Ben Thanh Market

I remember visiting Vietnam a few years back for shopping with my family and my best friend Jem. I don't remember what part of Vietnam we visited but I remember that we went shopping at Ben Thanh Market and we bought loads of embroidered bags and wooden sandals (I swear I bought them in all colors, thinking I had an occasion to wear them all and thinking I would never go back here). I probably wore one or two pairs once or twice. Hahaha.

Ben Thanh Market is exactly as I remembered it.

There's a section with food.

A section with sandals. The wooden ones are not so popular anymore.

These are the wooden ones I went crazy for.
They're not as popular anymore. Only a handful of stores sold them.

There were a lot of stores with lacquer ware.
I want some for the beach house but bargaining is similar to China.
They ask for the moon when the cost should be less than SG$5
if I benchmark on the souvenir shops at the post office.

They also have tea pots. To complete the just like China picture.

There are also colorful dolls.

I find it funny when I see Fixed Price signs at the heart of the market
because the asking prices were astronomical.

More colorful stores.

The perimeter stores are controlled by the government so the price is really fixed,
but the prices are actually reasonable.

This is one of the numerous coffee stalls.
I bought a couple sets to bring back.

The coffee filter contraption.

These were the bags we bought so much of on that trip many years ago.

The market also has tailors that offer a made to order suit service that only takes a day.
Choose your style on the iPad.

I didn't really buy anything except for a pack of coffee when we went to the market last week, but based on everything we saw I made a mental list of the things I wanted to get when I went back. We found ourselves in the area when we went to Saigon Square, a shopping center recommended by a friend of mind for Export Over-Runs. It's very much like the Tiangge (bazaar) in Greenhills, in Manila, Philippines.

I went to the market with a mission.
I saw a pair of beaded sandals I liked from the hotel shop at US$35.
I wanted the less expensive version.
Happiness is finding something to buy a midst all the cheap looking shoe choices.

Beaded sandals in gold 100,000VND - only if you bargain like crazy.

When I asked for the price, I think they told me 250,000VND. That's more than US$10! I just kept on saying "Too much". They will try to get you to name your price. DON'T! This is a trap. I just look at they with a look that says that's unacceptable - then they started dropping the price to 200,000VND to 150,000VND to 100,000VND, then I did the walk away. When it didn't get lower, and no other stall had sandals as nice, I went back. 100,000VND is around SG$6 or Php200, so I was willing to pay that much.

This was the original pair that I wanted where the price dropped to 100,000VND.

The other strategy that they do is they get you to try a lot of pairs, and when you have picked out a couple that you like, they tell you, that's more expensive than the first pair (ie, it's 170,000VND because it's made of real gold or similar bullshit!). I just tell them, ok, only 1 pair then at 100,000VND - then the whole exercise starts again, where they drop the price to 150,000VND, 130,000VND, (you just need to permanently say no and look like it's not acceptable) then the price goes down to 100,000VND again. The last strategy is to pay them the exact amount, because even at the end of the transaction - they ask for more that the amount you agreed on. They started by asking me for 30,000VND more... but I just smiled and said thanks, they will also drop what they're asking for to 10,000VND - but I just smiled again and said bye!

I was also able to buy this nice embroidered bag.
120,000VND (around SG$7 or Php240).
Sofia likes it so much she says "This is my longchamp!"

I was able to get Sofia two pairs of pajama sets from Saigon Square nearby.
I got them for 170,000VND (a little over SG$10 or around Php340 for both).
She's already wearing the other one in the picture before.

This is the other bag I bought (sucker for shoes much).
90,000VND (SG$5.50 or Php180).
The clothes are all from Saigon Square.

Forever 21 tagged clothes. Top 100,000VND, Royal Blue Shorts 110,000VND.
A complete outfit with my bag and sandals from the market.

I also got the same shirt in light blue with my gold sandals.
Not in picture, I also bought a Mango labeled jersey dress for 200,000VND (SG$12 or Php400).

Wooden turtle puzzle from Ben Thanh.
100,000VND from the Gov't Shop (fixed price) section.
No bargaining required. Whew. Around (SG$6 or Php200)

Shopping requires energy and strategy. I am almost done with my shopping but I will need one more visit on our last weekend so I can get stuff for my beach house. Just Saying.