Bến Thành Market
Place · Bến Thành and Phạm Ngũ Lão
Go 07:30–10:00 for the food aisles and the building, not for bargains: prices start high for visitors — counter at half, or buy the same thing at Bình Tây or a supermarket.
- Morning only
- Bargain at half
- Pickpockets
- Go 07:30–10:00
- Free entry
- Crowded at peak
- Hard in a wheelchair
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 9Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…Hold phones and bags on the side away from the road
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
- Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
- Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
- Southern Vietnam ↗The Mekong's floating markets finish by about 09:00: to see one working, sleep in Cần Thơ or nearby and be on the boat by 05:30.
- Southern Vietnam ↗Phú Quốc's 30-day visa exemption applies only to direct international arrivals on the island; connecting via Saigon or Hanoi needs a normal visa or exemption.
- Ho Chi Minh City ↗Hold phones and bags on the side away from the road: snatch thefts by passing motorbikes are the city's most common crime against visitors.
- Ho Chi Minh City ↗Leave for Tân Sơn Nhất before 16:00 or after 19:00 when you can: the evening rush can double the airport ride.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Usually 07:00–18:00Usually 7:00 AM–6:00 PM
- Crowds
Go 07:30–10:00
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunQuietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sat, Sun · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: Free
- Time to spend
- 30–45 min · up to 75 min if you linger
Best time to go
Tour groups 09:30–15:00; locals early morning.
Queue rule: switch if the queue passes 0 min; come back when under 0.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Fri, busiest Sat, Sun.
Opening hours
- Hours
- 07:00–18:00 (typical, check)
- Note
- Interior stall hours are not printed until verified; evening stalls outside vary.
- Hours note
- Commonly reported interior hours; night stalls outside vary.
Which month is quietest
- Janpacked
- Febpacked
- Marheavy
- Aprheavy
- Maybusy
- Junbusy
- Julbusy
- Augbusy
- Sepbusy
- Octbusy
- Novheavy
- Decpacked
Quietest May–Oct · busiest Dec–Feb.
Estimate: desk reasoning from tour-group, weekend and Tết-shopping patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- South gate (clock tower) on the Quách Thị Trang roundabout, beside Bến Thành metro station
- Exit
- Bến Thành (Metro Line 1)
- Ticket
- free · official site
- Stairs
- Not recorded
- Shoes
- Shoes on; wet floors in the fresh-food section.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance
- NoWheelchair
- NoStroller · poor
Sensory load
- Sensory load5/5 Very high
Exposure: medium
What to bring and the rules
- Footwear that suits the rule · Shoes on; wet floors in the fresh-food section.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- heat: Bến Thành metro concourse (AC)
- crowd: Bến Thành Street Food Market on Thủ Khoa Huân (seats)
Nearest rescue anchor: B — Bến Thành metro station concourse (AC, check access)
Problem
Red lines
- Keep bags zipped and in front: pickpocketing in the aisles is common.
- Fakes: branded goods are copies whatever the stall says.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- No ticket needed.
- What's closed
- TếtcheckMany stalls close for several days.
- RenovationcheckUpgrades to the building and the square have been announced at times; check if work is under way.
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | — |
| Bowl or plate at the food counters | ₫50,000–120,000 (≈ US$2–5) (2026 estimate) | Above street prices. |
What to see, in order
01
Clock-tower south gate
The 1914 building's symbol, on the city's main roundabout.
02
Central food aisles
Bánh xèo, bún, chè and fresh juice at counters; prices higher than in the street.
03
Dry goods: coffee, tea, dried fruit, cashews
Ask for weight and price per kilo before they scoop.
How to do it well
- 1Enter at the south gate; walk the food aisles in the middle first.
- 2Ask the price, counter at about half, walk away politely if it does not move.
- 3Check supermarket prices (e.g. in Saigon Centre) for coffee and cashews first: that is your ceiling.
- 4Cash in small notes; some stalls take cards or QR at a surcharge.
Facilities
- toilets
- Inside, small fee.
- shade
- Covered hall, hot by midday.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
20min
Worthwhile
30min
Typical
45min
p95
75min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (45 min).
Nothing else in our notes is a short enough walk from here for the time that is left.
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Inside, in order
Clock-tower south gate
The 1914 building's symbol, on the city's main roundabout.
Central food aisles
Bánh xèo, bún, chè and fresh juice at counters; prices higher than in the street.
Dry goods: coffee, tea, dried fruit, cashews
Ask for weight and price per kilo before they scoop.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partly
- Wheelchair: no · no
- Stroller: no · nopoor
Ground level but packed aisles and wet floors.
With kids
- with kids
- Crowded aisles; hold hands. The food counters are fun for older children.
Combine with
Combine with
- 1 minBến Thành metro station
- 4 minFine Arts Museum
- 5 minBến Thành Street Food Market · eat
- —Bánh mì Huỳnh Hoa (8 min walk) · eat
- —Colonial core (12 min walk)
Walk the Bến Thành and Phạm Ngũ Lão area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Best photo time today
Sun times for today load in your browser.
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it a good place to shop?
For the experience, yes; for prices, no. Bình Tây Market and supermarkets are cheaper for the same coffee, tea and dried fruit.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is there still a night market?
Evening stalls have run on the side streets at times; check what is operating when you go.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Photos
Photos
Bến Thành Market Photo: trungydang, CC BY 3.0
Bến Thành Market Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
Deep dive
Deep dive
The market that became the city's symbol.
1From riverside to roundabout1 min
A market stood on the river near the old citadel before the French. In 1912–1914 the French built the present hall on a filled marsh, with the clock tower facing the roundabout.
- Current hall
- 1914
2A symbol1 min
The clock tower became the city's emblem, printed on postcards and logos. Around it the city's traffic, bus terminals and now Metro Line 1's central station converge.
- Metro
- Bến Thành station, 2024
3Shopping today1 min
Most customers are visitors; locals shop at Bình Tây, Tân Định and neighbourhood markets. Eat at the counters, compare prices with a supermarket, and bargain calmly.
Read, watch, wordsSources
Read for this deep dive
Background reading only: the text above is written by Voykit, not copied from these pages.
Sources
- officialBen Thanh Market management
- secondaryWikivoyage — Ho Chi Minh City
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The quietest window written into this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.