Geographic location
Can Tho City sites in the hub of Mekong River
Delta with natural area of 1,390 sq.km beside the
western bank of Hau river. It is 75 km far away from
South China Sea and 1,877 km from Hanoi Capital; 169
km from Ho Chi Minh City in the north (in land
road). It borders the provinces of An Giang and Dong
Thap in the north, Hau Giang in the south, Kien
Giang in the west, Vinh Long and Dong Thap in the
east.
Terrain and waterways
The city is in region accumulated by alluvia from
Mekong river for years with plain terrain features.
It has interlacing system of rivers and ditches. In
which:
Hau river is the largest one lengthening 65 km
through the city with total water current pouring
200 billion cu.m per year into the sea (taking up
41% total output of Mekong river) and average water
discharge in Can Tho attaining 14,800 cu.m per
second. Total volume of alluvia raising annually is
about 35 million cu.m per year (occupying half of
one in Mekong river).
Cai Lon river spreads 20 km in local bound with
estuary widening 600 - 700 m and it its depth of 10
- 12 m that perform well its duty of drainage.
Can Tho river is 16 km of length leading to Hau
river in Ninh Kieu wharf. It is a freshwater river
all the year round that not only provides water in
dry season and drain in rainy season but also
utilises in transport.
Additionally, the city has dense network of small
ditches supplying freshwater all the year round and
facilitating local farmers in irrigation affairs and
land reclamation.
Climate
The city is tropical monsoon climate with two
separate seasons of rainy lasting from May to
November and dry one from December to April in next
year. Average temperature is 270C and
rainfall records 1,500 - 1,800 mm per year. Total
sunny hours are about 2,300 - 2,500 hours per year
and average humility stands at 83%.
Natural resource
Land and mineral natural resources: own fertile
land resource especially area raised yearly the
level by alluvia that is suitable for cultivating
food crops, cash-crops, short-term industrial crop,
tropical specialty fruit bearing trees. Accordingly,
the city has full conditions to develop
comprehensive agriculture.
To be a newly formed plain, Can Tho has not abundant
mineral natural resources but clay (material made
brick and tile), plastic clay, peat, and river sand.
Clay is grey but not rich that mainly focuses on
underlying earth-surface lay of 1 -2 m and
distributes broad. Besides, plastic clay locates 1 -
2 m from the ground surface and 5 - 6 m of thick
which is fine and contains many minerals, used in
handicrafts. The city possesses large reserve of
peat with many small mines; its seam is more than
one metres of thick and 15 - 30 m of width, 30 km of
length with reserve totaling 30,000 - 150,000 tonnes.
Animal and plant resources: floristic composition in
Can Tho gather in freshwater alluvia area including
grass, seaweed, linden tree, fig, nipa, pennywort,
amaranth, purslain, water-fern, morass-weed,
custard-apple-tree, and so on. In alum earth, there
are major cajeput, water-date palm, water-rattan,
lygodium, custard-apple-tree, cork, lotus,
water-lily, etc. With regard to fauna, animals on
land consist of aquaticus, teal, common snipe,
python, snake, tortoise, and so on. Water living
animals are murrel, anabas, striped gourami,
catfish, goby, carp, hypophthalmichthys, hemibagrus,
blue-legged prawn, different small shrimps, etc.
