Article info.

ABSTRACT

Received date: 25/10/2015

Accepted date: 30/03/2017

In recent years, floating market tourism has been regarded as a unique and attractive form of tourism in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. It combines eco-tourism together with cultural and community-based tourism to reach the ultimate goal of sustainable development. Floating markets can be looked upon as part of the river culture and eco-tourism of Vietnam rather than simply as a tourist attraction, as they play an important part in the river - based culture of Southeast Asia. There are approximately 11 floating markets in the Mekong Delta, of which Cai Rang attracts more visitors than those in the surrounding provinces. The reason might be due to its advantages: geographical location, size, infrastructure, services for tourism and connection with other tourist attractions. Therefore, Can Tho city has been received the interest from the government as seen through several documents for tourism development. This article is aimed to study, based on documentary, quantitative and qualitative research, the development of Cai Rang floating market tourism in Can Tho city. It is proposed that Vietnam’s policy on tourism has enabled favorable factors for the development of floating market in the Mekong Delta such as economic development plans, strategic orientations and specific objectives. Nevertheless, there is still a gap between policy and practice, and this is a great concern for the development of Cai Rang floating market tourism.

Keywords

Cai Rang floating market, Mekong Delta, tourism

Cited as: Phuong, N.T.H, 2017. The development of Cai Rang floating market tourism in Can Tho city, Vietnam: From policy to practice. Can Tho University Journal of Science. Vol 5: 47-58.