor, while the total cost of an entire morning spent "cleaning out" the market can sometimes be less than the price of a single coffee at a major urban center.

Cai Rang floating market is a distinctive cultural symbol, but for locals, eating on the river requires a certain level of savvy to avoid boats that overcharge tourists.

The golden hour for locals is from 5:00 to 6:30 a.m., when the sky is still hazy with mist and the sounds of engines and merchants calling to one another echo across the river. As your boat weaves among hundreds of large and small boats, call out to the smaller boats without a hanging pole displaying their goods, as the floating market convention is that boats serving food and drinks "do not hang goods but sell them."

The signature dishes that must be tried here are shaking hu tieu or field crab bun rieu. It is called "shaking hu tieu" because diners enjoy a steaming bowl of hu tieu while sitting on small boats that sway and rock with every wave of the Hau River. The floating market's broth is simmered vigorously with pork bones and dried shrimp from the previous night, giving it a clear, sweet, and distinctly Southern flavor. A full bowl with char siu pork, beef balls, chives, and fried shallots costs only around VND 25,000 to VND 30,000. Afterwards, order a glass of "cay beo" brewed coffee, a type of coffee that is continuously simmered over a charcoal stove placed right along the side of the boat, keeping it warm, fragrant, and rich while helping dispel the chill of the early morning mist.

For more local dining options in the afternoon and evening, Can Tho residents will steer you away from expensive tourist streets and toward the "alley food havens" and specialized food streets around Ninh Kieu District.

• De Tham Street (Street food hub): This is a street that almost every young person in Can Tho knows. Dozens of eateries line the street, serving food from morning until late at night. The most popular options include grilled beef restaurants, crispy banh cong Co Ut, as well as long-established wonton and duck noodle shops, all at very student-friendly prices.

• Tran Van Hoai Street and Alley 15: If you want grilled dishes or casual hot pots, this is the place to go. Locals often gather in Alley 15 on Tran Van Hoai Street on cool afternoons to enjoy Cu Lan grilled beef, thinly sliced beef marinated with rich seasonings and grilled directly on a heated clay tile, then wrapped with rice paper, vermicelli, and fresh vegetables and dipped in fermented shrimp paste sauce.

• Ho Xang Thoi Area (Hoang Van Thu / Vu Dinh Lieu Streets): This is where Can Tho residents go for an evening stroll and late-night food. Around the lake are countless stalls selling grilled sticky rice bananas topped with coconut milk, grilled snails with green pepper, Cai Rang grilled pork rolls, and affordable Quan Khu 9 soy milk shops. The breezy, cool atmosphere from the lake, combined with affordable prices, creates an especially pleasant sidewalk dining culture.

• Alley 1, Ly Tu Trong Street: This is the birthplace of Can Tho's famous duck cooked in fermented bean curd hot pot. Instead of going to large restaurants, locals turn into this alley to eat at Thanh Giao Duck Cooked in Fermented Bean Curd, a long-established establishment known for its hot pot with a rich red fermented bean curd flavor, tender and sweet duck meat, soft and nutty taro, and local vegetables such as water spinach and tofu skin.