One of the most iconic attractions of Ho Chi Minh City, it is impossible not to mention Ben Thanh market, with the image of a familiar clock tower. This is also one of the oldest and busiest markets in Saigon since its operation in 1914 until now. Perhaps because of that, for most international tourists, Ben Thanh Market is always a shopping destination not to be missed when coming to the most populous city in Vietnam.

The market has 4 main entrances and 12 gates. The south one, with the famous clock façade that looms over the vehicle carousel that is Ben Thanh roundabout, is the one often depicted in pictures and is thus the most recognized of all. The eastern gate leads to Phan Boi Chau Street, the western one overlooks Phan Chu Trinh Street and the northern gate faces Le Thanh Ton Avenue. Here, you can find numerous types of items, from clothing, footwear, and textiles to brocade, jewelry, and special Vietnamese dishes. Tourists can easily buy interesting souvenirs like the Non La (a traditional hat), wooden slippers, coffee filters, etc. The wet market opens at 4 am at the North Gate with fruit and fresh items stalls. At around 8-9 am, all stalls at the East, West, and South Gates simultaneously open.

How to get there?

The main gate of Ben Thanh Market is located on Le Loi Street. With located on Bui Thi Xuan Street - center district 1 and is one of the best 3 star hotels in center Saigon, just 1.1 km from Queen Ann Hotel Saigon, you only take 14 minutes to walk there. Advice from us:

-          Do not buy the first thing you see. The market is full of a lot of people selling fairly similar thing so get a sense of the price in a few places before finally deciding on what you want. If you find a place that particularly catches your attention – make a note of where it is. The market is not the ‘biggest market’ but it’s fairly easy to get lost here – which is probably not a bad thing as you’ll most likely end up finding another bargain elsewhere.

-          Do not pre-determine a fixed price in your head before you start to bargain. Your price will typically end up either being too high or too low. After checking out a few places, you’ll get a sense of what their starting prices are. You can typically go lower than that starting price and pay between 1/3 or 1/5 of the starting price.

-          Smile, laugh and generally be nice. People always respond to positivity here and it makes for a more pleasant experience for both of you. It’s a market after all and there’s no need to take things so seriously especially if you’re just visiting as a tourist.

-          Ask questions. Even if they can’t answer them (perhaps out of not knowing the answer of out of language barriers), the sellers can recruit help from other people to answer your questions. In any case, this keeps the conversation flowing and helps create a better rapport which can help you get the prices you want to pay.

-          Be prepared to walk away from a deal. This actually gives you more power and in most cases, will get you called back by the seller with an acceptance of your ‘lowest offer price’. Don’t be afraid to walk away – if you get too attached to the item, you lose the power whereas you could just walk a few stalls down and find the exact same item at a much cheaper price. Only walk away when you know that you’re happy with the price you’ve asked for as when they call you back, it’s typically to accept that price.

If you go in the morning, you may be able to acquire more bargains than if you go later in the afternoon. They say that some traders offer a “morning price” for their first transactions of the day which is believed to bring them good luck. And the produce is also at its freshest in the mornings!