Chinatown, Ho Chi Minh City

We went to the Cho Binh Tay at 11:30am and left at the Main Bus Stop about 300metres away from Cho Binh Tay at 2pm.

It was big...there were 2 floors but we visited only the ground floor as I was having trouble climbing and descending staircase after my trip to CuChi Tunnel 2 days earlier(another tip, for those who are not fit or not used to exercise, like me, try to schedule your trip to CuChi Tunnel on the last day of your trip to HCMC in case of any injury or just simple thigh muscle pain).

It took us one hour(without shopping) to walk through approximately half.....errrr...error, it should be 20%(updated) of the ground floor at leisurely speed. (a.k.a. window shopping)

It was not as hot or humid as I expected. I didn't even use the mini electric fan that I brought along. Perhaps, it was cloudy on that day. It was quite a leisurely walk although we have to stop often to give way to workers carrying goods.

We bought 4 bamboo lamps at 70,000VND each (about SGD5) with approximately 25cm diameter (screw type) (without plug, just a wire hanging out which I have to fix a new one with my country's 3-pin plug).

Bought some Lotus Seed snacks at 180,000VND per kilogram for the sweetened type and 240,000VND per kilogram for the unsweetened type. (Co-op supermarket and Tax Centre supermarket are selling at 60,000VND for 200grams). Taste differs slightly for all 3 types(sweetened, unsweetened, supermarket) and to first-timer like me, I like all 3 tastes. You may try them before you buy. We sampled many stalls before we settled for one stall who gave us a small discount. Tastes & Prices differ slighly among the stalls so, if you're particular about them, try all before you decide.

There were one long row of hot food stalls where a lot of locals are buying food from.
We did not eat there as the row behind the food stalls were selling fresh meats and seafood.
And, we were reluctant to try the hot food in the front row even though it looked acceptably clean.

If you are lucky to get a taxi driver that speaks your language or English and are talkative,
he can tell you about where the Chinese mostly lives in Ho Chi Minh City and show you along the taxi ride the various landmarks/town and the story behind it. Our driver were a Chinese who can speak Cantonese just like us.

Taxi from Cho Ben Thanh(Le Loi Street side) in District 1 to Cho Binh Tay in District 6(bordering 5) was about 125,000VND in a Vinasun Taxi.

Taxi back to Cho Ben Thanh(Le Loi Street side) in District 1 was between 95,000VND to 100,000VND(i've forgotten the exact amount) in a Vinasun Taxi.

Exchange rate during my visit was approximately USD 1 = 19,000 VND.

Below is the official website that I saw written on the market main signage inside the building above the escalator. You can get an idea of the size and market shape from here http://www.chobinhtay.gov.vn/View.aspx?id=17
There are some photos of the market front and garden and also how it looks like many years ago in a black and white photo.
They even show the prices of some of the main goods in that website.

Hope these info help some of the future visitors.

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District 5 of HCMC is known as the Chinatown. I didn't explore through it though, just around Windsor Plaza Hotel, An Duong Plaza, and small restaurants along the road. If you prefer to walk around Chinatown, please make sure you are traveling in a minimum group of three since District 5 is not as safe as District 1.

There is a temple in the area called Thien Hau, but I didn't get a chance to visit it.

Cho Binh Tay is the main market of Cho Lon (Chinatown). This huge complex sells a mixture of goods and fresh products. You can get vegetables, poultry, bags, fruits etc. The market is chaotic and noisy. Beware of pick pockets.

The Cho Lon area itself is the Chinatown of Saigon and home to Vietnamese Chinese. The area is busy with its markets, restaurants and is abuzz with all kinds of activities. As it is normal for most Chinatowns worldwide, the area is dirty and chaotic. But it makes an interesting walk.

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The western part of Ho Chi Minh city is dominated by Cholon (Chinatown), a thickly settled district rife with teahouses and pagodas and the famous Binh Tay Market. Cholon spans across, and consists of, Districts 5 & 6 of Ho Chi Minh City. Incorporated in 1879 as a city 11 km from Saigon, it had expanded and became coterminous with Saigon by the 1930s. On April 27, 1931, the two cities were merged to form Saigon-Cholon by the French colonial government. By 1956, the name Cholon was dropped from the city name and the city was known primarily as Saigon. During the Vietnam War, soldiers and deserters from the United States Army maintianed a thriving black market at Cholon, trading in various American and especially army-issue items.

Cholon is a sizable district bordered by Hung Vuong to the north, Nguyen Van Cu to the east, the Ben Nghe Chanel to the south, and Nguyen Thi Nho to the west. Cholon is the predominately Chinese district of Saigon and probably the largest Chinatown in the world. Cholon exists in many ways as a city quite apart from Saigon. The Chinese began to settle the area in the early 1900s and never quite assimilated with the rest of Saigon, which causes a bit of resentment among the greater Vietnamese community. You'll sense the different environment immediately, and not only because of the Chinese-language signs. Cholon is where you might have found dark, exotic opium dens and brothels in the French colonial time, the same opium dens and brothels that greeted American troops.

start with a motorbike or taxi ride to the Binh Tay Market, on Phan Van Khoe Street, which is even more crowded than Ben Thanh and has much the same goods, but with a Chinese flavor. From Binh Tay, head up to Nguyen Trai, the district's main artery, to see Thien Hau pagoda then Quan Am, on Lao Tu Street off Luong Nhu Hoc. Finally, as you follow Nguyen Trai Street past Ly Thuong Kiet, you'll see the Cholon Mosque, the one indication of Cholon's small Muslim community.

After visiting Ben Thanh and An Dong, going to Binh Tay Market should not be a neccessity at all if you're looking to buy more local discounted items. Of course you should visit the place to see it's architecture, and also to experience how the Vietnamese people go through their daily lives.

There are also nice little shops surrounding the market. But looking from the other side of the spectrum, Binh Tay Market is more chaotic than An Dong Market, and the shopholders are not too desperate for your business and thus would not try to court you to buy their items. Some may even display signs to say that their items are all fixed price. No chance for discount.

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We went to this market in the Cholon (Pronounced as Gou lon) area. This is where there's alot of Chinese stuff and even a supermarket.

This particular market we went to was in a building, and they sell mainly textiles, shoes, clothes and accessories. Not my taste though. Feels like the People Park centre in Chinatown SG.

From Bui Vein street (backpacker area), we took a cab down to Binh Tay (with full of expectation to get cheaper goods than Ben Thanh Market). It costs us 46000 dong (about USD 3). According to the taxi driver, it is the biggest market in Ho Chi Minh.

Yes, it is big, but it is not a good place for you if you intend to buy only small volume (< 1 dozen for example) of items. People overthere are selling items in bulks. They will not entertain you as tourist as you are not their main customer. If you need to buy something, you need to make an effort to ask. They will still sell you small quantity if you request. Price is cheaper compare to outside market.

Basically it sells all items except souvenirs (which were what we looked for). We were looking for key chains, egg shell lacquer paintings and wood carving. They do not have that.

You can see people carrying boxes of goods running around. I think this place is a reseller center rather than normal open market.

100,000 chinese live in Saigon, 80,000 of these live in Chinatown. Visited Bin Tay markets with our guide but it was a quick walk through. Alot of locals not many tourists and everything seemed to be sold in bulk