Ho Thi Ky Flower Market was established in 1987 and has become the biggest, most hustle and bustle flower market in Ho Chi Minh City. In recent years, Ho Thi Ky Flower Market in District 10 has become more and more popular with travelers from all around the world thanks to hidden Ho Chi Minh City tours and Saigon street food tours. Let me share with you information you need to know before your trip to Saigon as well as the flower market.
Would you like to book tours in Ho Chi Minh City? Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information and the best price for your group.
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Where is Ho Thi Ky Flower Market located?
Ho Thi Ky Flower Market – the biggest market selling fresh flowers, dried flowers, and floral tools in Saigon is located next to Le Hong Phong Apartment Buildings, flowers shops are located on Ho Thi Ky Street and in many alleys of Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
CLICK HERE to see the location of Ho Thi Ky Flower Market on Google Maps.
Located in District 10, the flower market is not too far from the city center and other districts. In fact, District 10 is known as the “best and most” central area in the city.
- Ben Thanh Market (District 1) – Ho Thi Ky Flower Market: 2.8 km.
- Bui Vien Walking Street (Saigon Backpacker Area) in District 1: 2.5 km.
- Nguyen Hue Street (District 1)- Ho Thi Ky Flower Market: 4 km.
- Tan Son Nhat Airport (Tan Binh District) – Ho Thi Ky Flower Market: 9 km.
- Binh Tay Market (District 6) – Ho Thi Ky Flower Market: 4 km.
- Crescent Lake (District 7) – Ho Thi Ky Flower Market: 8.5 km.
How to reach Ho Thi Ky Flower Market?
As mentioned above, Ho Thi Ky Flower Market is located not too far from other districts, travelers can easily book a taxi/Grab car/Xanh SM electric car or a motorbike/Grab bike/Xanh SM electric scooter to reach the market. Taxi/Grab car/Xanh SM electric car ride costs about 10,000 – 30,000 VND/km. The cost of motorcycle/scooter ride is 4,000 – 10,000 VND/km. There can be promotions on Grab and Xanh SM apps. The taxi fare offered by trustworthy traditional companies is 15,000 – 20,000 VND/km. You can install Grab and Xanh SM apps on your smartphone to book the rides yourself. It is easy ask for the help of hotel receptionists.
Although public bus is one of the most popular means of transportation in Ho Chi Minh, it is not a good choice for foreigners because some bus drivers speak limited English, passengers need to take a few buses and walk some distance to reach the flower market.
You can also book a private full-day or half-day car transfer from your hotel to tourist attractions and hidden places in the city. Ho Thi Ky Market should not be missed on your journey around the city.
Is there any stress free way to get to Ho Thi Ky Flower Market? You can book a tour to visit Ho Thi Ky Flower Market and other places. Some good choices are as follows:
- Saigon Unseen Tour
- Saigon Sightseeing & Food Tour
- Hidden City Tour With Local Students
- Ho Chi Minh Unseen & Food Tour
- Saigon Night Food Tour
Detailed information the flower market and tours will be shared in next sections. Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about tours in Ho Chi Minh City, especially tours to hidden places and best prices for your group.
Opening hours of Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
Ho Thi Ky Flower Market is open 24 hours so you can visit the market at any time of the day.
- 5:00 – 20:30: Most shops at the market are open, sellers welcome buyers to their shops, workers arrange flowers,. Baskets of flowers, wreaths, bouquets are delivered. Many people go to the market to choose and buy freshest and most beautiful flowers and leaves.
- At noon: The market is less crowded and less busy because local people spend their time having lunch and wouldn’t like to go out under the hot sun.
- 4:00 – 20:30: It is cooler and buyers spend their time wandering the market for buying flowers, enjoying street food,…
- 20:30 – midnight: Less people come to the market, some shops closes so vendors and workers can take a rest.
- Midnight – 6:00: Tons of flowers are transferred from Da Lat, Mekong Delta, provinces in the Northern region of Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat Airport. Porters carry cardboard boxes of fresh flowers on their shoulders. Drivers help porters, take a little break, or have supper.
- One week before festival days such as Tet festival, Teacher Day, International Women’s Day, “ngày rằm” on 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, Buddha’s Birthday: The market is always crowded and busy.
What are sold at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market? Does it offer the best prices?
