Saigon markets guide Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon’s bigger markets
As with most other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam relies heavily on fresh food markets to supply agricultural produce to its people. Though there’s not much that tourists are likely to want to buy in such places, they are always noisy and colourful and great for photos, so it’s worth taking a walk though just to see the kind of items on sale.
Saigon’s bigger markets, such as Ben Thanh, have much more on offer than fresh food, and they are great places to practice bargaining and pick up gifts and souvenirs. Though a visit to a market in Saigon features high on most visitors’ itinerary, you need to be on your guard when walking through the narrow alleys and squeezing between shoppers.
Dan Sinh market
This market, located at 104 Yersin, is worth a look if you are interested in army surplus items. Often dubbed the ’War Surplus Market’, it used to be the place to find war memorabilia such as dog tags and Zippo lighters.
If you see such items these days, they are likely to be fakes, but you can pick up unusual things such as gas masks and mosquito nets here. You’ll need to walk past stalls selling car and motorbike parts to get to the interesting stuff.
Ben Thanh market
This is the mother of all Saigon’s markets and is conveniently located at the junction of Le Loi, Tran Hung Dao and Ham Nghi, making it within easy walking distance of both Dong Khoi (downtown) and the budget district. Don’t miss the fresh section at the back (north) end of the market, where you’ll see stacks of crabs and eels and mountains of vegetables and flowers.
You could also pick up a bag of Vietnam’s famous coffee here. Walking towards the front (south) end of the market, you’ll pass places selling typical souvenirs like sets of chopsticks and lampshades, then enter a labyrinth of stalls selling fabric and clothes. This is where most Western tourists find the real bargains.
Travel tip
Markets are an ideal workspace for pickpockets, and foreign tourists make more attractive targets than locals. Keep a close guard on your cash, which should be hidden away in a money belt, not hanging out of your pocket to tempt light-fingered thieves. For more on staying safe.
Binh Tay market
This huge Saigon market occupies whole block on Hau Giang in Cho Lon, Saigon’s Chinatown. ‘Cho Lon’ itself means ‘big market’, and indeed the whole district appears to be involved with commerce of some kind. You won’t find much in terms of souvenirs here, but you’ll find lots of unidentifiable items, friendly smiles and photo opportunities.
Le Cong Kieu
Strictly speaking this is not a market as there are no stalls, but this short street just opposite the Fine Arts Museum is lined with antique shops selling antiques and curios such as Buddha images and opium weights that make unusual mementoes of a visit to Saigon.
