The open-air, squat markets in Vietnam derive their name for how women merchants crouch while cleaning and selling their produce, most of which is grown on the family’s small farm.
The open-air, squat markets in Vietnam derive their name for how women merchants crouch while cleaning and selling their produce, most of which is grown on the family’s small farm.
Along Hang Dau Street in Hanoi, Vietnam, are countless shoe vendors that sell colorful tennis shoes and sandals like this display, but also a very wide selection of women’s shoes. Most are branded seconds from near-by factories or knock-offs, but the quality is pretty good and with some expert bargaining on your part, you can fill an extra suitcase for your trip home. But leave room for the handbags on Lo Su Street.
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The metropolitan area of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly called Saigon) has over nine million people, making it Vietnam’s largest. Most people still purchase their fresh produce and meat from outdoor street markets, covered ones or from street vendors, where you can also buy a fast meal or snack, like these fish skewered with a stick. Two of the best markets to visit are Ben Thanh Market (Central Market) and Cholon Market in Chinatown.
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When the people of Southeast Asia butcher an animal or poultry, absolutely no body part goes to waste. At the meat markets, you’ll see detached legs, feet, tails and skulls like this pig head for sale at a market in Hue, Vietnam. Sometimes they are cooked like this one on display, but more often the parts are raw, stacked high, and attract more flying insects than customers. Pork is over 80% of Vietnam’s annual meat production with an estimated pig population of 35 million.
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The pitahaya or pitaya is most often called a dragon fruit. This red-skinned variety displayed at a produce market in Hue, Vietnam, is technically called hylocereus undatus. With such a flamboyant appearance, you might be disappointed to taste the white flesh and seeds inside. They are only slightly sweet like a melon. Originally from Mexico, Vietnam now exports over $100 million a year.
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The durian, called sau rieng in Vietnam, is probably the least attractive fruit in Southeast Asia because it’s large, thorny husk emits an unpleasant odor akin to sewage that only intensifies when the cells of yellow pulp and seeds are exposed. People either love them or hate them. However, because their strong stench lingers long after the husk has been discarded, they are increasingly being band from public areas and transportation.
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One of the Vietnamese’s favorite uses for fresh carrots is to pickle them along with a mixture of daikon radishes that look like white carrots. The sweet and sour combination is called củ cải cà rốt chua. It is typically served alongside a Vietnamese sandwich made from a bánh mi baguette.
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In Vietnam, the leaves of the ginger plant is often used in tea, soups and cooking while these roots or rhizomes of ginger (called gung in Vietnamese) can be used as a spice and medicine. Some foreigners consider Vietnam’s small annual production of mature and baby ginger to be among the world’s best. A similar root used in Hue cuisine is galangal (called riḕng).
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Among these mixed green vegetables on display in wicker baskets at Ding Ba Market in Hue, Vietnam, are Asian basil (rau quȇ), ceylon spinach (mȏng toi), Vietnamese lettuce (xà lách) and kankong or water spinach (rau muổng). Ding Ba Market is Hue’s largest and oldest. In addition to fresh produce, you’ll find local crafts, clothes, Vietnamese cuisine and lots of overwhelming activity.
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Vietnamese open-air produce markets, like this one in Hue, are sometimes called a squat market because of how the women squat while cleaning and selling their vegetables. Colorful canvas and plastic tarps provide partial sun protection to both the produce vendors and their customers.
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Vietnamese lettuce is called xà lách but seems very similar to the common leaf lettuce. Other leafy vegetables common at the markets in Hue, Vietnam, are head and escarole lettuce, pakchoy, plus several species of cabbage, spinach and watercress. These and other fresh vegetables are very common in Vietnamese cuisine. The average citizen in Vietnam consumes over 100 pounds of vegetables a year which ranks as their second largest food group behind rice.
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Vietnam is the world’s third largest producer of vegetables with over 120 different species. Yet, most of this is grown on small farms and over 80% of them sell their own crop. The marketing is typically done by Vietnamese women in open markets like the one shown in Hue, Vietnam. The produce is displayed helter-skelter in baskets, boxes, bowls and mats on top of rickety shelves or on the dirty ground.
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Hue is located in central Vietnam near the east coast of the South China Sea. The city was heavily damaged during the Vietnam War and does not seem to have fully recovered. There are several historic attractions worth visiting such as Thai Hoa Palace and Tombs of the Emperors. Among the most interesting is Dong Ba Market along the Perfume River. It is enormous at 52,500 square feet. Most of the vendor stalls are housed in a gray building that bustles with activity. Other merchants huddle outside under makeshift canopies and the mud. Life in Hue is rudimentary.
2 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phú Hoà, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
A short distance from the beach promenade along Tran Phu Street is the Cho Dam Market. Since 1974, this locust-blossom shaped, covered market has been an icon of the tourist town called Nha Trang, Vietnam. However, by the time you read this caption, this bustling, open-air market has probably been replaced by a three-story, 9,700 square foot shopping mall. Hopefully, you will still be able to see fresh fish like these in a nearby zone that will be reserved for selling seafood.
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Nha Trang is a coastal city of about half a million people. It is emerging as a popular tourist destination for its beaches. In recent years, it hosted the Miss Universe and Miss Earth pageants. Tucked away from this progress, however, are areas that still cling to traditions. An example is this woman who was cooking breaded sausages over an open flame in a market.
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The circular-coned, conical hat has been worn by Southeast Asia farmers, laborers and market vendors like this woman selling rambutan fruit in Nha Trang, for over 3,000 years. In Vietnam, they are called nὀn lá which means leaf hat. Please, never call them a coolie hat because this is very offensive. They are still commonly worn to protect from the sun, heat and rain.
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