Ben Thanh Market

Le Loi, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam

Now Open

Description

Ben Thanh Market is situated in District 1 in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The market is one of the city’s earliest surviving structures and a significant emblem. Ben Thanh Market is a popular location for local and international travelers from across the globe. The market is open daily from around 6 a.m. until its official closing time of 6 p.m., year-round. After 6pm, the day market becomes a night market that operates until 10pm.

Today, the Ben Thanh Market draws more than 10,000 shoppers and tourists every day. More than 6,000 small enterprises with almost 1,500 booths provide wholesale and retail things ranging from necessities to luxury items. Some vendors may not require currency swaps, however the majority prefer the Vietnamese dong.

This enormous tourist market in the middle of the flashy city center attracts millions of visitors annually. Ben Thanh market contains Ho Chi Minh City’s second-largest indoor wet market, closely behind District 5’s Cho Lon market. Ben Thanh market is easily accessible from everywhere in the city, as the city’s public bus hub is located just in front of the market. Ben Thanh Market, a decent market during the day and a social hub after dusk, is a definite must-see sight in the most vibrant region of Vietnam.

Shopping In Ben Thanh Market

Day Market

Four primary market entry points act as a customer directory. Each entrance has a section devoted for selling specialist products. For instance, the southern entrance has clothes, textiles, and apparel in addition to footwear, jewelry, and cosmetics. At the Northern entrance, a variety of fresh fruits, seafood, and poultry are available. This is also where food sellers serve popular Vietnamese meals such as pho, broken rice, bun bo hue, bun thit nuong, banh beo, grilled seafood, and sweets. The Eastside also provides packaged food products, including dried seafood and poultry, roasted peanuts, candied fruit, coffee beans, tea, fish sauce, herbs, and spices. On the other side, the Western gate mostly sells pottery and paintings.

Night Market

Even at night, Ben Thanh Market is bustling with activity. At 6 p.m. UTC+07.00, brilliantly lighted booths are set up on both sides of the major streets Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh. The vendors sell the same goods as the day market, with a stronger focus on food. Some street vendors transform into restaurants with tables and chairs. After work, many people congregate in the neighborhood, which is also appropriate for tourists because it offers western-style menus in English.

Food Market

The Ben Thanh Street Food Market is a must-visit for both locals and foreign tourists. Here, you may have a superb dining experience with a variety of international delicacies and delectable meals from every area of Vietnam.

On the busy street, Thu Khoa Huan, and in close proximity to Ben Thanh Market, there is a variety of bars and nightclubs, restaurants, designer boutiques, and food courts that promise to provide diners a breath of fresh air.

Visiting the Ben Thanh Street Food Market is an excellent opportunity to learn about the locals’ way of life and cuisine. First-time visitors may be enticed by the outside and expansive inside area with street-facing tables lined up along the walls. Especially at supper, you may appreciate the open dining area lit by red lanterns, which will transport you to the historic city of Hoi An.

The décor of the majority of restaurants piques the curiosity of international guests. You should not be concerned if you are visiting the market for the first time. Some of the menus are written in languages other than English and include mouth-watering images. This makes ordering easy for visitors.

What to Buy

Ben Thanh Market has practically everything you might ever need. Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and flowers are sold first outside the north entrance in the booths. They offer all of the body parts of animals that may frighten you, such as intestines, brains, feet, and stomachs, as do many other traditional markets in Vietnam. These images can be erased by the gorgeous flowers around. The wet market is only open from early morning till lunchtime.

Ben Thanh Market features over 3.000 vendors and opens at 8 a.m., introducing you to a whole new world. As you go around, you will undoubtedly be astonished by the numerous mounds of bright objects. They sell anything from technology to clothing, jewelry, shoes, handmade items, and cuisine. Every day, Ben Thanh attracts around 15,000 consumers and a large number of international visitors.