Coming to Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, you can see many types of flowers: purple statice, carnation, lisianthus, hydrangea, calimero, daisy, glaliolus, tuberose, aster amellus, baby breathes, dark violet flower, sunflower, pansy, tansy, gerbera, anthuriums, lily of peru, snapdragon, hypericum, birds of paradise, miniature rose, lotus buds, lotus pods, dendrobium orchid, dancing lady, moth orchid, cymbidium, wild orchid,… Lotus, orchid, rose are the most popular and favorite types of flowers at the flower market.
Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
There are also many types of greenery and filler flowers: salal lemon leaf, fern, cornstalk plant, coconut leaf, polyscias fruticosa leaf, bay leaf, dracaena godseffiana leaf, spider plant, lucky bamboo leaf, palm leaf, cyperus alternifolius leaf, asparagus densiflorus leaf, norfolk island pine leaf,…
Floral knife, floral cages, florist wire, floral frog, floral tape, floral foam, floral branch cutters, flower thorn strippers, vases, baskets,… are sold popularly at affordable prices at the flower market.
Close to special occasions and big festivals, the market sells seasonal products. A few days before the Vietnamese Teacher Day 20/11, they sell flowers representing appreciation, good luck, peace, eternal love, and regard for the teachers. Dog-roses, anthurium taiflowers, lucky bamboos, daisies, gladiolus flowers, tube roses and many others are sold popularly a few weeks before Tet holidays. Lotuses are abundant at the market on 13th, 14th, 15th of every month.
Why is Ho Thi Ky Flower Market the most famous flower market in Ho Chi Minh City – the biggest city in Vietnam? One of the reasons is that prices are reasonable. Certainly, high quality, large-sized, long-lasting flowers, diverse choices and prices are the highlights of the market. At Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, one rose costs 2,000 – 3,000 VND, it is considered the best price in the city.
Top things to do at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
Go for a walk
Walking is the best way to enjoy your journey at Ho Thi Ky Flower. You can see everything clearly and stop at any time. Some tourists choose to sit on motorbikes and see interesting and exciting things in alleys. It is the most leisure way to explore this wholesale flower market.
Admire the beauty of beautiful flowers
You can see flowers everywhere in the market. Flowers are considered food for the soul so walking in flower gardens and flower markets make your relaxed, calm, peaceful, happy, and motivated.
Learn more about flower arrangements
At Ho Thi Ky Market, workers open cardboard boxes of flowers, “process” the flowers before putting them in plastic buckets in different colors with some water or a mix of water and special powder that make flowers last longer. Rose branches and other flower branches should be cut until they have suitable lengths. Outer petals are removed before being arranged. Outer petals of ultimate 1000 petal lotuses are fold carefully before being displayed. Visitors can see how flower arrangers moisten floral foam blocks, put them in baskets, on wreath frames before arranging flowers and greens. Most flower arrangers do their work skillfully and intently.
Learn more about the market culture in Vietnam
In Vietnam, local market and wholesale markets are usually crowded. In rush hours, buyers stand in front of a shop at the same time to observe, choose freshest flowers, bargain prices.
Learn more about the lives of people earning money at the market
As mentioned above, florists not only work to earn their livings but also take their job to a new art form. They are at the market with no rhymes and no uniforms. Porters, shippers, florists give their best efforts.
Interact with local people
Visitors do not only see daily activities of people but also interact with them at the market. Some locals who work at the market are friendly and hospitable. You will have time to stop at a shop to talk with a florist. It is better to go with a local friend or a local tour guide.
Buy some flowers and gift your girlfriend/sister/mother/grandmother
Flowers sold at Ho Thi Ky Market are reasonably priced and they are cheaper than in European countries and the U.S. You can buy some flowers to gift your girlfriend or any woman going with you on the trip. A ultimate 1000 petal lotus or a rose that costs less than 10,000 VND is a great choice. A bucket of flowers or a basket of flowers costs from 100,000 VND.
Try to fold petals of an ultimate 1000 petal lotus flower
It is amazing and fun to try fold outer petals of an ultimate 1000 petal lotus flower like flower arrangers at the market.
Explore narrow alleys
Coming to Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, you can not miss walking in alleys of Ho Thi Ky Street, count how many flower shops there are, discover many tropical flowers, and feed your soul with colorful and smelling flowers. In some developed countries and large countries, you can rarely see markets hidden in an area with a complex network of alleys.
Visit Cambodian Market – an interesting local market and night food market
Located a few hundreds meters from Ho Thi Ky Street, Cambodian Market is one of the busiest local market. Originally, there were only some vendors selling Cambodian food and ingredients to cook Cambodian dishes in the area. It has become one of the favorite local markets of people in District 10 thanks to diverse products and good prices.
