Cho Ben Thanh Market
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ben Thanh is the city's main market ~ impossible to miss as it is situated at one of the key intersections in the city center.
Inside is a tightly organized grid of aisles, arranged according to product.
Clothes, shoes, and fabrics dominate the front, before giving over to kitchenware, cooked food, fresh vegetables and a somewhat alarming display of seafood and fresh meat.
There is plenty for the visitor to buy, but the main attraction is the way in which the bustling market is still very much part of the city's life and economy.
The clock tower at the entrance of the market is actually considered as the city's major landmark.
My Tito Albert took this shot of me buying fresh Longan and fresh Lychee from this amiable Vietnamese fruit vendor outside Ben Thanh Market.
It was a hot day ~ but still, all-smiles!! ☺
Ben Thanh Market is one of the most interesting places in Saigon.
Shopping is good here but bargaining is a must.
(Fortunately, my Tito is very good when it comes to bargaining ~ the seasoned traveller that he is and a frequent visitor to Vietnam, too.)
One of the major interesting things you can find at Ben Thanh is the food.
Being a bustling market in the daytime and a social center after sunset,
Ben Thanh Market is possibly the most well-known symbol of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh).
And why is it so?
Because a trip to Saigon (HCM) can never be complete without a visit to Ben Thanh
to experience the "real Vietnam"! :-)
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