Local Guide
Everything you need in Can Tho
Six quick guides from our team — where to eat, where to go, getting around, local tours, trips beyond Can Tho, and the practical bits that make your stay easier.
Where to Eat
Local food, Mekong specialties and night bites near De Rivé.
Explore → 🧭Where to Go
The wharf, the floating market, and the walks worth doing.
Explore → 🛵Motorbike & Car Rental
Self-drive motorbikes or a car with driver — arranged through De Rivé.
Explore → 🗺️Local Tours
Floating market sunrise trips, Cồn Sơn, and Mekong day tours.
Explore → 🌏Travel Beyond Can Tho
Continue your journey to Cambodia, Côn Đảo or Phú Quốc.
Explore → 🛟Good to Know
Money, SIM cards, getting around, and who to call if you need help.
Explore →🍜 Where to Eat
Eat Like a Local
Our favourite places to eat around De Rivé — chosen for taste, local reputation and how close they are to you, not just star ratings.
🍜 Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (Nhân Quán)
Rich pork & seafood noodle soup
🍜 Mì Vịt Tiềm Hậu Phát
Herbal duck noodle soup, slow-simmered broth
🍗 Cơm Gà 6 Quận
Charcoal-grilled BBQ chicken over broken rice
🥟 Xíu Mại Viễn Hưng
Steamed pork buns, xíu mại & há cảo — a Can Tho breakfast classic
🥞 Bánh Xèo 7 Tới
Crispy Mekong-style pancakes, fresh herbs & pork
🧆 Bánh Cống Cô Út
Crispy fried shrimp & mung bean cakes
🍲 Lẩu Vịt Nấu Chao Thành Giao
Duck hot pot in fermented bean curd broth
🍲 Lẩu Mắm Hồi Đó
Mekong-style fermented fish hot pot
🍢 Nem Nướng Thanh Vân
Grilled pork skewers, roll-your-own rice paper wraps
🌱 Ngon Vegan – Bến Ninh Kiều
Riverside vegan restaurant, right next to De Rivé
🧭 Where to Go
Sights worth the walk
The wharf, the floating market, and a few local landmarks — all an easy trip from De Rivé.
🛶 Cai Rang Floating Market
Boats piled with fruit and veg trading at sunrise — the Mekong Delta's most iconic sight.
⚓ Ninh Kieu Wharf & Riverside
The best area for an evening walk — river views, boats, street food and restaurants all along the water.
🛍️ Ninh Kieu Walking Street
Pedestrian promenade with street food stalls, lights and live music in the evenings.
🏛️ Can Tho Old Market
A century-old market building with a distinctive clock tower, right by the wharf.
🏮 Ong Pagoda
A beautifully preserved 19th-century Chinese temple in the heart of Ninh Kieu.
🏺 Can Tho Museum
Two floors of local history, culture and artifacts — free entry, easy to self-guide.
🏚️ Khám Lớn Cần Thơ
A small French colonial-era prison turned museum — free entry, well worth the visit.
🏡 Bình Thủy Ancient House
A beautifully preserved 19th-century French-Vietnamese mansion with lush gardens.
🙏 Trúc Lâm Phương Nam Zen Monastery
A vast, peaceful Buddhist monastery built in traditional Ly–Tran dynasty style — ponds, koi fish and quiet meditation halls.
🏝️ Cồn Sơn
A riverside islet with fish farms, fruit gardens and hands-on local experiences — take a short ferry over.
🛵 Getting Around
Motorbike & Car Rental
Arranged directly through De Rivé — just ask our front desk or message us on WhatsApp.
Motorbike Rental (Self-Drive)
Explore Can Tho freely and conveniently.
- Helmet provided
- Regularly inspected, well-maintained bikes
- Roadside assistance within Can Tho City
Note: Rate covers travel within Can Tho City only — +50,000₫/day for trips outside the city. Please ride responsibly and follow traffic laws; the renter is responsible for any damage from accidents, misuse or traffic violations during the rental.
Ask on WhatsApp →Private Car with Driver
Travel comfortably, safely and hassle-free.
- 🚘 Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC) pick-up & transfer to Can Tho
- 🚘 Private transfer from Can Tho to Tan Son Nhat Airport
- 🚘 Private intercity transfers on request
- 🏝️ Sightseeing, business trips, family travel & custom tours
- Professional, friendly drivers
- Clean, air-conditioned vehicles
- Advance booking to secure your schedule
- Reliable service, transparent pricing
Please contact reception for reservations and quotes — we're always happy to help make your journey more comfortable.