Take nice photos and capture memorable videos
It is perfect to take nice photos of Ho Thi Ky Street lined with tens of outdoor flower shops. Flowers are everywhere so you can ask florists to take photos with beautiful flowers. Standing poses are better than sitting poses.
Eat street food
Besides flower shops, there are some local eateries at the market. Certainly, they are not fine dining restaurants. Local people usually sit on plastic stools or chairs and enjoy their cheap meals. Vietnamese food accounted for a majority of food sold at the market. Snail dishes, grilled pork sausages, BBQ, rice paper salad,… are great local dishes at the market.
Read more about What to eat at Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market?
A beef hot pot restaurant
Ho Thi Ky Flower Market – food lover’s paradise
During the day, there are some very small restaurants and street food stalls serving breakfast, lunch, and dinners. At night, more local eateries in alleys in and around the market are open and it is called Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market. What to eat there? The top street food stalls at Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market and must-eat food:
Bún Thịt Nướng Chị Tiên – Grilled pork rice
- Location: 93/25 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 7:00 – 17:00
- Prices: from 45,000 VND
- Food: Rice noodles topped with grilled pork, green onion oil, crushed peanuts, daikon and carrot pickle, and served with fish sauce dip.
Nem Bò Nướng Sả – Grilled Beef on a Stick
- Location: 57/23B Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 13:30 – 22:30
- Prices: from 10,000 VND
- Food: Grilled beef on a stick is the signature dish at this food stall. Ground pork is marinated with some spices, wrapped around a lemongrass stick, then grilled over charcoals.
Nem nướng Quyên – Quyen Grilled Pork Sausage
- Location: 57/17 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:00
- Prices: from 10,000 VND
- Food: Grilled pork sausage grilled on charcoals and served with chili sauce, Vietnamese mint (Persicaria odorata).
Baozi filled with melt salted egg yolk sauce
- Location: 438/44 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:00
- Prices: from 25,000 VND
- Food: Baozi filled with melt salted egg yolk sauce
Thịt Xiên Nướng Móm Hí – Grilled pork
- Location: 62/21A Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:00
- Prices: from 12,000 VND
- Food: Grilled pork on a stick, Grilled pork with cheese on a stick
Grilled pork at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
Cơm Lam Thịt Nướng – Grilled rice in bamboo and grilled pork
- Location: 105B Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 16:00 – 22:00
- Prices: from 12,000 VND
- Food: Steamed sticky rice in small bamboo tube is grilled until crispy outside and smelling, then served with grilled pork, pickles, and sauces.
Thịt Xiên Nướng Khap Khap – Grilled meat skewer
- Location: 105F Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:30
- Prices: 15,000 – 79,000 VND
- Food: Grilled meat skewers (beef, pork, chicken,…)
Hột Vịt Lộn, Cút Lộn Rang Me – Stir-fried fertilized duck/quail egg with tamarind sauce
- Location: 57/23 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 13:00 – 23:00
- Prices: from 20,000 VND
- Food: Stir-fried fertilized duck/quail egg with tamarind sauce is salty, sweet, and sour at the same time. Vietnamese mint and crushed peanuts can not be missed because they add flavors to the dish.
Hủ Tiếu Ốc Chú Tũn – Clear rice noodle soup with snail
- Location: 57/21 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 13:00 – 23:00
- Prices: from 30,000 VND
- Food: Clear rice noodles are covered with a delicious clear broth and topped with snails, clams, pork sausage, other seafood, lettuce, and other herbs.
Bún Tư Xê – Rice noodle soup with fish
- Location: 57/27 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 6:00 – 10:00
- Prices: from 40,000 VND
- Food: Rice noodle soup topped with fish meat and long beans
Trà Đào Dầm Chú Tũn – Peach tea
- Location: 57/21 Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 13:00 – 22:00
- Prices: from 10,000 VND
- Food: Iced peach tea
Chè Cô Huôi – Sweet soup
- Location: 57/21A Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:00
- Prices: 10,000 – 30,000 VND
- Food: sweet soups and other desserts
Chè Quyên – Vietnamese sweet soup
- Location: 87/24A Ho Thi Ky, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
- Opening hours: 14:00 – 21:00
- Prices: 10,000 – 30,000 VND
- Food: sweet soups and other desserts
Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market – one of the most busiest street food paradises in Saigon
How to be safe at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market?
Food safety and hygiene
Although food at Ho Thi Ky Market are rather safe for locals and visitors, you should be careful when eating there.
- Make sure your food, especially grilled meat and seafood are well cooked.
