Coconut Market on the Thom River in Ben Tre

The exchange of goods takes place right on the boats, an activity many tourists experience at the Ben Tre coconut market.

In the Khmer language, Thom means large, so Thom River refers to the “big river”. Some people also call it the “Fragrant River”. This is a large canal that runs across Minh Island (the third largest island in Ben Tre). The Thom River, about 15 km long, was formed in 1905, connecting the Ham Luong River and the Co Chien River, and it is the shortest waterway between Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.

Thu Trang, born in 1985, from Ho Chi Minh City, visited Ben Tre at the beginning of January. It was her fourth time visiting, but each time she was still impressed by the bustling trade of coconut products on one section of the river.

Thu Trang experienced the coconut market in Mekong Delta tour in early January.

Trang mentioned that just as Can Tho has the Cai Rang floating market, Tien Giang has the Cai Be floating market, Hau Giang used to have the Nga Bay floating market, and An Giang has the Long Xuyen floating market, Ben Tre is associated with the coconut floating market on the Thom River. This is a point of pride for the people of Mo Cay Nam in particular and for Ben Tre in general.

From a small canal, the Thom River has today transformed with the bustling trade of coconut products on the river. Along both banks, coconut processing villages stretch over 3 km. As a result, the coconut floating market on the Thom River has become a trademark of the province, unlike the floating markets in other Mekong Delta provinces. The activities of the coconut floating market contribute to the development of both the local economy and tourism.

According to the Ben Tre Electronic Portal, during the French colonial period, the French excavated the Thom canal in Mo Cay district to connect the Ham Luong River with the Co Chien River. During the two national resistance wars, the Thom River witnessed many heroic acts, and it is also closely associated with the childhood of many generations of coconut people.

The exchange of goods usually takes place right on the boats, an experience many tourists enjoy. The coconut floating market operates throughout the day, regardless of morning, evening, rain, or shine. The timing depends on the progress of orders and the arrival of shipments. The main products exchanged here are coconuts: whole coconuts, coconut husks, coconut fibers, and coconut husk dust.

Along the Thom River banks, many businesses operate through the night to supply products to companies that make various coconut-based products such as dried coconut flesh, coconut fiber, coconut shell charcoal, clean soil from coconut husk dust, coconut oil, coconut candy, coconut fiber mats, and coconut handicrafts. Notably, the villages along the Thom River in An Thanh commune (Mo Cay Nam district) and Khanh Thanh Tan commune (Mo Cay Bac district) have created jobs for thousands of workers. One worker can peel about 2,000 coconuts per day, earning around 400,000 VND in wages. Those who work less can still peel hundreds of coconuts, earning several hundred thousand VND a day.

The coconut floating market gathers at the river junction, stretching for several kilometers along one section of the Thom River. Many people call this the “Coconut River”.

Coconut Floating Market on the Thom River (Ben Tre)

Thu Trang suggests that during a one-day trip, tourists should visit the craft villages, learn about activities such as coconut peeling, coconut flesh scraping, and coconut candy making, then move on to Thanh Long Islet to visit the Tomb of the Water General and have lunch at a local house, enjoying simple dishes such as sour fish soup, shrimp sautéed with coconut, and free-range chicken porridge.

In addition, tourists should visit the “Special National Monument” of Dong Khoi to learn about the resistance movement in the 1960s in Mo Cay Nam, connecting with the nation’s historical roots.

From Ben Tre city, tourists can travel by road to Mo Cay Nam town via National Highway 60 and take tourist boats along the Thom River, or travel by water from the boat dock at the center of Ben Tre city to the Ham Luong River and then onto the Thom River. Currently, Ben Tre offers many eco-tourism tours for tourists to explore this unique floating market.