Situated inside a cafe on No Trang Long Street in Binh Thanh District, Saigon Antiques Market opens at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and continues until around 2 p.m.
Entry tickets cost VND40,000 ($1.69) per person, but they can be exchanged for a snack or drink.
The antiques sold here are mainly by the families of deceased collectors, overseas Vietnamese and professional traders.
The list of 10 shopping spots is part of the "Ho Chi Minh City - 100 interesting things" compilation released in early December.
The 100 are based on more than 104,000 votes across 10 categories, including sightseeing tours, entertainment programs, shopping destinations, accommodation facilities, eateries, cafes, events, and food.
Photo by Minh Tam
It comes no as surprise that Ben Thanh Market is on the list.
Located in the heart of the downtown area, the market sells a wide range of goods, including textiles, souvenirs, handicrafts, fresh produce, and even street foods.
Despite being a famous tourist attraction, Ben Thanh Market is also notorious for price gouging.
Many foreigners advise their friends to negotiate with shopkeepers there and haggle for 50-70% of the price demanded.
But with business being sluggish, city authorities recently invited TikTokers to livestream unique products sold at the city's oldest commercial venue.
Photo by Thanh Loc
Binh Tay wholesale market in HCMC’s Chinatown was built in 1928 by a rice trader from China.
The 25,000-square-meter market is characterized by its bagua shape, a Chinese religious motif that incorporates eight trigrams including the sky, fire and wind that are arranged in a circle symbolizing yin and yang.
In 2016 the market was closed for major restoration work that lasted over two years, and reopened in November 2018.
It mainly sells wedding items, fabrics, aluminum products, cutlery, jewelry, plastic bags, canned goods, fruit jams, and Chinese offerings.
It too has street food stalls that serve with traditional dishes such as porridge, bamboo shoots, duck with traditional medicine, vermicelli, and broken rice.
Photo by Quynh Tran
In Phu My Hung new urban area on Nguyen Van Linh Street in District 7, home to a large expat community, is Crescent Mall shopping complex.
It spreads over an area of 112,000 square meters with 120 retail stores selling fashion products, jewelry and clothing.
It has an international food court, a slew of restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Photo courtesy of Crescent Mall
Situated in District 1 just behind the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office, Nguyen Van Binh book street has become the city's Mecca for book lovers.
The 100-meter-long street is home to over 20 shops selling books, newspapers, magazines, and office supplies.
There are small sidewalk cafes at the entrance to the street.
Photo by Quynh Tran
In HCMC, there are 13 Vincom shopping malls, mainly in its central districts.
Tourists can visit Vincom Dong Khoi in District 1 or Vincom Center Landmark 81 in Binh Thanh District.
Like the city's many other shopping malls, they sell luxury fashion brands, cosmetics and jewelry.
There are dozens of food and coffee stores and amusement places inside them.
Photo courtesy of Vincom
Situated in a small alley in District 10 is Ho Thi Ky flower market, the city's biggest. The flowers are sourced from Da Lat and villages outside Saigon.
The market is open round the clock but is busiest between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. as dozens of trucks carrying tons of fresh flowers arrive.
Congestion is inevitable with shop owners occupying the sidewalks and buyers on motorbikes stopping to choose flowers.
Photo by Phong Vinh
Le Cong Kieu Street near Ben Thanh Market has been in the antique business for more than half a century.
Dozens of families sell items like old coins, vintage cameras, Buddha statues, pottery, lamps, and incense burners.
Before the onset of Covid, there were over 20 shops on the street, but some have closed since.
Photo by Quynh Tran
Built during the French colonial era in 1926, Tan Dinh Market on Hai Ba Trung Street reflects French architecture with its façade painted yellow.
In addition to selling clothes, accessories, dried foods, and souvenirs, the market also has food stalls offering specialties such as banh mi, pho bo (beef noodle soup), banh canh cua (sea crab noodle soup), and summer rolls.
Photo by Wiki