Ask on WhatsApp →🗺️ Local Tours
See more of the Mekong Delta
A few of the most popular ways to explore beyond Can Tho city — ask us and we'll help arrange it.
Cai Rang Floating Market Sunrise Tour
Watch the market come alive at sunrise — we have 3 ways to go.
Recommended — the 650,000₫ private tour with English guide includes: boat, local fruit, breakfast & drinks on board. Pick-up from your hotel around 5:30 AM, sunrise at Cai Rang floating market, a visit to a rice noodle family workshop, a cruise through small canals (mangroves & water coconut), and a stop at a fruit garden — back around 9:30 AM.
Good to know: the 100,000₫ group tour has no English guide and is more shopping-focused. The private boat options (500,000–600,000₫) don't include breakfast, drinks or fruit.
View tour details →Cồn Sơn Islet Community-Based Tour
A relaxed half-day on the Mekong — floating fish farms, seasonal fruit gardens, a flying snakehead fish show and homemade traditional cakes.
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off by car
- Local tour guide & boat trip
- Local fruit, fruit & traditional cakes
- All fees & craft experience fee
The experience: pick-up at 8:00 AM or 2:00 PM, boat to Cồn Sơn, visit a floating fish farm on the Hậu River, explore a seasonal fruit garden, watch the flying snakehead fish show, make homemade traditional cakes with local families, then return to the mainland around 12:00 PM or 6:00 PM.
View tour details →Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve & Hidden Forests
A peaceful half-day escape — small-boat rides through hidden canals, flooded forest and rich birdlife, about an hour from Can Tho.
- A/C car with English-speaking driver
- Boat trip & entrance fees included
- Free bottled water
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off in Can Tho
The experience: pick-up at 8:00 AM or 1:30 PM, about an hour's drive to the 2,800-hectare Lung Ngoc Hoang wetland reserve. Glide by small boat through narrow, untouched canals, climb a 25m observation tower for panoramic views, take an easy 1.2km forest walk (or skip it and stay on the boat), and visit a historic banyan tree once used as a Viet Cong hideout. Back in Can Tho by around 12:30 PM or 6:00 PM.
View tour details →Custom & Private Tours
Have something specific in mind? Message us and we'll help put together a private guide or custom itinerary.
🌏 Travel Beyond Can Tho
Continue Your Journey
Practical transport information for travelling from Can Tho to Cambodia, Côn Đảo and Phú Quốc. Prices and schedules below are from our 2025 notes and may change.
Cần Thơ → Cambodia
Cần Thơ → Hà Tiên
- 🚌 Best option: Quân Bưu Bus
- 💰 200,000₫ / ticket
- 🕖 Bus departs 7:00 AM only. Be there by 6:30 AM.
- ⏱️ About 4 hours 30 minutes, arriving around 11:30 AM.
- 📍 Travel to the Can Tho bus station yourself.
- ⚠️ Can Tho has 2 bus stations. Make sure you go to the correct one.
- 📍 91B Bus Station: 36 Nguyễn Văn Linh, KDC 91B, Ninh Kiều, Cần Thơ.
Hà Tiên → Cambodia
- 🕧 Bus departs 12:30 PM only.
- 🚌 Partnership bus with Quân Bưu Bus.
- 🚐 Someone will wait to pick you up at Hà Tiên Bus Station. Photos are required.
- 🛂 Self-doing visa: $35. Fast/service visa: $45.
Ticket arrangement: We can arrange all tickets for you, and you can pay everything at the bus station.
Cần Thơ → Côn Đảo
Cần Thơ → Sóc Trăng → Trần Đề Port
Option 1 · Private car
- 🚗 900,000₫ / car from De Rivé Homestay directly to Trần Đề Port.
- 🕓 Best time: 4:00 AM.
- ⏱️ About 2.5–3 hours.
Option 2 · FUTA Bus
- 🚌 135,000₫ / ticket.
- From Can Tho Bus Station to Sóc Trăng Bus Station.
Recommended bus instructions
- 🕒 Start around 3:00 AM.
- 🚌 Free shuttle from De Rivé to Can Tho Bus Station can be arranged. Be at reception at 2:00 AM.
- 🎫 At the bus station, go to the counter and pay for the tickets.
