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)
Dining in a cave
Coming to Halong Bay, you should never miss a unique activity, dining in a cave. There are few cruises offering this feature on their trips. The crew members will prepare a...
-
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is an adventure sport on the beach and appeared in Phan Thiet for a long time. If you have a chance to enjoy this sport, you will be very excited and have an...
-
Enjoy listening " Don ca tai tu" in Bac Lieu
Bac Lieu is the hometown of Cao Van Lau who is a famous musician in unique folk art form “ Don ca tai tu”. If you have a chance to travel to Bac Lieu, you...
-
Fast and Furious Foodie Tour
By far our favourite thing we did in HCMC was the XO Foodie Tour. We visited multiple districts and ate many foods that were new to us, but part of the thrill was zipping...
-
Go Snorkeling in Phu Quoc
Snorkeling is one of the most popular activities in Phu Quoc because of the beautiful and diversified coral. It is a great opportunity for you to discover the colorful...
-
Experience as a fisherman in Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta has a complex river and canal so there are many floating village and fishing village. Catching fishes as a fisherman in their village is one great experience...
-
Sip a Cocktail and Enjoy the View at Saigon Skydeck
It’s hard to get a true appreciation for the scale of HCMC without seeing it from up above. You could just pay to go up to the tourist deck, or… you could skip...
-
Diving and snorkeling
Nha Trang has a long and beautiful beach with the most colorful and beautiful coral reef and high biodiversity. Nha Trang is one of the best and most affordable...
-
Take a leisure walk
Come to Hoi An, home back to the last century. The town was used for two hundred years as one of Vietnam’s most important trading ports. It had been occupied by the...
-
Take a cruise along Huong river
Huong river is a romantic and poetic river which crosses the capital city of Hue , in the central Vietnamese province of Thua Thien Hue. A trip to Hue would...
Destinations
Most popular tours
-
Vietnam Heritage Trail
Price from: Contact
-
Hanoi City Tour Full Day
Price from: 25 US$
-
Glimpse South Viet Nam
Price from: 240 US$
-
South Vietnam Getaway
Price from: Contact
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