Binh Tay market, the wholesale hall at the heart of Cholon

Binh Tay market is where Cholon does its buying. The hall sits in District 6, in Saigon's Chinese quarter. Its 1,500 or so stalls sell sweets, dried fish, tea, plastic baskets and paper lanterns by the sack to shopkeepers from across the south.

Visitors are welcome and largely ignored. That is the appeal: unlike Ben Thanh, the market is not performing for anyone.

What makes Binh Tay market different from Ben Thanh?

Binh Tay market is a wholesale hall, and Ben Thanh is a retail one. At Binh Tay the customer is a shopkeeper restocking a village store. Goods come in boxes and sacks, and prices are written for people who buy every week.

Ben Thanh market is the easier place to buy a single souvenir. Binh Tay is the better place to see how the south's shops get their stock.

Who built Binh Tay market, and when?

Quach Dam, a merchant from Chaozhou who made a fortune in Cholon trading rice and scrap, paid for Binh Tay market in the 1920s. He bought the land, built the hall and gave it to the city. He died in 1927, and the market he funded opened around 1930.

The building mixes French construction with Chinese decoration. Look up at the roof ridges for the ceramic dragons, and at the clock tower for the blue and white panel in the gable. A two-year restoration from 2016 raised the floor against flooding and replaced the roofs; the market reopened in November 2018.

What is sold where inside Binh Tay market?

Binh Tay market is organised by trade, with each aisle holding one kind of goods. The ground floor carries the food: dried fish and shrimp, sweets and preserved fruit, tea, spices, rice paper and noodles. The upper floor and the outer rows carry fabric, clothes, shoes, kitchenware and household goods.

The courtyard in the middle is the quiet part, a square of light and seating inside the hall. A small food court on the ground floor serves the traders, and it is the cheapest lunch in the building.

What can a visitor actually buy at Binh Tay?

A visitor can buy most dry goods at Binh Tay, in smaller amounts than the traders take. Tea, dried mango, candied ginger, star anise and peppercorns all come in bags you can carry. Cooks find the best value in kitchen tools, from clay pots to coffee filters.

Expect to buy more than you meant to, because the smallest unit is often a pack of ten. Prices are fair and haggling is light; nobody here has marked anything up for you. The shopping guide has more on what travels well and what customs at home may refuse.

When is the best time to visit Binh Tay market?

The best time is between 7am and 10am. The wholesale trade is at its loudest then, and the wet market streets around the hall are running. The main hall opens around 6am and closes around 7pm, but many stalls start packing up by mid-afternoon.

The weeks before Tet are the busiest of the year, with the whole district buying sweets, decorations and gifts at once. The cover photograph shows the market in that season, with apricot blossom set out by the gate. The Tet guide explains what everyone is shopping for.

How do you fit Binh Tay market into a day in Cholon?

Binh Tay market fills an hour or two of a Cholon morning, and the rest of the quarter fills the remainder. Take a Grab from District 1, which takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and ask for Cho Binh Tay on Thap Muoi street.

From the market, the assembly halls and temples of District 5 are a short ride east. The Thien Hau temple is the one not to miss. The Saigon three-day route puts the market, the temple and the medicine streets into one morning. The Ho Chi Minh City hub explains why Cholon feels like a different city.

What should you watch out for at Binh Tay market?

Watch for the traffic of handcarts and motorbikes loading at the doors, which does not stop for anyone with a camera. The aisles are narrow and the porters are carrying a lot. Step into a stall entrance when someone shouts behind you.

Pickpockets are less of a problem here than at Ben Thanh, but keep a phone in a front pocket in the crush. Ask before photographing a stallholder up close. Most say yes, and a purchase makes it easier.