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

  • Take a boat trip in Ninh Binh

    The best ways to enjoy the scenery in Ninh Binh  is to take a boat trip. The main kicking off points for boat trips are Tam Coc and Trang An or Thung Nham, although...

    Read more

  • Learn How Women Do It All at the Women’s Museum

    Let’s just say that the Vietnamese Women’s Museum blew my mind. What I didn’t realize going into it was how drastically different many of the minority...

    Read more

  • 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...

    Read more

  • A tale of two day treks in Sapa

    Trekking is one of the main activities to do around Sapa. But which one is the right one for you to do? We checked out two different day treks to narrow down your options.

    Read more

  • 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...

    Read more

  • Spend one night at Hang En

    Hang En is one of the most three largest caves in the world, only after Son Doong and Deer. Hang En was discovered in 1994 and rapidly became an impressive attraction in the...

    Read more

  • Make Up Your Own Mind About the Hanoi Hilton

    Hoa Lo Prison, better known to Westerners as the Hanoi Hilton, is definitely a polarizing and confusing place. All the signage and displays point to the prison having been a...

    Read more

  • Visiting Ba Be national park

    Visiting Ba Be national park is one of the most things that you should do when traveling to Bac Kan province. Ba Be national park has a diversification of flora and fauna so...

    Read more

  • Visit a French Cafe

    The best part of the French influence has survived in Hanoi… the food. I love that in Hanoi you can walk around one corner and eat a bowl of Pho, but also treat...

    Read more

  • Slide sand dunes

    Sand Dunes in Phan Thiet are very famous not only with domestic tourists but also foreign tourist. And on the sand dunes, the most exciting thing to do is taking a sand...

    Read more

Destinations

Most popular tours

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