Going to Market

Anyone who travels to Asia is obligated to take the usual market photos – you know the photos - the ones with the smiling old lady and some sort of exotic foods on display.

And you can take those photos in Hûe too.  In addition to the giant Dong Ba market (where these were taken) there are numerous neighborhood markets throughout the city.  Of course, seeing helmets on the ladies looks a bit strange, but that is just another sign of the times.  This scene is a fairly typical one each day.  Refrigeration at home is getting more common as the middle class grows, but most women still go to market daily whether they have a refrigerator or not..  Of course you can find exotic foods too – these are dragon fruit.  It is very common and very delicious.  The inside is a white meat flecked with small black seeds.  The exterior is not as formidable as it looks – the waxy skin is easily cut with a kitchen knife.  Oh yeah – that’s plain ol’ watermelon in the background.

These fruits are exotic too – the navel oranges are name brand Sunkist from California and the apples are Red Delicious from Washington State.  The United States is Việt Nam’s 11th largest trading partner and it is not uncommon to find American products here.

If it’s important for you to take pictures of exotic Asian market places, you’d better call your travel agency and book your flight.  In the cities, markets like this are cropping up fast.  In a few more years, city dwellers will be going to newer, more modern markets and the open farmer’s markets will exist only in the countryside where tour buses seldom go.  The Thuan Thanh market is three stories high, completely air conditioned, and has scanners at the check out counters.  The bottom floor has groceries, the middle floor clothing and non-food items, and the top floor furniture and home furnishings.  The grocery section has a nice produce area right near the refrigerated section.  The frozen foods are at the end of the aisle.

An easy ride up the escalator takes you to the section where you can buy a new food processor or electric toothbrush.  Markets like these may be new to Hûe, but huge megamarkets such as Metro or Big C have been in Saigon and Hanoi (and more recently in Danang) for years.  Another large store – larger than the Thuan Thanh store – is due to open next to the traditional Dong Ba market next fall.

Now, I just have to learn to say “Good morning, Ma’am – would you like a cart?” in Vietnamese.

Comments

[Tom Murray]

Isn't it interesting that Americans are more and more going to local markets like Dong Ba. Buying fresh vegetables grown near where you live is a strong trend. Every city has a Saturday market in the downtown that everyone wants to visit.

Like many things what is new and desired in Viet Nam is already looked upon in the USA as old and stale.