Markets of Vietnam: Where to Wander and What to Buy

Vietnam still does most of its day-to-day food shopping at wet markets. Supermarkets are growing, but the morning rhythm of a market — fish landed before dawn, vegetables trucked in from the suburbs, hot-food stalls in the back — is still the centre of Vietnamese food culture.

Đồng Xuân, Hanoi

The big indoor market at the north end of the Old Quarter. Three storeys: the ground floor is dry goods, household items, fabrics; the upper floors are clothes; the back of the ground floor opens out into a hot-food alley serving bún ốc, bún riêu, bánh đa cua and chè.

Go in the morning for produce, late afternoon for the food stalls. The surrounding streets — Hàng Khoai, Hàng Giấy, Hàng Chiếu — are an extension of the market and worth a wander. Open 6am to 6pm.

Chợ Hôm, Hanoi

The southern French Quarter market, less touristic and more everyday. Better for fresh produce and household ingredients than Đồng Xuân. The fabric section is also where most of Hanoi's tailors source.

Quảng Bá flower market, Hanoi

Open from midnight to dawn near West Lake. Worth the early-morning trip even if you aren't buying flowers — the surrounding pavement stalls serve phở and bún riêu to market workers from around 3am.

Bến Thành, HCMC

The famous indoor market at the centre of District 1. Almost entirely tourist now — souvenirs, knock-off clothing, lacquerware — but the back food court still serves a decent cross-section of Vietnamese dishes for around 80,000 to 120,000 VND a plate. Prices are double what they should be elsewhere, but the place is convenient. The night market that sets up around the building from 6pm has better-value street food.

Bình Tây, HCMC

The other great HCMC market, in Chợ Lớn (District 6). Older, more wholesale-focused, far less touristed than Bến Thành and considerably more interesting. Built by the Chinese community in the 1920s, the building itself is worth seeing. Best for spices, dried goods, mooncakes (around the Mid-Autumn festival) and traditional medicine.

Chợ Lớn street food

The neighbourhood around Bình Tây market is one of the best street-food zones in the country, with a strong Chinese influence. Há Cảo Sủi Cảo on Hà Tôn Quyền street is a whole row of evening dumpling and noodle stalls.

Đông Ba, Huế

The main market in Huế, on the bank of the Perfume River across from the old citadel. The hot-food stalls inside serve all the small Huế dishes — bánh bèo, bánh nậm, bánh lọc, bún bò — at lower prices than the sit-down restaurants. Around 30,000 to 60,000 VND a dish. The fabric and conical-hat sections are also notable.

Cồn market, Đà Nẵng

The main Đà Nẵng wet market, on Hùng Vương street. The upper-floor food court serves mì Quảng, bún chả cá, bánh xèo and the local sweets. Better than the tourist-focused Hàn market across town.

Hội An central market

A compact market on Trần Phú in the old town, ringed by a row of food stalls cooking cao lầu, mì Quảng, white rose dumplings and bánh bao for the breakfast and lunch trade. Smaller and easier to navigate than the big-city markets.

Sa Pa Sunday market and the highland markets

In the northern mountains, weekly markets pull Hmong, Dao and Tay villagers from surrounding valleys into a single town for a few hours of trade. Bắc Hà (Sunday), Mường Hum (Sunday), Cốc Ly (Tuesday) and Sín Chéng (Wednesday) are the main ones. Expect textiles, livestock, herbal medicines and minority-style food — a complete change from the lowland markets.

How to navigate

Walk the perimeter first to get oriented. Produce vendors are usually arrayed by category — leafy greens together, root vegetables together, fruits together. Meat and fish are usually in a separate section, often on the ground floor of indoor markets. Hot food is usually at the back or upstairs.

Bargaining is appropriate for tourist goods and for fruit if you suspect the foreigner price. For everyday produce vendors quote the local rate and there is little to bargain. A friendly smile, basic Vietnamese ("xin chào" for hello, "cảm ơn" for thank you) and not photographing without asking go a long way.

What to buy

• Spices and dried goods — star anise, cassia bark, dried shrimp, fish sauce, palm sugar. Easy to take home, lighter than they look.
• Phin filters — the metal Vietnamese coffee drip. Around 50,000 to 100,000 VND.
• Conical hats — best at Đông Ba in Huế or at the markets in Tây Ninh. Around 100,000 VND for a real one.
• Lacquerware — Bến Thành in HCMC is the most convenient but check quality carefully.
• Coffee beans — supermarkets are usually better than markets for the major brands; specialty roasters have their own shops.

Honest take

A serious wet-market visit in the first morning of your stay will teach you more about Vietnamese food than any restaurant meal. Go early, take the time to walk, and eat breakfast at whichever hot-food stall has the longest queue of locals.

Related reading: Hanoi food guide, HCMC food guide, Vietnamese fruits, Street food etiquette, Etiquette.