Tan Binh Market

The over 60-year-old Tan Binh Market has been a popular places for Saigon people to buy good and cheap wedding dresses and suits, wedding accessories and supplies for over half of a century. In addition, the market is one of the center of trading clothes and accessories at wholesale and retail. Located less than 6 km from District 1, Tan Binh Market is one of the best choices of Vietnamese and foreign visitors to buy great items at reasonable prices.

General information about Tan Binh Market

Location: 172 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Ward 6, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. It is about 5.5 km from Ben Thanh Market which is considered the city center. The market is surrounded by Ly Thuong Kiet, Le Minh Xuan, Tan Tien and Phu Hoa Streets. More and more shops on these streets open for business, create an area specializing in clothes, fabrics and wedding costumes and accessories.

Opening hours: 5:00 AM: open for animal, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetable area | 6:00 AM: open for all stores, kiosks, shops | 6:00 PM: close

History of Tan Binh Market

A small market was established in 1960 next to the crossroads of Ly Thuong Kiet and Le Minh Xuan Streets. Vendors at two open-air markets in Tan Son Nhat Market and Bay Hien Crossroads have moved to Tan Binh Market since 1977. The market was named Nguyen Van Thoai.

The market was upgraded and extended in order to meet the increasing trade volumes. From 1982 to 1985, the building of the market was constructed and has become one of the biggest shopping centers in Ho Chi Minh City. The market has been operated by the People Committee of Tan Binh District since 1990. Today, it is officially called Tan Binh Market.

Building and Architecture of Tan Binh Market

Tan Binh Market has 9 gates including 4 main gates and 5 smaller gates. The main entrance is located on Ly Thuong Kiet Street. The market has a total area of 22,800 m2 and a spacious parking lot.

The facade painted in brown and light orange and semi-circle decorations of Tan Binh Market represents the ancient design while the glass cells in rectangular, diamond or triangular shapes make it modern. A square clock is placed at the top center of the facade. The name of Tan Binh Market is placed on top of the building so that it can be seen from a far distance. The canopies are in dark brown orange and a rectangular shape. Triangular roofs can be seen from behind the building.

Tan Binh Market

The light orange and brown facade with glass cells, name of the market on the top of building and an old clock in the middle of the facade

Tan Binh Market

1. The old clock 2. Triangular roofs 3. Arched decorations 4. Canopies 5. Glass triangular and diamond cells

Spacious parking lot at Tan Binh Market

Spacious parking lot in front of the market under the shade of green trees

Ho Chi Minh City Shopping Tour by Motorbike

On Ho Chi Minh City Shopping Tour by Motorbike, Tracy’s team does not take you to shopping centers and markets for tourists but less-known shopping places where you can buy souvenirs, foods, clothes, accessories and others.

What does Tan Binh Market sell?

Tan Binh Market has about 3,000 vendors selling everything including jewelry, electronic products, fresh and dried foods. The market specializes in wedding costumes and accessories, ready-to-wear clothing and fabrics which are sold at wholesale and retail. Every day, the market is crowded with customers who would like to buy items at retail and owner of fashion stall, shops in Saigon and other regions come to choose sample products. Packages of the items are shipped to their stores later by trucks or motorbikes. Similar to other markets in Saigon, Tan Binh Market also sells fresh foods, dried foods, prepared foods and drinks.

Wedding costumes and accessories

Coming to Tan Binh Market, customers are lost in the land of beautiful dresses and Ao Dai decorated with beards, flowers, embroidered items and lovely wedding accessories and supplies. The products include wedding dresses, wedding suits in Western styles, traditional wedding Ao Dai, “mấn” headband, ties, bows, artificial wedding bouquets, boutonnière or wedding flowers, etc. Wedding costumes for not only brides and grooms but also the brides and grooms’ family and guests. The fashion products for adult including the elderly and children.

Some stores sell ready-to-wear and tailor-made wedding dresses and Ao Dai. These stores are located on the other side of Ly Thuong Kiet Street and Le Minh Xuan Street. In the market, there is an area where they sell both wedding costumes and accessories. Most of the products are made in Vietnam, some are made in China and other countries. Prices at Tan Binh Market are cheaper than at bridal salons and wedding costume tailors because they save the cost by making a large number of costumes at the same time and buying materials at wholesale.

Tan Binh Market

Stores selling wedding dresses, suits and Ao Dai on Ly Thuong Kiet Street

Andy Truong Bridal Salon Tan Binh Market

Andy Truong – famous bridal salon on Le Minh Xuan Street

Wedding dresses at Tan Binh Market

Inside Tan Binh Market, there is an area which are full of products related to wedding. The dresses in various colors an patterns are hung in narrow stalls. The dresses cost from VND 1,000,000 (~ $40 USD)

Ao Dai store at Tan Binh Market

A future groom chooses Ao Dai at a Ao Dai store. Ao Dai for grooms are usually in blue, red, white, yellow colors and have elegant round dragon and phoenix patterns and other Vietnamese traditional patterns

Wedding accessories at Tan Binh Market

From left to right, from top to bottom: Necklaces, bridal hair pins, bridal hair comb; Yellow, purple, white, red, pink headbands embellished with beads and decorated with floral, dragon, phoenix, cloud patterns; Beaded and floral hair accessories including rubber bands, hair pins; Ties for grooms and male attendants; Cute bows and short ties

