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Floating markets make for a lively scene, where many goods are exchanged, and can be easily visited by small boats for about USD3/hour per boat. You can take a tour from Ninh Kiều Pier, where the "boat ladies" are charmingly eager to welcome you aboard. Starting prices (Sep 2011) are about USD10-20 for a 3- or 7-hr tour with either one market plus canals, or several markets plus canals. It can be bargained down to USD7 and USD15. Pay attention as there is a pushy old lady selling boat tours pestering tourists at the riverside. Best to get your tour directly from a boat owner.
Non-packaged general boat tours of the floating market run frum An Binh market (Chợ An Bình) for 30K VND per person weekdays, 50K VND weekends and holidays, first boat at 5 am, last boat 5pm, but note the floating market only operates at dawn til early morning. Ticket from kiosk right in front of the market. Tour duration 35-40 minutes. (information from the An Bin market ticket kiosk).
Ninh Kieu Park is a city park situated along the Can Tho River, stretching from the ferry terminal at Nguyen An Ninh Rd to the Ninh Kieu Hotel at the end of Hai Ba Trung Rd. Although the park sports some greenery, one of its most noticeable features is a public square surrounding a large statue of Ho Chi Minh. The other big attraction is Ninh Kieu Tourist Market, which houses souvenir vendors, cafes and restaurants. Just outside the market, you'll also find a ticket booth, selling boat trips up the river to places like Cai Rang Floating Market. The park is a busy place in the evenings, when locals gather to hang out, play badminton, breakdance, or sit and eat sweet bean chè. The Night Market on Nguyen An Ninh and Chau Van Liem streets is a good place to look for bargains, trà sữa milk tea, and a variety of street food. Plenty of restaurants dot Hai Ba Trung Street near the park, too, so you'll invariably find what you need if you look around.
Khmer Pagoda; Munirangsyaram
A beautiful Khmer pagoda that gives Can Tho a touch of Cambodia, recalling the region's heritage as part of the Khmer Empire.
Just across from Ho Chi Minh's statue in Ninh Kieu Park is a little pagoda, constructed in the 1890s. Apparently a secret hideout for communist revolutionaries during the Vietnam War, the pagoda is now considered a national monument. It's worth seeing if only for its artistic value, with its intricate altars featuring carved wooden bas-reliefs.