Ben Thanh Market

Cho Ben Thanh is undoubtedly a Saigon icon. This covered marketplace has everything one can think of: jewelry, clothing, seafood, spices... name it, Ben thanh has got it. But the real highlight here are the numerous food stalls each serving a different kind of vietnamese cuisine. there are those that sell only freshly made shakes and fruit juices, there are those that offer only desserts and sweets. and of course, there are those that cater to those who can't get enough noodles or BBQ.

I ate at one of the noodle stalls in the food section. And perhaps it's one of the best noodles i've had so far. I had the noodle with the BBQ topping and the spring rolls for only 25,000VND ($1.50US). Pretty cheap huh?

Across that noodle stall is one that sells different kinds of drinks. From factory manufactured ones to freshly made ones. I had this really colorful drink that has beans, different flavored gelatins and this yellow thing (i had no idea what it was but that was the best part of the concoction) in coconut milk. Here in Manila we have something similar we call "Halo Halo", but i don't know how they call it in Vietnam. If you're curious about it. I've provided a pic below. And of course it's cheap as well. Only 15,000VND (less than a dollar).

It's also good to go to the night market just outside the building to have dinner. It usually opens around 5PM and you can have a filling dinner for as little as 75,000VND ($4US). That already includes your main course, rice, and a drink.

Well worth a wander, and a lot easier to navigate than similar markets in say, Bangkok. Offerings are somewhat homogenised and the whole place starts to feel a little indistinct after a while. But still there are some good buys to be found here. Don't expect great quality and do be prepared to bargain, aggressively. It's a lot easier to take the seller's price down to the ground (seriously, start at 20% of the asking price!) then work your way up. Don't feel guilty or insulting about this, it's expected (you may hear some polite chuckling from other sellers watching if you don't). Bargaining is of course standard across SE Asia, but here it reaches a new height. That said, we had more fun here than at some other markets around the region, and returned more than once for the sheer enjoyment of it.