Ben Thanh Market is in the prime location of District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. It is a famous place to buy souvenirs and clothes and taste local food. The market takes 30 minutes to visit and 1 hour to explore and taste the food here.
You may avoid the hottest time of midday because the building has only one floor, which causes the temperature to be high inside. The best time to come here is before 10:00 am and after 4:00 pm.
Ben Thanh Market Map
Due to its exceptional location, Ben Thanh Market has four main gates and 12 auxiliary doors to access the internal shops.
The South Gate is the façade facing Le Loi Street. The most outstanding feature of this is the clock tower, which has three sides and was built according to French architecture.
- Location: Inside the connection of the streets of Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, Le Thanh Ton, and Le Loi.
- The main gate is at Le Loi Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Opening hours:
- The daytime market is from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, but the best time to visit is from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The morning is alright for visiting, but not suitable for shopping early.
- The night market is open from 7:00 pm to 24:00; the best time to visit is from 8:00 am to 9:30 pm.
- Phone: 028 3829 9274
Ben Thanh Market on the Google map:
Nearby attractions:
- A street food area on Thu Khoa Huan Street is only 50 m from the back gate.
- Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee on Nguyen Hue Street is 550 m from the back gate.
- Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on Dong Khoi Street is 700 m from the main gate.
- Saigon Square on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street is 280 m from the east gate.
- Independence Palace on Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street is 500 m from the back gate.
Unique products at Ben Thanh market
Many products sold in the market are handed down over generations, contributing to the charm and attraction to visitors.
- Handicrafts are the most diverse handicraft market because many shops serve tourists.
- Flavorful curry powders are sold here for cooking. Anh Hai curry stall has been an exclusive trademark for three generations, selling to consumers and famous restaurants and malls in Saigon.
- Fabric stall: Instead of selling fabric like other retail markets in Saigon, the fabric shops in Ben Thanh Market also accept sewing tailor-made clothes for customers and deliver within one day.
- Seafood: The seafood stalls are eye-catching but mainly used to sell to restaurants. So, you see and take pictures of seafood, which is not for tasting it right here.
- Roasted coffee beans: The stall owner handles purchasing and roasts the beans to create their own coffee recipe.
- Da Lat Vegetables: Many stores specialize in selling tasty fruits and vegetables from Da Lat City.
>> You may want to travel from Saigon to Da Lat to enjoy great vegetables.
The delicious food in Ben Thanh market
The food court in Ben Thanh Market is one of the eating addresses in Ho Chi Minh City that many people choose.
Most foods in this market have prices from 20,000 VND to 80,000 VND, depending on what type of food you taste.
You may check these foods for trying once here:
- Rieu Ganh vermicelli: This noodle bowl has crab juice, pork blood, and fried tofu. It costs 55,000 VND / bowl.
- Be Sweet Soup: The shop mainly serves Southern sweet soup, but you can find some cakes such as steamed banana cake and flan. The price to spend is 30,000 VND.
- Bun Suong Co Mai (Suong Vemicelli of Ms. Mai): The vermicelli bowl includes shrimp, lean meat, and Suong (like shrimp with freshwater fish of Thac Lac). Price: 70,000-80,000 VND / bowl.
- Banh Beo Hue: The store sells Hue dumplings. Price: from 20,000VND
- 7-color sticky rice (Xoi 7 Mau): The vendor cart of sticky rice often stands at Le Thanh Ton in front of the market in the late afternoon. Price: from 20,000VND
Here is the typical food in the Ben Thanh Market. To taste more of the local flavor, you can visit the street food area on Nguyen Khoa Huan Street, a few steps from this market.
Another suggestion is to come to the Ben Thanh Market at night (outside the building, on the streets of Le Thanh Ton, Phan Chu Trinh). You will join the night activities and have chances to try different food. You may also check the list of famous Pho restaurants in Saigon.
Ben Thanh Night Market
Although the main building is closed at night, a night market is opened on Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh streets (outside the market), attracting many domestic and foreign tourists who come to shop and try tasty food.
At 7:00 pm, the kitchen’s scent follows the wind, spreading in the air as if holding visitors every time they pass by the night market.
Ben Thanh Night Market is a dining area where visitors can learn about and experience Saigon’s nightlife.
The road is less than 200 m, but the night food area is rich and diverse, with many tasty dishes. You will find flavorful dishes from different regions, including a hot bowl of Hanoi pho, fishy mussel rice, Hue beef noodles, Hu Tieu (South noodles), and My Quang (Quang noodles). It is like inviting customers to enter an attractive and colorful world of culinary delights.
You see the most crowded guests in the barbecue area. After 20:00, the tables and chairs often have no vacancies.
For most foreign tourists, groups of four or five friends gathered to enjoy regional specialties such as snakehead fish rolled with rice paper, roasted beef of Soc Trang, and grilled pork of the Central Highlands.
Not only are you attracted by the tasty food, but you can also visit and shop at clothing stalls, shoes, and souvenir shops. One thing is that you can bargain to buy an item at a suitable price.
The food court in Ben Thanh Night Market is like a miniature Saigon that can fully satisfy tourists’ needs for eating and shopping at night.
Although the quality of the products is not the best, Ben Thanh Night Market has become a cultural place for tourists who want to understand more about Saigon.
Some notes to visit Ben Thanh Market
- Most of the items at Ben Thanh Market have higher prices than in other markets because life in District 1 HCMC is more expensive.
- Bargaining is allowed here, but we should only do a little, especially in the early morning. The sellers usually believe in easy trade at the beginning of the day, which gives them good luck in business all day.
- Taking pictures at the gates outside the market is significant because the building has a beautiful design reflecting Saigon’s history.
- Minding your wallet is to avoid pickpockets.
