Haggle for bargains in Ben Thanh market
Ben Thanh market is one of the more exciting places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a chance to truly get stuck in with the locals and test your bargaining skills. It’s a very different experience if you get used to fixed priced items that the idea of bargaining never comes to mind but after visiting a few markets, you almost start to limber up at the prospect of haggling your way through amazing bargains.
Ben Thanh market, located in District 1 across from the bus station, is probably the best known. It is especially popular in the evening and at night, when food vendors set up stalls and locals and tourists alike gather to eat and shop.
Ben Thanh is possibly more regulated, so you may have to worry less about knock-offs or price gouging. That said, you should always be wary of knock-offs and gouging.
Shopping inside the market will require you to practise the art of bargaining and, as they commonly deal with unsuspecting tourists, the vendors at Ben Thanh are pros. A common practice is to inflate prices to double or triple their actual value, meaning you must work the price down to get a reasonable deal. A quick tip in bargaining at Ben Thanh is to cruise the outer ring of the market, where all stalls are fixed priced and most items are actually marked with a price tag. This will give you a good idea of what a moderate price will be when you go inside to haggle.
Bartering is the way to shop here, so jump right in, offer a price that you think is fair, and have fun. Be extra careful if prices are absent or not clearly marked – that goes for everything, everywhere, every time.
See more
-
.jpg)
a Sapa homestay
When travelling to Sapa you’ll be faced with an array of treks to choose from and one decision you’ll need to make is whether to do a trek that includes a...
-
Try fresh fruits in local garden
Mekong Delta is famous with laden fruit orchard along the river. So, visiting some local garden and try some fresh and sweet fruits become one of the most popular thing that...
-
Marvel at the Madness of Traffic
The roads are crazy. You know it and I know it. Get an aerial view from Highland Coffee. Best time to go is half an hour before sunset. You’ll get some amazing...
-
Relaxing on Elephant Springs
Elephant spring is a tourist destination located on the way from Hue to Da nang , about 53km from Hue city and around 20 km north of Hai Van pass ,...
-
Peddle Boat the West Lake like a … swan?
The West Lake is a little less packed with tourists than Hoam Kiem Lake, I assume based purely on the distance from the Old Quarter. One of the neat things about West Lake is...
-
Shop the Markets, Shop the Malls
If you’re itching to bring home a souvenir, you won’t be at a loss for shopping in Saigon. Ben Thanh Market is famous for its many stalls and traditional goods, or...
-
The adventure activity - Canyoning in Dalat
Canyoning in Da lat is a kind of famous adventure activities and it is one of the most things to do when traveling to Dalat.
-
Drink a 'ca phe sua da'
It’s not an overstatement to say that 'ca phe sua da' represents a unique aspect of Vietnamese culture, particularly in Saigon. The mere mention of the drink is...
-
Join a cooking class
If you love the great blending taste of Vietnamese dishes and are curios of the process make them, you can consider a cooking class in Hoi An . The size of group ranges from...
-
Cat Cat Village & Falls
There's no real consensus on what to call the falls; some call them the Cat Cat Falls (Cat Cat is just the Vietnamese transliteration of the word cascade) while others...
Destinations
Most popular tours
-
Saigon Street Food
Price from: 35 US$
-
Nha Trang Beach Fun
Price from: 210 US$
-
Saigon Tour by Vintage Vespa
Price from: 90 US$
-
Visit Bat Trang & Le Mat Traditional Village
Price from: 25 US$
Business info
Vietnam Local Guide
- Address: 18th Floor, VTC Online Tower, 18 Tam Trinh Str.,Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam
- Email: info@vietnamguider.com
- Phone: (+84) 0904989890
- Hotline: (+84) 0904989890