Cần Thơ () is the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

region in Vietnam. It is noted for its

floating market A floating market is a market (place), 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 attractio ...

rice paper Rice paper is a product constructed of paper-like materials made from different plants. These include: *''Thin peeled dried pith of Tetrapanax papyrifer'': A sheet-like "paper" material was used extensively in late 19th century Guangdong, China ...

-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 ...

s. It has a population of around 1,507,187 as of 2024, and is located on the south bank of the

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

, a

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurc ...

of the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary 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 with an estimated l ...

. In 2007, about 50 people died when the Cần Thơ Bridge collapsed, causing Vietnam's worst engineering disaster. In 2011, Cần Thơ International Airport opened. The city is nicknamed the "

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Metropolis" (), and is located from

Hồ Chí Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

History

During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, Cần Thơ was the home of the ARVN 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 Vietnam is divided into 34 First-level administrative division, first-level subdivisions, comprising 28 provinces () and Municipalities of Vietnam, six municipalities under the command of the central government (). A proposal reported in Apri ...

. 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, 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 (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, which is now completed, is the longest

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...

in Southeast Asia. The six-lane Saigon–Cần Thơ Expressway is being built in parts from Hồ Chí Minh City to

Mỹ Tho Mỹ Tho () is a city in the Tiền Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. It is the regional center of economics, education and technology. The majori ...

Hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...

express boats link this city with

. From Phú Quốc 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

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 Hậu 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 ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...

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 or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the Common fig, fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in d ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...

, banana, rambutan,

mangosteen Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Island Southeast Asia, from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. It has been cultivated extensively in tropical Asia ...

dragon fruit Pitaya () or pitahaya () (common names strawberry pear or dragon fruit) is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Pitaya is cult ...

and

durian The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...

. The Cần Thơ City Museum has exhibits on the city's history. Tourist attractions: * Cần Thơ Bridge * 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 * 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, Cần Thơ Technical Economic College and Vocational College, with its well-known College of Agriculture and Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute, Cần Thơ University of Technology.

Media

Vietnam Television Vietnam Television (), operating under its official abbreviation VTV, is the State media, national television broadcaster of Vietnam. As the state broadcaster under the direction of under the Government of Vietnam, VTV is tasked with "propaga ...

has a studio located in the Ninh Kiều district of the city which broadcast local news and television programmes for the

region of Vietnam that broadcast on the channel VTV Cần Thơ as well for VTV9.

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Cần Thơ has a tropical wet and dry climate ( Aw). 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 alternative names) is a city with county rights in southwestern Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kaposvár District and th ...

Hungary * Riverside, United States *

Shantou Shantou, Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 20 ...

, China

Notable people

* Lưu Hữu Phước (1921–1989), composer * Nguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên (born 1995), beauty queen and model, 2nd Runner-up Miss Supranational 2022 *

Lana Condor Lana Therese Condor (born Trần Đồng Lan; May 11, 1997) is an American actress and YouTuber. She made her acting debut starring as Jubilee (comics), Jubilee in the superhero film ''X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016), and gained international recogni ...

(born 1997), actress

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