In the old day, transport is not many, people in Mekong Delta go to anywhere by boat only, that the reason why river like highway. They can row there boat from home to market or to friends or row boat to school or to hospital event. So boats are main transport of local.
So when local carry goods from there farm to market, some time they stop at area where end of many canals to gather together to trade products with other day by day then become to floating market and very crowded in begining. My mom, she take me to local market every morning, she started at 3:00 in the morning with paddow, and me sleep on boat for 2hours. After she sold out some pineaple and banana then she buy some seafoods and row back to home.
Then in my home town has a bit developing, local go by bicycle, then scooter and boat not many use for. People start going to everywhere by scooter, and car right now is better than. And they cary agriculture by truck too when road are buit completed.
That is some reason why floating market in Mekong not crowded any more. Around mekong delta Vietnam still some floating market still active as Cai Rang, Phong Dien, Nga Nam, and Long Xuyen floating market. The business, they go straight to garden by scooter, car, or truck then they pick fruits them self and famer don’t need to carry to market any more. And one reason why floating markets in mekong less boat or disappear that is the tide change by Mekong River, almost water affective of the Mekong river, some time water is not high enough for boat and they can’t go out by boat.
Summary, floating market still active but they are not crowded than 20 years before with many reasons above, but local tourists and international tourists still see and happy about that floating market still and naturally every day.
