Cần Thơ, also written as Can Tho or Cantho (: , : ), is the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its

floating market A floating market is a market where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chie ...

rice paper "Rice paper" has many varieties such as rice paper made from tree bark to make drawing and writing paper or from rice flour and tapioca flour and then mixed with salt and water to produce a thin rice cake and dried to become harder and paper-like ...

-making village, and picturesque rural

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

s. It has a population of around 1,282,300 as of 2018, and is located on the south bank of the

Hậu River The Bassac River ( km, ទន្លេបាសាក់; Tonlé Bassac) is a distributary of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong River. The river starts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and flows southerly, crossing the border into Vietnam near Châu Đốc. The n ...

, a distributary of the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

. In 2007, about 50 people died when the

Cần Thơ Bridge Cần Thơ Bridge ( vi, Cầu Cần Thơ), is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hậu ( Bassac) River, the largest distributary of the Mekong River, in the city of Cần Thơ in southern Vietnam. The bridge is 2.75 kilometres long (1.68 miles). It ha ...

collapsed, causing Vietnam's worst engineering disaster. In 2011, Cần Thơ International Airport opened. The city is nicknamed the "western capital" (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

is ), and is located from Hồ Chí Minh City.

History

During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, Cần Thơ was the home of the

ARVN The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. It is estimated to have suffe ...

IV Corps capital. The ARVN 21st division was dedicated to protect the city of Cần Thơ, including the provinces of Chương Thiện (now in Hậu Giang), Bạc Liêu, An Xuyen (Cà Mau), Ba Xuyen (Soc Trang), and Kiên Giang. Before 1975, Cần Thơ was part of Phong Dinh province. On November 1, 1955, the third Light Division changed into the thirteenth Light Division, and the fifteenth, twelfth, and 106th regiments transformed into the 37th, 38th, and 39th regiments. The 37th and 38th Regiments consisted of battalions that originated in the present MR 3. The 39th regiment consisted of battalions from My Tho and Sa Dec in the Delta. The 39th Regiment participated in the successful campaigns against dissidents in Hua Hau in 1955–1956.

Administrative system

The city is an independent municipality at the same level as the other

provinces of Vietnam On the first tier, Vietnam is divided into fifty-eight provinces (tỉnh) and five municipalities under the command of the central government ( vi, thành phố trực thuộc trung ương). Municipalities are the highest-ranked cities in V ...

. It was created in the beginning of 2004 by a split of the former Cần Thơ Province into two new administrative units: Cần Thơ City and Hậu Giang Province. Cần Thơ is subdivided into nine district-level sub-divisions: * 5 urban districts: ** Bình Thủy ** Cái Răng ** Ninh Kiều ** Ô Môn ** Thốt Nốt * 4 rural districts: ** Cờ Đỏ ** Phong Điền ** Thới Lai ** Vĩnh Thạnh They are further subdivided into five commune-level towns (or townlets), 36 communes, and 44 wards. Ninh Kiều, which has the well-known Ninh Kiều port, is the central district and also the most populated and wealthiest of these districts. The city borders the provinces of

An Giang An Giang () is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the Mekong Delta, in the southwestern part of the country. Geography An Giang occupies a position in the upper reaches of the Mekong Delta. The Hậu Giang and Tiền Giang branches of t ...

, Hậu Giang, Kiên Giang, Vĩnh Long and Đồng Tháp.

Transportation

Before 1975, National Highway 4 (now National Route 1) bypassed the ferry from Binh Minh, VL to Cần Thơ where the ARVN 21st division patrolled heavily the ferry transportation to protect the civilians and ship merchants. South of the National Highway 4 from Cần Thơ to Ba Xuyen province (Soc Trang) were mainly heavily patrolled by ARVN soldiers to prevent route disruption. Today, Cần Thơ is connected to the rest of the country by National Route 1A and Cần Thơ International Airport. The city's

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, which is now completed, is the longest

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

in Southeast Asia. The six-lane Saigon–Cần Thơ Expressway is being built in parts from Hồ Chí Minh City to Mỹ Tho. Hydrofoil express boats link this city with Hồ Chí Minh City. From

Phú Quốc Phú Quốc () is the largest island in Vietnam. Phú Quốc and nearby islands, along with the distant Thổ Chu Islands, are part of Kiên Giang Province as Phú Quốc City, the island has a total area of and a permanent population of appr ...

island, tourists can use the ferry, passenger bus or taxi to transfer to Cần Thơ. There are many vehicles such as taxis, Grab motorbikes, buses, vans and coaches.

