A Sensory Load in Saigon’s Ben Thanh Market

From a bird’s eye view, lush green stretches of endless rice paddy fields can be seen dancing gracefully along where the wind blows. The presence of scrawny scarecrow breaks the rhythmic dance routine in every few kilometers. It is a sight to behold. As my destination draw closer, I see the Saigon River bends smoothly around a lively cityscape. There sits Vietnam’s largest metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. (or Saigon, still popularly known in the hearts of the city folks)

Ben Thanh Market

Though Hanoi reins as the capital of governance, it is Ho Chi Minh City which thumps the economic heartbeat of the country. Do not be deceived by the peaceful sight of the countryside fields. In this city, it is bursting with activities and traffic; the atmosphere can only be spelled one way- Chaos. As a curious pedestrian taking in all the sights in this city, you’d have to remember to watch out for the streams of motorbikes cruising speedily across every direction on the traffic-clogged roads. Even the small alleyways and sidewalks are sometimes not spared. If you are one for adventure, hopped onto a xe om (motorbike taxi) and it will bring you on a eye-opening spin around the city.

Streets at Ben Thanh Market

As for me, I like to take it nice and slow and fill all my sensory to the brim of what makes Saigon, Saigon. There is no better place than the city’s oldest market -Ben Thanh Market, to get a taste of what the common Saigonese eats daily and live their lives. Build since the early 19th century, Ben Thanh Market is a square building with four gates that look onto Quách Thị Trang Plaza, Phan Bội Châu, Phan Chu Trinh, and Lê Thánh Tôn Streets. With more than 3000 stalls at this place, you can find everything from food, clothing, household items, hardware, pets, manicure and pedicure services, facial do’s and the list goes on. It is certainly a place where one can spend hours in, just exploring the nooks and corners and be amused with the things people do in their normal lifestyle.

Exploring this market is not for the faint-hearted. It is structured in an open-air concept where flies are an inevitable sight. Everyone in Saigon live their life on the streets, sidewalk, and pathways. And no, they’re not homeless; it’s just where they do their activities, with a good reason that it’s nice to catch some breeze outside. The same goes in this market.

There's no fresher fish than this!

Food being fresh is what makes Vietnamese cuisine taste so good. At the market, you can just point to a fish alive and swimming in the many plastic storage boxes and have it slaughtered and gutted out skillfully by the seller. The innards of the animals are for sale too. You can see the liver, intestines, kidneys, stomach, tongue, ears, and even the brains lined up accordingly in its metal pans.

Colourful patchwork of grains

When the stench of raw meat gets over-powering, it’s time to head towards the dry produce section. I like it here because you can find grains and beans in every kind; colourful candies, tidbits, snacks arrange in rows of clear plastic container, piecing together an art piece of flavours. Talking about flavours, coffee lovers should not miss out on getting a pound or two of weasel coffee beans. Harvested from the droppings of weasels, these coffee beans guarantee an unforgettable aroma and taste that awarded it the most expensive coffee in the world.

Coffee lovers' corner

It an amusing sight to see ladies on tiny stool having their toe nails done in shades of brightly-coloured nail polish. Beside this beauty services corner, sat an old lady having a full face threading done. For ladies, if you want to have a go at this ancient form of hair removal, it’s relatively painless and really cheap. It’s definitely worth a try to get a smooth hairless complexion doing it the Saigonese way.

Weasel droppings?

What is a holiday trip without souveniers? At Ben Thanh Market, you get a wide selection of every imaginable item. From the tacky mass-produced tourist junk to unique handcrafted wood pieces, the choices are never-ending.

Where's the conical hats? Dig deeper

Now picking a tour package is definitely easier than the huge array of trinkets where you can find at Ben Thanh Market. Check out the attractive tour offers to Ho Chi Minh City from PYO Travel.