After Cha Tam Church, on our way to the famous Thien Hau Temple, we were walking through a street which filled of the shops which are selling fabric materials. I only came to know that Cholon is the distribution hub for the fabrics and clothes.
As we walked down the streets, we bumped into a fresh wet food market in Cholon. We just walked through the wet market. We were literally excited and happy when we came to one of the fresh market.
As much as visiting both Ben Thanh and Binh Thay Markets are wonderful things to do when you’re in Saigon, a trip to the city would not be complete without getting lost in one of the countless fresh wet food markets scattered throughout the city.
While the other two markets mentioned above are more wholesale goods markets, going to the neighbourhood alley fresh markets is kind of like going to the supermarket in Saigon.
The reason both Alvin and I love walking through markets in Saigon (or anywhere else) so much, is because it offers a personal experience and real glimpse into the local life and culture of the destination.
People sell and shop, hang out, sleep, eat and drink, and do just about everything you can possibly think of at markets in Vietnam.
Other than that, I found that many of the people in the markets throughout Saigon that I visited were extremely friendly. Even as I walked by taking photos and videos, many people smiled and laughed and said hello to me and even invited me to stop for something to eat.
Additionally, exploring a wet market in Saigon, we would see a near mind-blowing quantity and array of different vegetables, herbs, meats, and ingredients, all the raw things that makes Vietnamese food so good. This is indeed true while we were first time on our Thai Binh Market walk yesterday!
So along with visiting the two main largest well known markets we encourage you to go off the main paths, into the alleys of Saigon, and deep into some of the local wet markets to explore.
For me, learning about the local life by exploring alley markets was one of my favourite things to do in Saigon.
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