Thuan Kieu Bird Market

In China Town, Ho Chi Minh City, there is an area where cages, birds, bird foods, bird care equipment and tools. The bird market is next to the famous Thuan Kieu Plaza which is known as the ghost building for nearly 20 years. Although the buildings were rehabilitated and renamed The Garden Mall, Saigon people still call the bird market Thuan Kieu.

Location

Thuan Kieu Bird Market is located at the crossroads of Tan Hung and Chau Van Liem Streets, next to The Garden Mall (formerly Thuan Kieu Plaza). The bird market is in the middle of Cho Lon Area or Saigon China Town – a place of great cultural and historical importance. CLICK HERE to see location on Google Maps.

What to see at Thuan Kieu Bird Market?

There is no bird shop or bird store at this market but only small stalls with birds in cages and vendors sitting on plastic chairs and waiting for their customers. Vendors speak limited English, they are happy to introduce and advise customers on choosing birds that meet their expectations.

The stalls sell the most popular birds in Vietnam including nightingale (họa mi), red-whiskered bulbul (chào mào), thrush (sáo), magpie-robin (chích chòe), Baltimore oriole (vàng anh), Timaliidae (khướu), parrot (vẹt). The birds are not precious so that the prices are not too expensive.

Coming to this special market, visitors can see hundreds of lovely birds in wood and steel cages in house-shaped, rectangular, round bird cages. Birds jump around the cages, sing their favorite songs, eat some foods and drink water, safely rest and preen themselves.

Birds in different colors move around cages and sing

More cages and birds

A cute falcon (chim ưng) on a motorbike

Thuan Kieu Bird Market in the morning is peaceful, with birds singing beautiful songs, locals sitting on plastic chairs and drinking some coffee

Tracy’s team will drive you around Saigon’s main streets and back alleys to see not only the bird market but also other hidden gems on the Ho Chi Minh City Unseen Tour.

Bird Club

Every day before 9:00 AM and from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM, bird lovers bring their beloved birds to the spacious garden in front of the Garden Mall, put the birds on the ground, sit on chairs or stools. While the birds sing together, the owners sit leisurely and talk to each other. They work in different fields, they are traders, workers, porters, drivers, shippers, etc. But all have the same hobby – taking care of nice birds and gathering here.

People of all ages sit on plastic chairs and stools

They usually talk about skills for quality bird care

Owners choose the best cages for their feathery friends, they prefer wood cages that are eco-friendly, nice-looking and comfortable

Some hang the cages on the branches of the green trees

Bird foods

Besides birds, vendors also sell favorite types of natural foods for birds, cocks, hens and fishes. So that bird market is also called worm market. Worms, crickets, grasshoppers, scorpion, especially ant eggs

Vendors use plastic cups from used bottles to measure live worms