Saigon's renowned secondhand paradise
Ban Co Market is one of the best-known traditional markets in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, tucked inside a residential quarter bounded by Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Nguyen Thien Thuat, Dien Bien Phu and Ban Co streets. The name "Ban Co" (chessboard) comes from the layout of its square alleys, which have crossed one another like a Chinese chessboard since the early 20th century. The market is known as a "paradise" of secondhand goods, with plenty of unusual fashion items at reasonable prices. It is also a familiar food destination, gathering many street dishes such as sour pho, pork rib noodles, bun bi, Teochew congee and the typical snacks of Saigon. The market spreads through a tangled network of alleys, so first-time visitors easily lose their way, and this is exactly what gives Ban Co Market its character: a working-class, crowded market steeped in everyday urban life.
English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.Good to know
Best time to visitQuanh nam
Services
- Browse secondhand clothes, shoes and handbags
- Have breakfast at the eateries in the market alleys
- Try chao Tieu, hu tieu and bot chien in the food alleys
- Walk through the grid of criss-crossing alleys
Localis