Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is one of the known shopping destination for tourists in Ho Chi Minh City. It is centrally located in District 1, making it very accessible for shoppers. It has everything; from handcrafted souvenirs of all sorts, lots of clothes, tons of shoes, hats, bags to food, like a variety of fruits; fresh or dried, just anything you can think of, they seem to have it all there under 1 roof.

The market is somewhat divided according to the products being sold. There are area for fabrics, clothes, bags, shoes, souvenirs and the like. Then there's a space for fresh fruits and dried goods. One side is sort of the market's food court, but it looked more like a line of carinderia.






This is a place where you can bargain your way around. Things are way cheaper here than the malls, obviously. Once they know you're a tourist they will try to get as much as they can from you, in terms of prices; so learn how to sum up what you're trying to buy. Most of the vendors are friendly and will give in to what you wish to pay, granting you'll be buying a lot and is not asking for a ridiculously low price.

Some ladies there can be very pushy and touchy. Have experienced a few who would cursed at us in their own language when we would not agree at their price as we walked away.

As much as I like to roam around the market, the sweltering heat plus the crowd always made me gave up. I only came back to get some more souvenirs; got in, buy the stuff and went straight out.

Lastly, they sell heaps of fake items such as designer wallets, bags, shoes, shirts and perfumes. Even if you're not a luxury items aficionado, you can clearly see those are imitations. I haven't seen a really good counterfeit product but the ones in the market were all cheaply done and evidently not genuine. On the 3 occasions I've been there, I did not see many people buying them, which is good.



Gorgeously . . .