Ben Thanh market is located right next to Quach Thi Trang Square and 23/9 park, Sai Gon wears the truly appearance of the modern city, the busy and crowded looks but diversity in experiences about Sai Gon city’s people life. Ben Thanh market has four gates, each with a clock gate and facing the main streets such as North Gate overlooking to Le Thanh Ton Street, South Gate overlooking to Le Loi Street, East Gate overlooking to Phan Boi Chau Street, West Gate overlooking to Phan Chu Trinh street and the main gate tower overlooking to Quach Thi Trang square. Formed before the French invasion, the original market located along the Ben Nghe River, at a dock, Ben Thanh. By 1911, the French colonial government decided to move the market to its present location, the market was started from 1912 and operated continuously until now.
For that reason, Ben Thanh Market is the convergence of both Vietnamese and French operation features that is the mysterious place for tourists to discover about the historical and cultural value of Vietnamese ancients.

The first impression about the Ben Thanh market is its sophisticated and strange architecture. The market has more than 3,000 stalls, wholesalers, and retailers of all kinds of goods, from everyday food items to luxury goods. The market opens at 4am in the North Gate area with fruit stalls and high-end fresh production that provide food for the city’s large families, eateries and restaurants. At 8 – 9 am, the stalls at the three main doors East, West, South, the side door simultaneously open to welcome guests from all over the places. From the area of the door to home is busy trading. The cage market with seven rooms between large and six small rooms arranged on both sides, and stalls are always full of people, coming here to discover the diversity about Vietnamese specialties, and enjoying some fresh and traditional cuisines right in the market. The most special featured characteristic about Vietnam vendors at the Ben Thanh market is images of vendors in here that they are young, beautiful, fashionable and especially fluent in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German … and even Cambodian, not only being hard-working as the thought of other people about Vietnam. Sellers say two, three foreign languages in a fluent manner is no longer new at Ben Thanh Market.

Tourists learn about the image of Ben Thanh Market that is extremely busy, and crowded perhaps for its central location in the Ho Chi Minh city, interfering between Ham Nghi and Tran Hung Dao streets, creating favorable conditions for the exchange and trade activities. Ben Thanh Market is not only a place for bustling business in Saigon but also a tourist destination bearing the Vietnamese history. If tourists want to explore this market, walking around, shopping, and enjoying Vietnam specialties will be an integral part in the journey to discover about the Vietnam people and history. Ben Thanh Market is also where famous chefs from the world come to choose fresh food and discover Vietnamese cuisine.

Not only as the most diverse market, Ben Thanh market is also loved by the perfect service of dedicated stalls. Otherwise, from the clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry to the kitchen, grocery, sweets … everything the Saigon people need for daily life can be found here. Not only that, with foreign tourists, they can learn a lot about local life and gain useful experience for shopping in Vietnam. Although there are many booths of products but the market is very well planned. The west door is where the focus of shoes, fine art, souvenirs. Ready-made garments, silk fabrics, handicrafts, embroideries, brocade … are located around the market. Besides the souvenirs, and fashion, to Ben Thanh market, tourists will enjoy the discovery of the food area with hundreds of dishes from all parts of the country such as Hanoi pho, Hue rice cakes, My Tho noodles, spring rolls, pancakes …

Let’s experience the most tremendous treasures of Vietnamese culture and cuisines right at Ben Thanh market!