Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City

An absolute must visit when you're in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). From cheap knockoffs to authentic Vietnamese coffee, there is really plenty to choose from. This huge market has plenty of alleys with rows upon rows of shops to explore. Bargaining is a must. Shop keepers are really friendly and helpful once you get past the initial barrier. Most can communicate in a smattering of English. Nuts like cashews and pistachios are aplenty, as are dried fruit like mango, strawberries and pineapple. All in all a great experience.

Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 is a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and other souvenirs. Here, you’ll find eating stalls inside the market where you can get a taste of hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine or simply cool off with a cold drink when the bargaining becomes too much. The market is big, difficult to navigate at times and certainly best avoided during the hottest part of the day but all the same its well worth a look. When night falls, restaurants around the perimeter of the market open their doors creating a vibrant street side scene filling the air with the scents of wok-fried noodles, barbecued fish and meats. One of Saigon’s oldest landmarks, Ben Thanh offers a great atmosphere that is absolutely authentically Vietnamese.

Interesting place to spend some time. The food options are plentiful, fresh and cheap. Clothing and most other items there are overpriced even if they half their original asking price with claims of good luck sale. We bought some Vietnamese baggy pants and a T shirt there for what seemed a steal but found boutique stores selling the same for considerably less and better quality for only a bit more.

Go here for the experience of a market if you're in a hurry to 'tick all the boxes', not the shopping - the sellers are pushy, your sleeves will be tugged on, and the prices are far better even a street away. This place is frequented by tourists and is priced accordingly. If you want to try your hand at bargaining start very low, or if you want to save yourself the stress opt for the fixed price stalls around the edges. Novelty shirts, souvenirs and watches are the staple goods of the market, along with a decent selection of food stalls. There are many perfumes available here which may be the only real reason to go. Traders move on to the surrounding streets at night which makes for a less cramped and more enjoyable experience as the market is not air-conditioned and fairly stifling

I'm not impressed with this place at all. Too crowded. Too noisy. Too expensive. It's not like real Vietnam at all. Just usual touristic place, nothing special. You can find other more interesting places to visit. If you want to feel real Vietnamese life, take a bus and go out of district 1. Is two different worlds.