10 Authentic Markets In Ho Chi Minh City

1. Ben Thanh market

ben thanh market scooter saigon tour

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Ben Thanh market is one of the oldest and largest markets in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It has been experiencing many ups and downs through the years. At first, it was a wet market. In 1952, it was rebuilt and called Saigon Market or New Market to distinguish from the old market. In 1957, the market was named as Ben Thanh market. The market is shaped like a rectangle with 4 doorway (West, North, South, East) and 4 port mounted clock tower which serves as a directory for its customers. The main gate is a yellow clock tower which is designed beautifully has become the symbol of Ho Chi Minh city.

Nowadays, located in the heart of the city, Ben Thanh market is a must-see attraction and the most popular tourist shopping place. The market is crowded with over 3,000 stalls, retailers and wholesalers. There are various things to buy such as clothes, jewelry, lacquerware, fruits, animals, commodities, coffee, dried foods, Vietnamese foods… When the sun goes down, it’s time to open Ben Thanh night market. Impressive arrays of fashionable and food stalls are open at the door of the East and West gates.

Address: Le Loi Street, District 1, HCMC

Read more about:

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Night Market

What to do at Ben Thanh market?

Shopping at Ben Thanh Market

Ho Chi Minh City Shopping Tour by Motorbike

2. Binh Tay market

2. Binh Tay market

Binh Tay market is one of the biggest wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh city. It’s one of the oldest markets of the city. The market was built by Quach Dam – a rich Chinese businessman and finished in 1930. A noteworthy is a high tower with four faces clock and two dragons that flank a continent. It has distinctive reddish-brown roof tiles and curving style corner. The market has a spacious courtyard where stood bronze statue and pedestal of Quach Dam which has been moved to the Fine Arts Museum. In recent days, the market is always busy, crowded with locals and tourists who come to visit and purchase. Tourists can see many Chinese signs everywhere and listen to the vendors speak Vietnamese to buyers while speaking Chinese to a member of his family.

Address: 57A Thap Muoi Street, District 6, HCMC

Read more about Binh Tay Market

3. Tan Dinh market

Tan Dinh Market In Saigon

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Tan Dinh market (formerly marché de Phu Hoa) is also one of the oldest markets in Ho Chi Minh city. It was built in 1927 and hasn’t been changed over the years. The market is highlighted by the main gain which was design dedicatedly. The market isn’t crowded with tourists like Ben Thanh market and Binh Tay market. It’s a good place to experience the daily life of locals who go to the market to buy foods for their family. Visitors can see the wet market with lively animals, chicken, fish and vegetables, fruits. But the most special thing to buy is material. Visitors can come here to buy cotton, silks, denim, tartans, corduroy… at reasonable prices because the price is marked on the item. Visitors can also enjoy delicious Vietnamese foods at long-standing food stalls with special recipes. Tan Dinh market is conveniently located not too far the center of Ho Chi Minh city, it’s worth a visit.

Address: 1 Nguyen Huu Cau street, District 1, HCMC

Read more about Tan Dinh Market

4. An Dong market

An Dong Market In Saigon Tracy

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Situated in the heart of Cholon (China Town), An Dong market was first built in 1954 but it has been damaged throughout the years. A 5 floors market was rebuilt in 1990 to replace the old market. These days this market houses over 4000 vendors with a wide range of goods such as foods, candies, fruits, flowers, commodities, handicrafts… But most vendors in the market sell clothes, fabrics and shoes which are from Thailand, Vietnam and Quandong (China) at wholesale. Most of them are high quality so that the price is higher than that in Tan Binh market – another clothing wholesale market in Saigon. The price is lower in comparison to Ben Thanh market. And the vendors are friendlier and the choices are wider. Visitors can also find things to buy at the shopping mall center An Dong Plaza, which is nearby An Dong market. There are over 1464 Vietnamese retail shops in a clean, air-conditioned setting in this three-storey facility.

Address: 34-36 An Duong Vuong street, District 5, HCMC

Read more about An Dong Market.

5. Tan Binh market

Tan Binh Market In Saigon

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Tan Binh market was built in 1960 and called Nguyen Van Thoai. From 1982 till 1985, it was rebuilt and has become one of the busiest shopping centers in Saigon. The market has 4 main doors and 5 small doors. The market is located on Ly Thuong Kiet street, District Tan Binh. It’s 10 km far from District 1 but it’s near Tan Son Nhat airport.

Tan Binh market is a wholesale market where you can find clothes, wedding dresses, accessories and materials… The price is lower than that in An Dong market. The prices are quite cheap and the items are of reasonable quality. The vendors at Tan Binh market are also less aggressive than their peers at Ben Thanh market. So that many retailers prefer buying items at this market. Locals and tourists also come here for shopping.

Address: 172-174M Ly Thuong Kiet street, District Tan Binh, HCMC

Read more about Tan Binh Market.

