Countdown on the Hau River at Song Hau Park
By eight in the evening on December 31, the riverfront at Song Hau Park in Cai Khe Ward is shoulder to shoulder. The city has strung art light decorations along Hoa Binh and 30 Thang 4 streets — the stretch running from Tran Van Hoai through Quang Trung and Vo Van Tan to the City People's Committee roundabout — and they stay up from December 22, 2025 until mid-June 2026, so the whole approach to the water glows. The official New Year's Eve art program begins at 8:00 PM at the park and is broadcast live on Can Tho Newspaper, Radio, and Television; the countdown follows at 9:30 PM. Come early, stand facing the Hau River, and let the crowd carry the countdown for you.
Six Days of River Festival, Free to Walk Into
The city's New Year's Eve countdown coincides with the Can Tho River Culture Festival, held annually from December 27 to January 1 — six days and five nights themed "Can Tho – The Colors of the River." The inaugural edition drew around 500,000 visitors. Public programs, art performances and exhibitions are free; you pay only for food, shopping and river tours. Decorative miniature landscape clusters go up from December 20 along the stretch from Hau River Park to Ninh Kieu Wharf, so the riverside is already dressed before the crowds arrive.
- Opening ceremony, December 27, 8:00 PM at Khai Luong Canal — roughly 110 minutes, with a boat parade on the Hau River, street parades, folk music performed on boats, and flyboard demonstrations. Crowds start gathering from 6:30 PM, so claim your vantage point early.
- Nightly art programs, December 28–30, 7:30 PM at Hau River Park — drone light shows set to music, plus low-altitude fireworks.
- Water sports on the Hau River — motorboat racing, sailing races on December 28, stand-up paddleboard racing at Cai Khe Canal on December 29, and flyboard demonstrations throughout.
- Floating market reconstruction — models, miniatures and live art programs recreating river merchant life and Can Tho's floating market culture.
- Closing ceremony, January 1, 7:00 PM at Hau River Park.
Eat Your Way Along the Riverside: 150 Stalls at Hau River Park
From December 27 to January 1, more than 150 food and OCOP stalls fill Hau River Park. On December 27–28, restaurants and hotels demonstrate signature dishes in a culinary showcase. Budget roughly 200,000–400,000 VND per person for food. Look for bánh mì Tây Đô, hủ tiếu Nam Vang, and freshwater snails — the dishes the city itself puts forward. The evenings stay warm in the dry season, 23–26°C, though riverside wind picks up after 9 PM, so a light layer helps once the sun is gone.
Beyond the Countdown: Markets, Parks and the Tet Build-Up
Your visit lands in Tet preparation season, and the city fills with things to do. Start on the water: the real Cai Rang Floating Market requires being on the river by 5:30 AM and winds down by 8 AM, and Mekong Delta tour operators running out of Can Tho often discount in December. On land, Ben Ninh Kieu Park hosts the free photo exhibition "Life on the River – The Mekong Delta Past and Present" throughout the festival. If you stay into February, the Tet calendar brings an artistic flower street along Vo Van Tan – Nguyen Thai Hoc in Ninh Kieu ward, open from the 27th day of the 12th lunar month to the 5th day of the first lunar month; a Spring Book Fair at Tao Dan Park; the National Lion and Dragon Dance Club Championship at Luu Huu Phuoc Park; and a high-altitude fireworks display at midnight on Lunar New Year's Eve over the Song Hau Park area. Vietnam Poetry Day falls on the night of the full moon of the first lunar month at Ben Ninh Kieu Park.
Getting There and Sleeping There
Can Tho International Airport (VCA) has direct connections from Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. From Ho Chi Minh City, it's about 3.5 hours via Highway 1 or roughly 2.5 hours via the Trung Luong expressway. Because the festival and the countdown pull in visitors from across the delta, book accommodation six to eight weeks ahead. Aim to be on the riverfront after 5:00 PM each day; on opening night, arrive before 6:30 PM.
Two riverfront parks, a stretch of lit boulevards, and a countdown over the Hau River — the pieces are already in place for December 31, 2026. Decide which night you want on the water, book the room now, and let the rest of the schedule unfold around you.