Among the famous entertainment and sightseeing places in Saigon, it is definitely impossible to ignore the markets. Each market in Ho Chi Minh City has its own special features; Ben Thanh market is the symbol of the city; Binh Dien market is the largest wholesale market in the South; Kim Bien cheap market, etc. How about Tan Dinh market? Are there any interesting ones? Let’s find out with Vietdream.
Where is Tan Dinh Market?
Tan Dinh Market is located at 336 Hai Ba Trung Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1. However, this market has 4 facades located on different roads, the remaining 3 streets are: Nguyen Huu Cau, Ma Lo, Nguyen Van Nghia, so you can choose the most convenient gate to go to.
Furthermore, with a good location in District 1, so coming to this market is also quite easy, you can completely travel by bus and car rental service in Ho Chi Minh city:
For those who take the bus, take the following trips: 03, 31, and 36, they all stop at Hai Ba Trung Street station, you need to go back another 100m to Tan Dinh Market, District 3, Ho Chi Minh.
Personal vehicles can go to the market to park. However, there are many spontaneous parking lots and it is easy to be “hacked” so you can refer to the following reputable parking places:
– Le Van Tam park car park: for those of you who have a car, please send it here. However, this place is in the gate area of Ward 6, District 3. Opening hours: 8 am to 22 pm; price from 20,000 VND/car; capacity of 50 cars.
– Parking lot Le Van Tam – Vo Thi Sau District 1: If you ride a motorbike, parking here costs only 5,000 VND; a capacity of 1,000 vehicles.
History and Architecture of Tan Dinh Market
This market has a history of nearly 100 years from 1926, originally named the Marché de Phu-Hoa. At the time of its establishment, Tan Dinh market was known as a “rich market” when the goods were more expensive than other markets. This is explained by the higher quality of products at Tan Dinh market.
The main gate of Tan Dinh Market in the past.
The architecture of Tan Dinh Market has a modern beauty that has just been inaugurated, inspired by European architecture: tiled roof, concrete beams, iron beams.
Main gate and the yellow facade of Tan Dinh Market on Hai Ba Trung Street.
The front of the market stands out in French architecture with three bell towers, one in the middle, and two on either side. The bell tower in the middle still retains the old bell with the clock on the market gate. Until now, the bell still rang every day at a specific time.
What to experience at Tan Dinh market?
Like other traditional markets, Tan Dinh market has a variety of different items. There are many stalls from clothing, dry food, fresh food, and fruit, to shoes and fashion accessories. This place is both a shopping market to fully serve the daily needs of residents as well as tourists. Especially, it is also the focal point to get goods from many business shops in the city and neighbouring provinces. And below are some things you should experience once you’re setting foot into this market.
Shopping at Tan Dinh Market
It sounds simple as most tourists do shopping anywhere when they have a chance to stop and visit. The market trades a variety of goods, but the most popular is fabrics. Tan Dinh fabric market has a long history, right from the time it was established, people in the surrounding area have come here to buy fabric. At first, traders mainly sold Ao Dai fabric, after a while, this item was diversified with many fabrics with different materials, patterns, and prices to meet all the needs of clients.
Clothes and accessories are usually hung in front of the stores to attract customers inside the market
Currently, you can easily find cool summer cotton fabrics, luxurious lace fabrics, and glittering sequin velvet…Even the wedding dress fabric has many new textures and patterns (flowers, dragons and phoenixes, landscapes).
Tan Dinh night market
Not only is it famous as a prestigious fabric business, but the dishes here are also true to Saigon. For those who like to eat at night, this will definitely be an ideal place to visit. After 16pm, many food stalls and street vendors start setting up tables, ovens and raw materials to welcome eaters.
(source: collected)
The streets on the side of the market are bustling and busy at night offering many kinds of food such as broken rice, porridge, noodles, sticky rice, sweet soup….The Horse Sweet Soup, Aunt Muoi Mouse Sweet Soup, and Giang Lam Ky’s (Uncle Cau) dish or noodle cafe are the most famous places for those who are passionate about Saigon cuisine. Don’t forget to visit these places when you have a chance to come to this market.
Tourist attractions near Tan Dinh market
The estimated time for you to explore the whole market is about 2 hours. Therefore, it is recommended to combine visiting some other attractions near Tan Dinh market such as:
- Tan Dinh Church: The overall style was Gothic, but the decorative details were a bit Roman and Baroque. The church has been painted pastel pink both outside and inside since 1957, earning it the nickname “pink church”.
Address: 289 Hai Ba Trung, Ward 8, District 3 (150m from Tan Dinh market. - Le Van Tam Park: Walking in the spacious and airy campus of the park, you will feel the space here is extremely quiet, pleasant and fresh. The park is covered by the green colour of shady old orchards, and coconut trees reaching up to catch the wind on the green lawn with dew drops glittering in the morning sun. Address: Vo Thi Sau, Da Kao, District 1.
Tan Dinh Market is definitely one of the top most famous attractions in Ho Chi Minh City with lots of food stalls known for the long term. It’s no longer a commercial centre for big pockets, it has become one of the gathering places for affordable goods in the city.
