Population : 1.121.141 habitants (2004)
Administrative divisions: 
Districts: Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy, Cai Rang, O Mon, Phong Dien, Co Do, Vinh Thanh, and Thot Not.
General Infomation:
Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta. The city is located on the south bank of Hậu Giang, the bigger branch of Mekong River.
Administratively, Cần Thơ City constitutes an independent municipality at the same level as Vietnam's provinces. 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.
It borders the provinces of An Giang, Hậu Giang, Kiên Giang, Vĩnh Long, and Đồng Tháp.

Shopping

This is the Mekong Delta and anything you can get on dry land, you can find out on the water too. Having a boat in the region is a huge advantage for any industrious local who can afford to buy items he can then sell to those less fortunate (or tourists!) out on the water.

Fruits and vegetables seem to predominate the market scene but you can find just about anything. Drink and snack vendors are not just serving tourists either. Locals need a drink too.

Go to the Snake Market and buy bottled snakes You find them in any size. Is colourful and will look good in your living room After a few years you can drink the liquid (said to be good for the male potency) or pour it down the toilet because it stinks too much... It's up to you very little, depending on the size of the bottle...

There are many supermarkets in Cantho such as : Coopmark (Hoa Binh st), Metro Hung Loi(91B), Citymark, Maximark... - Cantho Market at Cái Khế

Dinning & Restaurant

Can Tho is famous for delicate cuisine and extra-fresh fruit and vegetables. When you get there, try and eat the fruit you would not usually like: you may well find they are very tasty and enjoyable.

Among the local produce, you may like to try mangoes, oranges, jackfruit, pomeloes, grapefruit, but also custard apple, corossol, longans or even durian.

• Nam Bo), is seated in an old French-era building of the Comptoirs d'Indochine, and serves very tasty Vietnamese as well as some western cuisine. The service is nice and efficient, and a surprising variety of languages is spoken there, from English to French to Dutch or even some Japanese.

• Sao Hom, located in the central market's hall, facing the Can Tho river, and serves a large palette of Vietnamese cuisine, as well as some western food, too. The ambiance at night is unique.

• Goat Specialties, a little aside of the city, is run by a French person who settled in Can Tho, and offers a variety of dishes revolving around savory goat meet.

• There are also a variety of other restaurants, the quality and service of which spans the whole range from poor to great.

Other Services

There is a wide range of services, from the very local KS Tây Hồ (on Ninh Kiều pier, a good choice for $12-15), to the state-owned (and state-like) International Hotel, $25-35, to the more elaborate Ninh Kiều Hotel, $40-60, owned by a military company, to the high-end Victoria Hotel on Cái Khế island ($110++)

Travel Tips

• The Khmer pagoda of Munirangsyaram, on Hoà Bình street, where you will always be welcome.

• The main market of Cần Thơ used to be located on Ninh Kiều pier, and be mostly an open market. Today, the only original building left is the beautiful old market hall, now surrounded with a garden along the river.

• New markets have been built to host the increasing activity, on Cái Khế peninsula and further upstream the Can Tho river.

Can Tho is a regional hub, so it is rather easy to go from Can Tho to all the surrounding provinces.

• By bus or minibus, from the bus station, now located at the crossroads of Nguyen Trai  and CMT8, but soon to be relocated to 91B 3/2.
• by boat, there are rather affordable services of speedboat
• by "xe lôi"
• by foot

How to get there

By road:
It is possible to rent a car for $100-120 for a return trip for 2-3 passengers from Saigon to Can Tho; or move by local minibus, which offer better and better services; for about $3-4, and departing every hour or so from the Saigon Western bus station.

By boat:
There is no regular service any more (there used to be hydrofoils, but they were prone to breakdowns and provoked accidents), but it is still possible to go to Can Tho on the river:

• Rent a speedboat and take a one-stretch run from Saigon, which is rather tiring but is a good way to zoom across the great sceneries of the Mekong delta.
• More relaxing, take a cruise, which offers the opportunity to set foot on the banks and visit villages, without compromising on the service and quality. The Bassac runs on regular overnight cruises towards Can Tho and provides high-end services, including air-con 24 hours a day and all meals cooked on board, including the breakfast.