- Check if raw vegetables are clean and fresh.
- Do not eat greasy food, deep-fried dishes too much.
- Do not eat seafood dishes so much.
- Clean your hands with hand sanitizer before eating.
Crime
The market is very crowded during the day and at night, especially from 6:00 to 9:00, from 4:00 to 21:30.
- Do not keep your wallet in your front of back pocket to avoid being pickpocketed.
- Always watch your belongings in the crowd, even when eating street food stalls.
- Use an anti-theft, shoulder bag, or similar bag which can help you to protect from snatch theft and pickpocket.
- Do not carry important documents on your trip to the market.
Hot sun
The sun is strongest from 10:00 – 15:30 and any travelers should know how to protect themselves from the sun heat and harmful UV rays.
- Wear a hat or a cap if the sun is strong.
- Walk in the shade.
- Use sun creen.
- Wear sunglasses.
- Wear anti UV coat and long pants.
- Choose breathable clothing.
- Drink more water than usual.
- Eat a rice noodle soup with healthy broth and drink a refreshing drink.
How to explore the market at its best?
You can book a tour and enjoy Ho Thi Ky Flower Market and Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market with the help of a talented and professional tour guide. He/she will definitely improve your experiences, tell you hidden stories and less-known information. You are taken cared of carefully and less dangerous in a such crowded place. Moreover, local tour guides know where to eat the best local dishes and which food are safe for travelers, especially foreigners. There are many hidden alleys and eateries which visitors wouldn’t go in. In summary, it is an ideal choice to book a tour to the market. As mentioned above, it can be a day sightseeing and unseen Saigon tour or a Saigon night food tour. In case you would like to be on a personalized tour, you can book a private tour instead of a group tour.
You can take a taxi from your hotel to the market, and spend your time exploring this amazing place. You can come there at 5:00 to see the market before dark. Then you will explore the night market with lots of stunning things to see and a wide variety of street food.
Other choices are booking a private car transfer or booking a Grab motorbike ride/Xanh SM electric motorbike ride.
How long should I spend at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market?
You can spend a half of hours to walk around the market, explore small alleys, admire the beauty of flowers, and learn more about the real local life. If you are passionate about taking pictures, you can spend more time at the flower market. It is great to stop at a shop and buy some flowers, it takes about 10 minutes.
You should spend at least 1 hour at the Night Ho Thi Ky Food Market where there are hundreds of delicious local dishes which can not be missed by any food lover. It takes from 30 minutes to order and enjoy some dishes at a local eatery at the night food market. In case you would like to eat, drink, and have leisurely chat, you should choose a spacious place.
What to carry on your Ho Thi Ky Flower Market?
If you join a tour, you do not need to carry too much cash. You could pay in advance or should carry just enough money to pay for the tour and tipping your guide. Food and drinks are included in the tour.
If you explore the market on your own, you should have at least 300,000 VND to pay for the transfers, flowers (optional), and amazing street food. A portion cost from 25,000 VND (~ $1 USD) so 100,000 VND is enough. There are more expensive food such as seafood dishes, BBQ, hot pot,… For example, a grilled shrimp with cheese costs 150,000 VND.
Should travelers visit Ho Thi Ky Flower Market during the day or at night?
During the day, you can see the flowers and flower shops more clearly, it is a chance to take great photos. Some street food vendors are open from 14:00 but most of them are open at night. The market is the most crowded after dark, so travelers usually have more fun at night. Certainly, it is more dangerous to explore local places and crowded places.
Some great Ho Chi Minh City food tours
- Saigon Night Food Tour: classic and popular choice, great street food after dark
- Saigon Sightseeing & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street food
- Saigon Unseen & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street food
- The AoDai Foodie: traveling with nice female riders in Ao Dai traditional dress
- Street Food Tour with local students: budget choice, going with talented local student, more simple but impressive menu
- Walking Ho Chi Minh City food tour: the most popular choice for travelers that wouldn’t like to sit on motorbikes
- Ho Chi Minh City food tour by vintage vespa: more expensive and unique experience
- Ho Chi Minh City food tour by jeep: more expensive and unique experience on open-air jeep
- Morning Saigon Street Food Tour: exploring the city and trying amazing food that locals eat for breakfast and lunch
- Saigon Food Tour with Chef: going around and eating with a professional Vietnamese chef
Scooter Saigon Tour is one of the oldest and best food tour company in Ho Chi Minh City. Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about food tours in Ho Chi Minh City and best prices for your group.
