Discovering Authenticity: Cai Rang Floating Market and the Joy of Immersive Travel

Another way of life! This is why I travel!

This is the Cai Rang Floating Market and it is vibrant and lively and totally different to any market I’ve ever visited back in the US!

Just one of the many wonders of my travels in Vietnam, but a highlight moment for me to experience - because it IS such a new spectacle for me, but this is just how life works here and the locals wouldn’t ever have it any other way.

It’s times like this when I’m reminded that I opt for extended stay travel when I can. It helps to broaden my mind, to be mentally stimulated every day by diverse views and different languages, to explore and discover new lands and new cultures, to socialize with others that only know this way of living. To learn and adapt and grow as I go along!

This is the joy of extended stay travel - getting to really dive deep into the places I visit and trying to make sure I’m engaging in authentic experiences as I go along (although of course, the touristy stuff is important too, they’re popular for a reason!).

I do really recommend Cai Rang Floating Market though for any adventurers passing through Vietnam. For the experience, but also to support a way that has always been… Times are changing and with this brings pressure to traditional ways of life, even all the way out here. Supermarkets and on-demand delivery services are encroaching on the livelihoods of these floating vendors. Although, the locals are doing what they can to try keep up, by integrating mobile payment methods and social media marketing into their river-bound businesses - which is amazing to see, and all the more reason to visit, to try do our part as travelers to support these traditional experiences.

Have you ever visited here? I’m so happy to see this reality continue to exist despite our new age ways ❤️🙏