6. Ba Hoa market

Dried Shrimp At A Market In Vietnam Tracy

Ba Hoa is the market of Quang people who are living in Saigon. “Quang” means Quang Nam province in Central Vietnam with many specialties and unique characters. Ba Hoa (Mrs. Hoa) – a Quang woman built the market in 1967. At this market, you can find a huge number of Quang specialties such as dried hot chili, macerated fish and shrimp and macerated fish paste. Don’t forget trying  Quang foods at the market. One of the most delicious is fried organ with fresh turmeric, eaten with crispy grilled rice paper. Another delicious Quang dish is Banh Dap – wet rice cake wrapping in crispy and dried rice paper, eaten with spicy macerated fish paste dip. Besides, you can also enjoy various Central style foods like fried mussels, jack fruit salad, bloating fern-shaped cake (banh beo), tiny taopica flour dumplings stuffed with shrimp and pork (banh bot loc), Vietnamese clear shrimp and pork dumplings (banh it tran)…

Address: 30CH Tran Mai Ninh street, District Tan Binh, HCMC

Read more about A Saigon street food tour in Ba Hoa market

7. Trang Tu fruit market

trang tu fruit market in saigon

Photo by Scooter Saigon Tour

China Town (Cholon) is the commercial hub in Ho Chi Minh city. The area is always busy during the day and night. Trang Tu market is a wholesale fruit market in Cholon. 90 percents of fruits at the market are transferred from Mekong Delta by trucks or boats. The market is busiest at night when wholesalers, retail and vendors buy and sell fruits.  A wholesaler sells about 1-2 ton of fruits every night. They also sell retail fruits at low prices. You can find all year-round fruits like sapodilla, dragon fruit, watermelon… and seasonal fruits like grapefruit, orange, tangerine, rambutan, plum… All of them are fresh and tasty.

Address: Trang Tu street, District 6, HCMC

Read more about Trang Tu Market.

8. Ho Thi Ky flower market

flower market ho thi ky at night tracy do (3)

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Ho Thi Ky flower market is the biggest wholesale flower market in Ho Chi Minh city. Established in 1996, the market is located on Ho Thi Ky street – a narrow 500-meter long street where most of the shops sell flowers. Various types of flowers such as rose, orchid, lily, lotus, forest banana flower, fire banana flower… can be found here. The flowers are from Dalat, Hanoi, Thailand, China and Japan. Some shops at the market sell flower arrangement tools and materials. Ho Thi Ky market is busiest at night and in the early morning, especially on Tet holidays, Woman’s day, Teacher’s Day…

Address: Ho Thi Ky street, District 10, HCMC

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Ho Thi Ky Flower Market

Ho Thi Ky Flower Market at Vietnamese Tet Festival

9. Hanh Thong Tay night market

9. Hanh Thong Tay night market

Hanh Thong Tay market is set on Quang Trung Street, Go Vap District, which is more than 10 km far from the center of District 1. During the day, Hanh Thong Tay market sells fruits, products, commodities like other local markets. From 6:o0 pm till 11:00 pm, the market sell clothes, shoes, fake jewelry, handbags, sunglasses, belts and hair accessories. The market attracts a huge number of shoppers and people coming to walk around, eat snacks. The price is reasonable and most of the customers are students and the middle class who don’t have a lot of money. At about 7:00-8:00 am, it’s most crowded and there is usually traffic jam near the market.

Address: 29 street number 18, District Go Vap, HCMC

10. Hoang Hoa Tham second-hand market

10. Hoang Hoa Tham second hand market

Second-hand clothes and fashion accessories are one of an interesting part of Saigon. It’s true that some Saigon people don’t have enough money to buy new clothes and second-hand items are their choices. However, some prefer wearing second-hand clothes to the new only because it’s a trend in this dynamic city. Hoang Hoa Tham market is one of the most popular places to buy second-hand items in Saigon. There are dozens of second-hand shops at Hoang Hoa Tham market on Hoang Hoa Tham street, District Tan Binh. You may be surprised at “mountains” of second-hand items and the way Saigon people sit with their feet to find good items.

Address: 19 Hoang Hoa Tham street, District Tan Binh, HCMC

Summary of the Top Markets in Ho Chi Minh City

Markets in Ho Chi Minh City are interesting enough to visit, see beautiful architecture, buy cheap high-quality products, enjoy delicious foods, learn about the local life.

 

Warmest Greetings To All from Tracy Do! If you have any questions about Vietnam including Vietnam tours, do not hesitate to contact me.

Tracy’s team is proud to provide excellent Ho Chi Minh City Day Trips including Ho Chi Minh Motorbike Tour, Ho Chi Minh Food Tour, Mekong Delta Tour, Cu Chi Tunnel Tour, Ho Chi Minh Transfer Service and Shore Excursion to thousands of guests for nearly 10 years. Let us have a chance to show you South Vietnam to the fullest.

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