Since its establishment until now, Ben Thanh Market (Vietnamese: chợ Bến Thành, chợ means market) has remained the busiest and most famous market in Saigon. It is considered one of the important symbols of the city; a famous destination not only for many locals but also for foreign tourists from all around the world.
Where is the Ben Thanh Market?
Ben Thanh Market is located at the intersection of four busy streets in Ben Thanh Ward. The main entrance, or the Southside, is on Le Loi Street overlooking Quach Thi Trang Square with the symbol of a three-sided clock tower. The Northside is on Le Thanh Ton Street. The Eastside is on Phan Boi Chau and the Westside on Phan Chau Trinh Street.
History of the famous Ben Thanh Market
Ben Thanh Market was originally built in the 17th century near the Ben Nghe River to welcome tourists and soldiers into Gia Dinh Citadel. That is also the reason why the market was named Ben Thanh (Ben means river wharf, and Thanh means citadel).
From a primitive market with materials such as brick, wooden frame, and thatched roof, which was partly damaged by a fire in 1870. In 1911, it was demolished to make way for a larger one, which was completed in March 1914. After being moved many times, it now stands in the very center of the city, where consumers can conveniently buy all sorts of goods. Although Ben Thanh Market was renovated and overhauled in 1985, the old architecture still remains, especially the front of the clock tower, which was left as it was.
Since the building was constructed around the time of the French Colonial era, it holds strong French influence. The market adopted some of its unique features from French architects.
What is attractive in Ben Thanh market?
Currently, Ben Thanh Market covers an area of about 13,000 m², making it the largest retail market with more than 1,400 booths and about 6,000 small businesses.
Ben Thanh Market is designed with 4 main doors facing 4 busy streets; each door features stalls selling a variety of items, making it easy for visitors to choose.
South gate: facing Le Loi Street, Quach Thi Trang Square is a place to sell items such as fabrics, clothes, and dry foods like dried seafood, roasted peanuts, candied fruit, coffee beans, tea, fish sauce, herbs, and spices from many regions. In particular, the South Gate, the main face of the market, features a prominent clock tower that has remained intact since its inception, attracting many tourists to take pictures.
North gate: facing Le Thanh Ton Street, there are stalls selling fresh food and fruit with eye-catching decorations.
East gate: located on Phan Boi Chau Street, this is a paradise for sweet-tooth lovers and beauty enthusiasts, with countless stalls selling a variety of cosmetics and confectionery.
West gate: Facing Phan Chu Trinh Street. is a gathering place for handicrafts, souvenirs, and shoes. Visitors can stop by to buy gifts for family and friends.
In addition to these 4 main doors, Ben Thanh Market has 12 side doors radiating in 4 directions. This is also where the food vendors set up to sell common Vietnamese dishes like pho, broken rice, spicy beef noodle soup, freshwater crab soup, rice-flour rolls, grilled seafood, and desserts…
Ben Thanh Market is also very lively at night. After 20 pm, the street lights up when the market becomes the busiest and most exciting. At this time, many main stalls are starting to close, making way for other clothing stalls, souvenir stalls, and handicraft stalls located outside the market on Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Boi Chau streets.
Things to remember when visiting Ben Thanh Market
To have a complete and economical trip to Ben Thanh Market, you should keep the following tips in mind.
- The market’s operating hours are from 7:30 am to 20:00 pm, so you can visit then. After 20:00 p.m., the night market outside will begin operating; some shops inside will be closed.
- With a fairly large market area and many stalls, it will take you at least 1 to 2 hours to visit, so you should arrange your time in advance.
- The market mainly serves a large number of foreign tourists, so prices will be slightly higher than normal. If you want to shop at the market, you should know little of bargainning.
- When checking in at the market gate, you should ensure traffic safety, because the market front is a major traffic area.
- If you do not want to buy, you can freely visit the market area, but absolutely do not touch the goods and put them down without buying.
Source: collected by An
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