Binh Tay Market

The century-old wholesale market of the Chinese community of Cho Lon

Binh Tay Market (the New Cho Lon Market) is one of the long-standing commercial symbols of the Cho Lon quarter, tied to the development of the Chinese community and to wholesale trading in Ho Chi Minh City. The market was financed and built by the Chinese merchant Quach Dam, begun in 1928 and inaugurated in 1930. Almost a century later it still keeps the bearing of an early 20th-century commercial building and the trading rhythm typical of Cho Lon. Its most recognisable feature is the four-faced clock tower standing in the middle of the central light-well courtyard, set off by yin-yang tile roofs, the ranges of buildings around it and the system of large gates opening onto the surrounding streets. The striking Chinese architecture, combined with the generous scale and the way the space is organised, has made Binh Tay Market one of the most characteristic images of the Cho Lon quarter. Inside the market, visitors can explore stalls of dried foods, spices, farm produce, fabrics, household goods and many everyday items. Watching the trading, tasting Chinese-Vietnamese food and walking the surrounding streets give a fuller sense of the commercial life and culture of Cho Lon. This is a fitting stop for anyone who wants to discover the cultural life of the Chinese community of Cho Lon.

English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.