Tourism

The Mekong Delta is considered to be the "rice basket of Vietnam", contributing more than half of the nation's rice production. People say of Cần Thơ: Cần Thơ (shared with Hau Giang) is famous for its floating markets, especially Cai Rang Floating Market, where people sell and buy things on the river, as well as the bird gardens and the port of Ninh Kiều. The city offers a wide range of tropical fruits such as

pomelo The pomelo ( ), ''Citrus maxima'', is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefr ...

longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambu ...

jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family ( Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...

, mango, guava, banana,

rambutan Rambutan (; taxonomic name: ''Nephelium lappaceum'') is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Southeast Asia. It is closely related to s ...

mangosteen Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to tropical lands surrounding the Indian Ocean. Its origin is uncertain due to widespread prehistoric cultivation. ...

dragon fruit A pitaya () or pitahaya () is the fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the Americas. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus ''Stenocereus'', while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus ''Selenicereus'' ...

and durian. The Cần Thơ City Museum has exhibits on the city's history. Tourist attractions: *

* Thiền viện Trúc Lâm Phương Nam (Buddhist temple) * Nam Nhã Pagoda * Bình Thủy Temple * The historic Bình Thủy house (, 1870): a mix of French and Asian architecture * Ninh Kiều Quay * Cần Thơ pedestrian bridge * Cái Răng Floating Market & Phong Điền Floating Market * Bằng Lăng Stork Sanctuary (Thốt Nốt district) * Canal tour * Cần Thơ Cathedral * Ông Chinese Pagoda * Pitu Khôsa Răngsây Khmer Pagoda * Quang Đức Pagoda *

Long Quang Pagoda Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great time, duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music ...

* Lưu Hữu Phước Park * Phật Học Pagoda * Mỹ Khánh tourist village * Cần Thơ seminary Cantho University

Education

Academic institutions in the city are Cần Thơ University, Cần Thơ Department of Education and Training, Cần Thơ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tây Đô University, Nam Cần Thơ University, Cần Thơ College, College of Foreign Economic Relations – Cần Thơ Branch, Medical College,

Singapore International School at Can Tho Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...

, Cần Thơ Technical Economic College and Vocational College, with its well-known College of Agriculture and

Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

, Cần Thơ University of Technology.

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Cần Thơ has a

tropical wet and dry climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

. Cần Thơ's climate features two seasons: rainy (from May to November) and dry (from December to April). Average annual humidity is 83%, rainfall and temperature .

Economy

After 120 years of development, the city now is the delta's most important center of economics, culture, science, and technology. It has a large freshwater port and two industrial parks.

Twin towns – sister cities

Kaposvár Kaposvár (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in the southwestern part of Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kapo ...

Hungary * Riverside, United States * Shantou, China

Notable people

* Lưu Hữu Phước (1921–1989), composer *

Nguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên Nguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên (born 19 October 1995) is a Vietnamese model and beauty pageant titleholder. She placed 1st Runner-up at Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 and was later appointed Miss Universe Vietnam 2021 to compete at Miss Universe 202 ...

(born 1995), beauty queen and model, 2nd Runner-up Miss Supranational 2022 * Lana Condor (born 1997), actress *

Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc (born June 18, 2001) is a Vietnamese beauty pageant winner, who won Miss Intercontinental 2022. Early life and education Ngọc was born on June 18, 2001, in Cần Thơ. Currently, she is a student of the Faculty of B ...

(born 2001), beauty queen and model, Miss Intercontinental 2022

Gallery

Can Tho, Vietnam, Floating Market.jpg Can Tho, Vietnam, Floating Market, Sale.jpg Can Tho, Vietnam, Floating market, Early morning.jpg File:Floating Market Can Tho1.jpg File:Chợ Cần Thơ.jpg, Cần Thơ market File:Museum of People's Armed Forces, Mekong delta.jpg, Museum of People's Armed Forces File:Can Tho Museum.jpg, Cần Thơ Museum

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Can Tho Cities in Vietnam Mekong Delta Populated places in Cần Thơ Populated places on the Mekong River