Markets

Looking for the best bargains on materials and dressmaking but afraid of aggressive sellers? Check out this guide to navigating the Hoi An Cloth Market.

Hoi An Central Market is the granddaddy of the town’s markets, in terms of scale and the sheer quantity of local and foreign visitors it receives.

Hoi An is world-renowned for its cuisine and with the sea just a few miles from downtown, it’s unsurprising that seafood is a mainstay on most menus. Hoi An Fish Market in Tranh Hà  is where most of those delicious fishy things that end up on your dinner plate are bought and sold.

At least an umpteen-thousand tourists visit Hoi An every year. And rightly so – for it is truly one of the world’s most beautiful towns. Sometimes, however, it’s nice to escape the crowds and get some genuine local exposure.

Unsurprisingly for a town so famous for its food, Hoi An has a good selection of marketplaces. Each has a distinct flavour, Tiger Market is no different with the added seasoning of a little bit of local folklore thrown in.

For the uninitiated, entering any wet market in Vietnam is a formidable undertaking. Nostrils must be pre-prepared, eyeballs readied and shock detectors re-calibrated. Ba Le Market in Hoi An is no different but it does provide a much more relaxed alternative to the other markets in town. Bring your sense of humor because Ba Le is banter as well as barter central.

Hungry for breakfast, I arrived at Hoi An’s Central Market at 9am on a Saturday. I wasn’t sure what I was searching for but was certain I’d know it when I found it. Walking through the market, with the fresh produce and bustle of locals and tourists, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm.

For those wishing to take home a piece of Hoi An’s lanterned charm, the Night Market on An Hoi Islet (across the river from Hoi An Old Town) provides a large array of inexpensive souvenirs and snacks from which to choose.