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Originally, the market was located on the banks of the Ben Nghe River, next to a river port near Gia Dinh Citadel (then known as Quy Citadel, also called Bat Quai Citadel). In its early days, Ben Thanh Market was built of brick, with wooden frames and thatched roofs. Around mid-1911, the market became dilapidated and was in danger of collapsing. A new location was chosen to build a larger market to serve the bustling trade needs. The new location was near My Tho train station (now Saigon Bus Station), which is the present-day Ben Thanh Market. The market's layout was planned with four sides bordered by four streets. The front was Place Cuniac, the north side was Rue d'Espagne, the east side was Rue Viénot, and the west side was Rue Schroeder (now Le Thanh Ton, Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, and Le Loi streets). The new market was constructed by the Brossard et Maupin contractor, starting in 1912 and completed at the end of March 1914. The celebration for the market's inauguration was called "Tan Vuong Hoi" (New King's Festival) by the press at the time, because it took place over three days, March 28, 29, and 30, 1914, with fireworks, decorated floats, and more than 100,000 attendees, including people from the provinces.
The old Ben Thanh Market
Today, Ben Thanh Market covers an area of 13,056 m², with four main entrances (East, West, South, and North) and 12 smaller entrances interspersed around them. The stalls sell clothing, fabrics, shoes, fashion items, handicrafts, fresh food, fruits, and flowers. Visitors are particularly fascinated by the small, portable handicrafts woven from rattan, bamboo, and sedge. Many of these stalls have been passed down through generations, some for nearly a hundred years. The market's advantageous location has ensured consistently high revenue over the years.
Ben Thanh Market is 100 years old.
Compared to other traditional markets in Vietnam, Ben Thanh Market appears quite frequently in foreign newspapers. The American magazine USA Today once ranked Ben Thanh Market 15th out of 45 markets with the best food in the world. The magazine noted that these markets are considered cultural symbols of their respective countries. Local identity and the experience of local culture through the goods sold in the market are important criteria for USA Today's selection and ranking. 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-renowned travel website Tripadvisor rated Ben Thanh Market as one of the most interesting places in Ho Chi Minh City. Although it "warns" tourists to be mindful of bargaining while shopping there, the website still praised it: "One of the interesting things you can find at Ben Thanh Market is the 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 options. Make sure you don't sit too deep inside the stalls; try sitting outside for a cooler and more enjoyable experience."
