Cai Be – Tien Giang

Cai Be is a district in the west of Tien Giang province. Cai Be has total area of 41,000 ha, and a population of 280,000 people living in 24 communes and a capital town of same name. Local economy is mainly based on horticulture and tourism with a great number of fruit orchards.

Cai Be is around 113km (2 hour drive) from Ho Chi Minh City and 50km from My Tho (the capital of Tien Giang. Cai Be is on the northern side of My Thuan Bridge, the gate into Vinh Long province and Mekong Delta in general.

It is easy to get Cai Be around with a motorbike taxi or just rent a bike. Visiting Cai Be floating market with a small sampan ride is enjoyable.

Cai Be is a charming small town, which is not very far away from Saigon (approx. 2 hours by car). There are lots of colorful fruit and vegetable gardens, traditional crafts, a French church from 1935 and an impressive traditional house, which can be visited. Unfortunately the floating market of Cai Be is getting smaller every year, since trade is shifting more and more into modern central markets. The Catholic cathedral in the background of the floating market is an awesome motive for photos.

There are numerous small canals in the area of Cai Be, which invite to a discovery tour by sampan. You can explore the area very well by bicycle riding on narrow roads along small side canals. Many of the small shady canals, which branch off from the larger riverarms, are hard to spot, because they are overgrown by lush greenery. On an exploration tour you will often think that you landed in a dead end, but after an overgrown bend it still goes on.

This small town attracts many day trippers from Saigon. Besides a handfull of simple homestays some more sophisticated accommodation places slowly emerge.