Ben Thanh market set for paint job

The municipal Department of Culture and Sports announced Wednesday it has approved a plan by District 1 authorities to get the market repainted in the original color "old cream."

The plan does not state how much the work will cost, but District 1 said the funds will be taken from the development fund of the market's management board and private sources.

Covering 13,000 square meters, Ben Thanh Market in District 1 has long been a tourist magnet attracting thousands of foreign visitors each year.

Built in 1870 by the French, the market was initially called Les Halles Centrales before being renamed Ben Thanh in 1912. Today the market operates all year round and runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

HCMC last February approved a renovation plan to upgrade the market's infrastructure and its four main gates, as well as to tile its metal roofing.

However, until now no upgrade work has been carried out at the market.