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B
en Thanh market opens at
around 4am everyday with stalls
of fresh produce outside, then at
around 7am the interior opens
up and stalls trade right into the late
evening.
Since it was established in the ear-
ly twentieth century, the market has
been an icon of the city and a must-see
destination for tourists. With a total of
around 3,000 stalls, the market brings
visitors a huge range of goods, includ-
ing clothes, souvenirs, handicrafts, and
local specialties.
According to
The USA Today
, Ben
Thanh market ranks fifteenth among
the best food markets of the world.
The paper ranked the 45 best markets
around the world based on their critical
acclaim, how reflective they are of the
local region, and the importance of food
and drink at the market.
Ben Thanh market’s dishes include
traditional cuisine from all parts of Viet-
nam. Familiar Vietnamese dishes such
as
pho
(Vietnamese noodle soup),
my
quang
noodles (a specialty of the cen-
tral Quang Nam province),
banh nam
(a Hue specialty) and many types of rice
are all on offer.
Pham Ngoc Van, one of the sales
people in the market, says she has been
working here for 10 years: “Ben Thanh
market is my second home. I have seen
its development for years and I am
proud that it is listed in the best markets
of the world.”
Lisa Rahray, a tourist from New Zea-
land, says: “As a chef, I love food. So I
have travelled to many places to experi-
ence different cuisine.” This is the first
time Lisa has been to Vietnam, and for
her Ben Thanh market is an indispensa-
ble destination.
“We have just had the pho here; it
is delicious and ideal for breakfast, we
love it,” says Lisa’s partner, Dylan Ver-
pees, also from Australia. “Compared to
many markets that we have visited in
other countries, including Thailand and
Korea, Ben Thanh market is very clean
and we are really impressed by the huge
selection of food here.”
Besides the quality and huge range
of Vietnamese food, Ben Thanh market
attracts tourists thanks to the enthu-
siasm and kindness of its salespeople.
Most of them can speak two foreign
languages fluently and they know how
to please their customers.
As thousands of foreign visitors
come to the market every day, the shop
owners encourage their staff to learn
popular languages such as English,
French, Japanese and Korean. Many of
the stalls have passed through genera-
tions in a family.
Luu Thi Ngoc Quynh, 22, an office
employee living in District 2, says the
salespeople attracted her interest the
very first time she went to the mar-
ket: “It feels like I am standing in an
international shopping mall since the
salespeople speak many languages,”
says Quynh, adding: “Moreover, most
of them have a good attitude, which
gives me a special impression of the
market. Tourists can easily get informa-
tion about the products and bargain for
good prices.”
Quynh says the dishes, especially
those of vendors outside the market,
are colourful and attractive. “Ben Thanh
is a melting pot of Vietnamese popular
dishes and other specialties and it is a
source of pride that the market is rec-
ognised by tourists all over the world,”
she enthuses.
Ben Thanh market is much more
than a Vietnamese traditional market;
it is a tourist attraction, a local cul-
tural destination, and an icon of Ho Chi
Minh City.
Set in the heart of Saigon, Ben Thanh market is one
of the country’s best places to explore its varied
cuisines.
Bui Hoa
takes a tour.
An iconic market
VIETNAM’S CULINARY DELIGHTS
45
timeout