If you want to give a unique Vietnamese traditional handcraft to a friend, they are the greatest. The nation is particularly well-known for its lacquerware and coconut tableware. Bowls, spoons, plates, and chopsticks are excellent gifts for friends and family. Ben Thanh also has fantastic fabric works with threadwork embroidery and patchwork. If you prefer wood, consider purchasing the handcrafted wooden boats and figures available here. In general, Ben Thanh market has the finest selection of fabric and wood crafts. These handicrafts would make excellent gifts for your friends as well as a lasting memory of Saigon, Vietnam’s most exciting city.

Architecture of Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh market has an area of 13,056 m2. The 100-year-old structure has a distinct Indochina architecture that sticks out amid the new and contemporary structures in the Saigon downtown. The market underwent substantial alterations to both the outside and inside throughout the years, but the general architecture remained with its famous clock tower in the foreground.

The structure has a significant French flavor due to its construction during the French Colonial Era. According to Khuong Van Muoi, President of the City Architects’ Association, the structure borrowed some of its distinctive elements from French architects. He cites the building’s orientation as well as banners along the roof that reach over the market to give shade. These designs were created with natural air cooling in mind.

History Of Ben Thanh Market

The market evolved from informal marketplaces established by early 17th-century street traders congregating along the Saigon River. The French colonial forces formally built the market after taking over the Gia nh fortress in 1859 (see Citadel of Saigon). After being devastated by fire in 1870, this market was restored to become Saigon’s main market. To separate itself from its predecessor, the market was relocated to a new structure and renamed the New Bn Thành Market in 1912. The structure was refurbished in 1985.

The original market began as an informal wet market formed by local street traders in the early 17th century. When French imperialists overthrew the adjoining Gia Dinh fortress in 1859, the market was properly built and constituted an official enterprise according French Colonial norms. The original construction contained a wooden thatched roof which would later be destroyed by fire in 1870 and rebuilt to become dubbed “Les Halles Centrales”.

The market was relocated to the current location in 1912, utilizing a fireproof metal construction to become the city’s largest and most important market. When all of the sellers relocated to the new market building, the old one was not demolished, but rather converted into a wholesale market known as the Old Market or Ch Cu. To separate the new market from its predecessor, the name was changed to Ben Thanh Market. The name Ben Thanh is a combination of the terms “harbor” (Ben) and “citadel” (Thanh) (Thanh).

The new market had substantial modifications in 1985 to keep up with the city’s march toward a modern mix. Despite several renovations throughout the years, the market remains one of Saigon’s earliest and most recognizable remaining monuments.

How to Get to Ben Thanh market

Ben Thanh Market is located in Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Ward, District 1. The market is situated at the crossroads of four bustling streets. The main entrance is on Le Loi street/Quach Thi Trang roundabout, the north entrance is on Le Thanh Ton, the east entrance is on Phan Boi Chau, and the west entrance is on Phan Chau Trinh.

The market was initially planned to be located near the Saigon River. As a former wet market, the nearby canals allowed boats to pick up and drop off commodities for commerce. After being moved near the My Tho railway station (now the Saigon bus station) in 1912, the market now has one of the best positions in District 1.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport is only 7 kilometers from the market and is located inside the municipal boundaries. The market is easily accessible from Tan Son Nhat International Airport via taxis (Vinasun/Mai Linh), Grab, motorcycle, bike, or bus. The Saigon bus station is directly across from Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Station, in addition to being a key hub for the city bus network servicing Ho Chi Minh City, will be a hub for multiple lines of the projected Ho Chi Minh City Metro; Line 1, which is now under construction, would connect the market with Suoi Tien Park and Long Binh in District 9.

Other lines will connect Ben Thanh to Tham Luong in District 12, as well as Cholon and Binh Tan.

Taxi:Taxis may be readily hired online or picked up outside the airport. It is the quickest method to go from the airport to the market. However, it costs between VND 300.000 and VND 400.000.
Motorbike:A motorcycle makes it easier to move around. The cost is around VND 150.000 per day.
Walking: You may walk to the market if you are staying along the backpacker street Bui Vien. The walking distance is 1 km, therefore it will take you around 15 minutes to get there.