Artificial flowers and fake hair at Tan Binh Market

Artificial flowers used to decorate houses, gates, wedding reception are popular at the market. There is a wide range of choices but the most favorite flowers are roses in pink, white and red colors. Long or short, curl or straight, black or brown, pink or purple fake hair are available at hair stores

Warmest Greetings To All from Tracy Do! Talented and experienced Tracy’s team has provided excellent Vietnam tours and Vietnam travel services to thousands of guests for 10 years. We specialize in Ho Chi Minh City Day Trips including HO CHI MINH MOTORBIKE TOUR, HO CHI MINH FOOD TOUR, MEKONG DELTA TOUR, CU CHI TUNNELS TOUR, HO CHI MINH TRANSFER SERVICE and SHORE EXCURSION and others. Let us have a chance to show you Vietnam to the fullest. If you have any questions about Vietnam including Vietnam tours, do not hesitate to contact me.

Fabrics

Stores on Tan Tien Street specialize in fabrics sold at retail and wholesale. Big rolls of fabrics made in Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, Italy and many other countries are abundant inside and in front of the stores. At the stores, visitors can see many scales used to weigh the fabrics.

Tan Tien Street with fabric stores Tan Binh Market

Tan Tien Street is lined with fabric stores

Rolls of fabric at Tan Binh Market

Workers sit on motorcycles in front of a store with hundreds of fabric rolls

Ready-to-wear clothes

Ready-to-wear clothing is a big part of the market. More than one hundreds of stores in the building, on Le Minh Xuan Street and neighboring streets sell different kinds of clothes and accessories. Customers can choose some from countless trousers, pants, tank tops, blouses, shirts, T-shirts, dresses, skirts, house clothes. Fashion products are made in Vietnam and other countries, the quality is rather good.

Le Minh Xuan Street is lined with fashion stores and street food vendors at Tan Binh Market

Le Minh Xuan Street is lined with fashion stores and street food vendors

Womenswear at Tan Binh Market

Womenswear including sexy dresses, hats, top and bottom sets

Jean clothes, T-shirts Tan Binh Market

Jean clothes and T-shirts

Underwears and swimsuits at Tan Binh Market

Underwears, socks, gloves and swimsuits

Clothes for children at Tan Binh Market

Clothes for children: lovely dresses with bows, fabric flowers, beads

Accessories

Underwears, socks, eyewears, jewelry, luggages, bags, backpacks, toys are also sold at the market.

Toys, sunglasses, jewelry, hair extensions, accessories and styling tools at Tan Binh Market

Toys, sunglasses, jewelry, hair extensions, accessories and styling tools

Foods

The food area at the back of the market sells prepared meals, fresh and dried foods. Most of the prepared foods are Vietnamese traditional foods including steamed rice and main dishes, noodle soups, traditional cakes. Drink stalls sell iced tea – the cheapest drink in Vietnam, Vietnamese coffee, soft drinks and juices. Customers of the food areas are workers, vendors and residents in the area. Dried foods, sauces, fermented foods, vegetables, meat, seafood are also sold in this area.

Food and drink stalls at Tan Binh Market

In the market, dozens of stalls sell Beef noodle soup, Hue beef noodle soup, Crab soup cake, Fermented fish noodle soup, Grilled pork rice noodle salad, Steamed rice and main dishes, Quang noodle, etc. Drink stalls offer coffee, soft drinks, tea, juices, smoothies, mineral water.

Mobile food carts on Le Minh Xuan at Tan Binh Market

While stalls inside the market have glass containers, area for cooking and dining, the food and drink vendors on Le Minh Xuan Street put their “moving restaurants and cafes” right on the street. From left to right, from top to bottom:
– A vendor place a bottle of soy milk on a styrofoam box containing ice to let customers know that she sells soy milk. Other bottles of soy milk are put in the red basket. Plastic glasses are hung on the mobile food cart. She also sells orange juice because she put a basket of oranges on the cart.
– A vendor sells kumquat tea, lime tea, orange juice, coconut water and kumquat juice. The vendor on the right sells Baby clam rice noodle salad
– Customers wait at a food cart selling Clear rice noodle soup (Hủ tiếu) and Stewed beef (Bò kho)
– A mobile Banh mi cart serves crispy Vietnamese bread

Fruits and flowers

Some fruit and flower shops and stalls are around the market’s building.

Flower vendor at Tan Binh Market

An old vendor arranges flowers, she sells gladiolus and daisies. Old people in Vietnam still wear checkered scrarf, Ao Ba Ba top and bottom

Fruit stall at Tan Binh Market

These vendors arrange products in front of a fabric store, they sells oranges, pomelos, grapes, pineapples and melons

Local life at Tan Binh Market

Tan Binh Market is not only a place to go shopping but also to learn more about the real local life which could not be seen at luxury shopping centers in Ho Chi Minh City. Workers are poor people who are from Saigon or other regions in Vietnam. Their lives are simple and they must work hard but smiles are always on their faces.

A worker bring packs of clothes from the gate to the store of his boss at Tan Binh Market

A worker bring packs of clothes from the gate to the store of his boss

An old man and his old cyclo at Tan Binh Market

This old man earns living by transferring goods and people by his old cyclo

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