As the sun rises.
I'm not much of a big shopper when traveling abroad because my main focus is normally seeing old buildings, meeting people and experiencing the place through its' culture. However I do love the night markets or flea markets simply because of the hustle & bustle of people bargaining for good prices and the many local products sold.
I'm not much of a big shopper when traveling abroad because my main focus is normally seeing old buildings, meeting people and experiencing the place through its' culture. However I do love the night markets or flea markets simply because of the hustle & bustle of people bargaining for good prices and the many local products sold.
That's why when my Client recommended Ben Thanh market I was quite thrilled because it sounded just like Chatuchak in Bangkok and just like the place, it is located in an indoor square market in the middle of town. Ben Thanh market sells everything from farm produce, vegetables, hawker food, souveniers, coffee, clothes and accessories each separated in their own sections.
I spent some time here in the evening around 4pm when the weather was not too hot, going through the rows of stalls deciding on what to buy. There's this saying that says when you want something it's normally not easy to find but when everything is there, you just don't know what you really want! I ended up getting these cute looking Vietnamese doll bookmark which had a woven dress cut out from excess of clothing material meant for the actual traditional costume.
The one thing I also learned is that the prices here are not doubled... but TRIPLED especially if you're not Asian. However, most of the people here can speak MULTIPLE LANGUAGES and you'll be amazed to hear them count, negotiate and appeal to customers in Hindi, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and even Tagalog. I was walking minding my own business when a local girl out of nowhere asked me in Malay language "Ambik satu beg, sangat murah kakak." (Take one bag sister, it's very cheap!). I asked my friend how would they know whether I'm from Malaysia or somewhere else because her guess was so spot on. I didn't open my mouth at all yet she could still pin me as Malaysian. I didn't get anything from her stall though because I didn't feel like buying any handbags during this trip. For one I only had one small luggage with me!
I spent some time here in the evening around 4pm when the weather was not too hot, going through the rows of stalls deciding on what to buy. There's this saying that says when you want something it's normally not easy to find but when everything is there, you just don't know what you really want! I ended up getting these cute looking Vietnamese doll bookmark which had a woven dress cut out from excess of clothing material meant for the actual traditional costume.
The one thing I also learned is that the prices here are not doubled... but TRIPLED especially if you're not Asian. However, most of the people here can speak MULTIPLE LANGUAGES and you'll be amazed to hear them count, negotiate and appeal to customers in Hindi, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and even Tagalog. I was walking minding my own business when a local girl out of nowhere asked me in Malay language "Ambik satu beg, sangat murah kakak." (Take one bag sister, it's very cheap!). I asked my friend how would they know whether I'm from Malaysia or somewhere else because her guess was so spot on. I didn't open my mouth at all yet she could still pin me as Malaysian. I didn't get anything from her stall though because I didn't feel like buying any handbags during this trip. For one I only had one small luggage with me!
Ben Thanh Market during the daytime.
The scent of fresh flowers greets you at the main entrance. 
The wet market starts as early as 6am.
Everywhere you go you will be pulled into their stalls with attractive prices. 
Anybody crave for anything nutty?As the night falls... we still shopped!
The reason why I went to the market in the evening is because they close around 530p-6pm to make way for the night market just outside of Ben Thanh market. At 615pm I could see all the vendors waiting with their selling stocks & foldable tents at the corner of the road. I asked my friend Virginia what were they waiting for? She said that the authorities here are very strict and they would only allow the vendors to set up their stalls at 630pm sharp! Until then, not even one person can do anything but wait until the officer says okay. We waited with them and at 630pm they race began... everyone started pushing their carts & trolley so quickly and the tents were set up in 10 minutes flat! Some took longer but by 7pm almost all of the stalls were up and running. It was so quick! Make sure you're not in their way.
The night market sold the same thing as the day market inside Ben Thanh but there were a few stalls which were from nearby shops as well. There were stalls selling T-shirts, bookmarks, key chains, hand bags, shoes and even local coffee which was a hit amongst tourists like us. We decided on the middle stall approaching the owner, a young woman who immediately started to explain to us the different types of coffee from low end to high end version in terms of taste & smell. She was so persuasive that we decided to buy a whole lot of coffee from her with a good discount.
(Actually later on Virginia told us we could have gotten it for much much much more discount because they tripled the prices!)
But it's okay we were happy with the purchase since she was so nice and accomodating by giving us a sample drink! The coffee was really strong and had a roasted earthy smell to it... ahhh... So don't forget to bargain as hard as you can and if it doesn't work, try walking away. Sometimes they will call you back and give you the price you wanted. Well it worked for me! If you've shopped here feel free to share with everyone how it was for you...
The night market sold the same thing as the day market inside Ben Thanh but there were a few stalls which were from nearby shops as well. There were stalls selling T-shirts, bookmarks, key chains, hand bags, shoes and even local coffee which was a hit amongst tourists like us. We decided on the middle stall approaching the owner, a young woman who immediately started to explain to us the different types of coffee from low end to high end version in terms of taste & smell. She was so persuasive that we decided to buy a whole lot of coffee from her with a good discount.
(Actually later on Virginia told us we could have gotten it for much much much more discount because they tripled the prices!)
But it's okay we were happy with the purchase since she was so nice and accomodating by giving us a sample drink! The coffee was really strong and had a roasted earthy smell to it... ahhh... So don't forget to bargain as hard as you can and if it doesn't work, try walking away. Sometimes they will call you back and give you the price you wanted. Well it worked for me! If you've shopped here feel free to share with everyone how it was for you...
Vendors preparing to set up their stall at 630pm sharp.
By 7pm every single stall was up and running.
Local Vietnamese coffee with cup filter to bring home as souveniers.
The lady with the coffee beans! She was rich that night I guess.. LolWhere: Le Loi Boulevard, District 1 ( At the junction of Ham Nghi, Le Loi and Tra Hung Dao)
When: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm daily (Night markets will be set up along the road after 7pm)
How Much: Bring enough to shop!
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