- 🗣️ Tell bus staff you want Sóc Trăng Bus Station, as there is no direct Can Tho → Sóc Trăng bus.
- ☕ After about 1.5 hours, arrive at Hương Xuân Coffee Shop and wait for another shuttle to Sóc Trăng Bus Station.
- 🚕 From Sóc Trăng Bus Station, take taxi or Grab to Trần Đề Port, about 15 km away.
- 💰 Previous customers reported around 450,000₫ from Sóc Trăng Bus Station to the port, including 400,000₫ + 50,000₫ entrance fee.
Tickets: We can reserve the bus ticket and you pay at the bus station reception. For the boat ticket, the agency must be paid first to print the ticket, and you can reimburse us.
Trần Đề Port → Côn Đảo
- 🚤 Best boat: Superdong.
- 🕗 Departs 8:00 AM only. Be at the port 45 minutes in advance.
- 💰 390,000₫ / ticket.
- ⚠️ Ticket cannot be refunded after payment.
Cần Thơ → Phú Quốc
Cần Thơ → Rạch Giá
Option 1 · Private car
- 🚗 1,200,000₫ / car.
- Direct from De Rivé Homestay to Rạch Giá Port.
- 🕐 Time is flexible.
Option 2 · FUTA Bus
- 🚌 160,000₫ / ticket.
- From Can Tho Bus Station to Rạch Giá Bus Station.
- 🕒 Bus times: 3:00 AM, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 PM, 3:30, 5:00, 7:00 PM.
- ⏱️ About 3 hours 30 minutes.
- 🚐 Free shuttle from De Rivé to Can Tho Bus Station can be arranged. Be at reception one hour in advance and select your preferred time.
- ⭐ Best time to leave Can Tho: 8:00 AM.
- 🚐 At Rạch Giá Bus Station, ask reception for the free shuttle to Rạch Giá Port.
Tickets: We can reserve the bus ticket and you pay at the bus station reception. For the boat ticket, the agency must be paid first to print the ticket, and you can reimburse us.
Rạch Giá → Phú Quốc
- 🚤 Best option: Phú Quốc Express Boat.
- 🕐 Departure: 7:00 AM, 10:20 AM, 12:10 PM, 1:00 PM. Be at the port 30 minutes in advance.
- 💰 315,000₫ / ticket.
- ⚠️ Ticket cannot be refunded after payment.
- ⭐ Best time to take the boat: 1:00 PM, because the bus from Can Tho to Rạch Giá takes about 3.5 hours plus time to reach the port.
🛟 Good to Know
Good to know before you go
The practical bits that make getting around Can Tho a little easier.
Money Exchange
For the best rates, exchange cash at Tuyết Nhân (11 Ngô Quyền, Ninh Kiều) — a trusted local jewellery & currency shop and literally right next door to De Rivé. Good rates, no need to go far.
Get directions →ATMs
Closest options: Sense City Vietcombank ATM (36 Phan Đình Phùng, ~3 min walk) or Vietcombank ATM (2 Hai Bà Trưng, ~4 min walk) — both 24/7 and known for low fees on international cards.
SIM Card & WiFi
Pick up a local SIM (Viettel or Mobifone) at the airport or any phone shop. Free WiFi is available throughout De Rivé and most cafés in town.
Getting Around
Grab (app) is the easiest way to get a car or motorbike ride. Most of Ninh Kieu is walkable — ask our front desk about motorbike rental for day trips further out.
Intercity Travel
The easiest way to travel around Southern Vietnam is by Phương Trang (FUTA) bus — the most common and reliable line, with free hotel pick-up and drop-off at your requested location. Note: in Ho Chi Minh City this usually doesn't apply — pick-up/drop-off there is limited to Phương Trang's fixed station locations.
FUTA Bus hotline: 1900 6067
Check-in & Check-out
Standard check-in is from 2 PM and check-out by 12 PM. Need something earlier or later? Just message us on WhatsApp and we'll do our best to help.
Laundry
We don't wash on-site, but just drop your clothes at reception — we'll send them out for you and let you know once they're ready. About 8,000–15,000₫ per kg, depending on the load.
A Few Handy Phrases
Xin chào — hello · Cảm ơn — thank you · Bao nhiêu tiền? — how much? · Ngon quá! — delicious!
Want a recommendation now?
Our front desk is always happy to point you in the right direction — just ask when you arrive, or message us on WhatsApp.
Message us on WhatsApp