Originally, the market was located on the banks of the Ben Nghe River, next to a river wharf near Gia Dinh Citadel (then Quy Citadel, also known as Bat Quai Citadel). In the early period, Ben Thanh Market was built with bricks, wooden frames, and thatched roof. Around mid-1911, the market became old and could collapse. A new location was chosen to build a new, larger market to serve the bustling trading needs. The new location was near My Tho train station (now Saigon Bus Station), which is today's Ben Thanh Market. The market area was planned on four sides by four roads. The frontage was Place Cuniac, the north side of the market was Rue d'Espagne, the east was Rue Viénot, the west was Rue Schroeder (now Le Thanh Ton, Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh and Le Loi). The new market was built by the contractor Brossard et Maupin from 1912 to the end of March 1914. The market inauguration celebration was called "Tan Vuong Hoi" by the press at that time, because it took place over three days, March 28, 29 and 30, 1914, with fireworks, flower floats and more than 100,000 attendees, including those from other provinces.
Old Ben Thanh Market
Today, Ben Thanh market has an area of 13,056m², with four main gates: East, West, South, North and 12 side gates interspersed around. The stalls in the market sell clothes, fabrics, shoes, fashion, handicrafts, fresh food, fruits, fresh flowers... Visitors coming here are especially interested in the small, portable handicrafts woven from rattan, bamboo and sedge. This is also an industry with many stalls that have been passed down for many generations, sometimes up to nearly a hundred years. The market's particularly favorable location has helped maintain revenue at Ben Thanh market for many years.
Ben Thanh Market 100 years old
Compared to other traditional markets in Vietnam, Ben Thanh market appears quite frequently in foreign newspapers. USA Today of the US once ranked Ben Thanh market 15th out of 45 markets with the most wonderful cuisine in the world. The newspaper assessed that these markets are considered cultural symbols of each country. Local identity, experiencing local culture through the items sold in the market are important criteria for USA Today to select and rank. At the end of January 2012, Ben Thanh market was also chosen by Food and Wine magazine as one of the 10 destinations with the most attractive street food on the planet.
Meanwhile, the world-famous travel website Tripadvisor rated Ben Thanh market as one of the most interesting places in Ho Chi Minh City. Although it "warns" tourists that shopping here must pay attention to bargaining, this website still praises: "One of the interesting things you can find at Ben Thanh market is Vietnamese specialty food. Inside the market there are many food stalls, most of which prepare fresh food for cooking. For dinner, you can go to Ben Thanh market. The night market serves Vietnamese specialty food with white tablecloths and delicious meals. You can order all kinds of food here, whole fried fish is one of the good choices. Make sure you do not sit too deep inside the restaurant, try to sit outside, it will be cooler and more enjoyable."
