The clock tower
The market's emblem since 1914.
MrTMan from Jyväskylä, Finland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kevin Rutherford — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Terrazzo from Vernon Hills, IL, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Jim 陳 — CC BY-SA 2.0
Saigon's best-known market and one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city centre, recognisable by the clock tower over its south gate. The present building opened in 1914, designed by the French firm Brossard et Mopin after the older market by the river had grown too small, and nearly 1,500 stalls now fill its 13,000 square metres. Inside, the aisles run by trade: fabrics and ready-made clothes, lacquerware and souvenirs, coffee, dried fruit and spices, and at the centre a food hall serving noodle soups, rice dishes and Vietnamese sweets. Most of the food stalls are not halal; the halal restaurants around the Saigon Central Mosque are a 15-minute walk away. Prices for visitors start high, and bargaining is expected for clothes and souvenirs, less so for packaged food with marked prices. Watch your bag in the crowded aisles. The market opens from early morning until about 18:00, and stalls set up on the surrounding streets in the evening. Ben Thanh station on metro Line 1 is right outside.
The market's emblem since 1914.
Noodle soups and Vietnamese sweets.
Easy gifts to carry home.
Le Loi Boulevard junction, central Saigon; Ben Thanh metro station (Line 1)
Museum of Ho Chi Minh CityA grand colonial mansion of 1890 that tells the story of the city, and one of th5 minutes walk4.3
Independence PalaceThe former presidential palace of South Vietnam, designed by the architect Ngo V7 minutes walk4.6
Nguyen Hue Walking StreetA broad pedestrian boulevard running from the riverfront to the yellow-and-white8 minutes walk4.8
Saigon Central MosqueThe best-known mosque in Ho Chi Minh City, on Dong Du Street in the heart of Dis10 minutes walk4.6
Notre-Dame Cathedral of SaigonThe red-brick cathedral at the head of Dong Khoi Street, built by the French bet10 minutes walk4.5Most of the market's food stalls are not halal. There are halal restaurants on Dong Du Street around the Saigon Central Mosque, about a 15-minute walk away.
Yes, for clothes and souvenirs, where first prices for visitors are high; packaged food with marked prices is rarely bargained.