Ben Thanh market

Saigon’s first supermarket - Ben Thanh market

Ben Thanh market is a symbol of Ho chi minh city in the mind of local residents and the eyes of foreign tourists, says Hong Nhung and Van Anh
In the beginning
The name of Ben Thanh market comes from a combination of two words – Ben, which means wharf in Vietnamese, and Quy Thanh, which is the name of the nearby Turtle Citadel. After taking over the citadel known as Gia Dinh in 1859, the French colonialists built a large covered market on the site where the Banking Institute now stands.

The rustic market had a thatched roof and a mud floor and was situated in the vicinity of a number of large canals, which are now some of the city’s main thoroughfares, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue Ham Nghi and Pasteur. Business was good at the market as traders travelled back and forth from the wharf on the nearby canal to Khanh Hoi port. In 1870, a large fire razed the market to the ground and the French decided to build a new structure with metal frames.

It would become the largest market in Saigon, which in those days was known as the Pearl of the Far East in Continental Europe. In 1912, the mayor of Saigon ordered the construction of a new market in a marshy district called Le Maraise Boresse. The market, which officially opened for business in March, 1914, would come to be known as the ‘New’ Ben Thanh Market.

Until the 1950s, there was a railway station in front of the Ben Thanh market with Trains travelling east to Lai Thieu in the Mekong Delta and west to Cholon. The surrounding district was relatively deserted and traders and merchants at the market could hear train’s whistles as they approached the Hoa Hung station in District 3.

“Ben Thanh market played an important role in the life of over 100,000 local residents in Saigon City at that time when it had yet to merge with Cholon. It is a hub for trade, transport, bearing cultural and historical meaning,” says Nguyen Dinh Dau, a historian who has lived for over a half of a century in Ho chi minh city “My family lives near the market and we still buy our food there every day.” In 1985, the market was revamped again. The four gates on each side were built and the clock which hangs above the main entrance was added.

The market today
Covering an area of 13,000sqm, Ben Thanh contains more than 1,500 stalls and shops selling pretty much everything you can think of. You can find fresh fruit, flowers, clothes, fabrics, cosmetics, electronic goods, souvenirs, handicrafts and jewelry. Locals in Ho Chi Minh City like to joke that if there is something that you can’t find in Ben Thanh Market it means you just don’t need it. Hundreds of tourists flock to the market through the day.

Shop assistants inside the market known how to say “hello” in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and even, Malaysian. They will also known the most important words in a lot of different languages – numbers! “I see more foreigners than Vietnamese visiting my store everyday,” says Minh Loan, who has taken lessons in English and Chinese to help improve her interaction with potential customers.

Hitting the local markets is very much a top priority for tourists coming to most Asian cities. Phuc Khanh, a tour guide with Saigon Tourist, claims that after he takes tourists to Ben Thanh market many of them have so much fun eating, shopping and haggling that they go back the next day. “Whether a tourist wants to buy one-dollar t-shirts or Vietnamese coffee and tea, they can find everything here,” he says.

The low-low prices encourage people to go on an all-out shopping spree, even if they hadn’t intended to. “It’s difficult to walk out of Ben Thanh Market empty handed,” admits Tom Hines, an Australian tourist who is laden down with a couple of rattan baskets and a bunch of table clothes. “There’s no way you can get these baskets for $2 each and these silk table clothes for $3 in Melbourne.”

But as you’d expect there is not much of a guarantee in terms of quality. Plenty of people have snapped up $5-sandals in Ben Thanh market that haven’t lasted more than 24 hours. Most tourists should know that haggling is part of the Vietnamese way, but some traders will still chance their arm a little bit more than others. The market’s management board has asked stalls to label items for sale with clear prices. Even still, these prices might be bumped up so haggling is always recommended .

“Normally tourists do not know what price is correct and whatever price I say, they will just frown and walk away,” says one young woman, selling sunglasses. She insists she can tell the difference between a local expat and a tourist and says she will quote the correct price for the former. “I know they know the price so I’m so stupid as to tell lie to their face,” she says.

In the future
Although Ben Thanh is a recognisable symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, there are plans to once again transform the market. Phan Thanh Trading and Services Company have made a proposal to city authorities to upgrade Ben Thanh market and alter the market’s functions. According to the proposed design, the market would be modernized in an extensive renovation. The new market would be four floors high and also feature a four-floor basement. The surface architecture of the market would be largely kept intact.

According to a representative from Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee any project to upgrade Ben Thanh market should in theory maintain the traditional and cultural features of the market and benefit small-scale sellers currently working there. The representative added that the people’s committee would wait until a design met those requirements. Traders at the market are understandably nervous about potential changes to the nature of the market. Thousands of people’s livelihoods are at stake.

It’s a serious financial commitment to lease a stall at the market. Data released by the tax office last year indicated that space in the 147-year-old market was changing hands for probably more than anywhere else on the planet. Prices were reportedly 230 taels of gold, or $177,000, per square metre. Hard to believe considering the average annual salary in Vietnam remains in the region of $650.

“There are increasing numbers of foreign tourists going to the market to see the local colour of the city and to identify the differences between the city and elsewhere in the world,” says Nguyen Dinh Dau. “So I think that the municipal authorities should not change architecture of the market.”

“I assume that young people prefer convenient stores rather than traditional markets, but for foreign tourists and older generations the market is a landmark and a symbol. It will take time for younger generations to learn this. For now the local authorities must think twice.”

(Source:Time out)

Tag: Asia , Foreigners , Handicraft , Ho Chi Minh , Hue , Japan , Japanese , Malaysia , Mekong Delta , Saigon , Saigon Tourist , Tour , Tourist , Train , Travel , Vietnam , Vietnamese

Saigon’s first supermarket - Ben Thanh market

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