Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Benthanh Market I (Saigon, Vietnam)

One of our favourite places to visit every time we are in Saigon is Benthanh Market. The famous covered market where you can find practically anything you need in terms of perishable or non-perishable goods.

This posting will only be about the 'eating' that goes on in the market. Every time, we are in Benthanh, we get hungry just by looking at all the delicious looking foods.


There are many ways to eat in Benthanh market; either sitting on very low plastic stools with your bowl of food in hand.


Or you can choose one of the many counters that serve typical Vietnamese delicacies. You just need to walk around and see what you are in the mood for.


As a tourist you will never need to worry about cleanliness. The food in all the stalls move out so fast that there is no time for the food to sit around gathering bacteria. Another good sign that the food is really good is that most of the people eating are the locals.


The stalls also offer food delivery to any of the hundreds of merchants in the market. You cannot miss them; they are running around the market with trays of food in their arms. That's what I call fast food.


All types of Vietnamese desserts to choose from.


One of my favourite dishes; banh xeo. The man was very good at making them; however, he seemed a bit stingy with the pork & shrimp stuffing.


Hundreds of people eating from soups, rice dishes to grilled dishes. Anything you desire, they have.


This stall only has shelled animals to eat. It looked really good. I especially love the Vietnamese snails, grilled and dip them into a lemon, salt & pepper sauce. Absolutely wonderful.


These girls were enjoying a bowl of soup with seafood.


Here you can get a bowl of fresh rice noodles with grilled pork and topped with vegetables, crushed peanuts and nuoc mam.


This stall had all types of goodies to choose from to eat with rice.


One of the low laying tables to enjoy your food. You must be Vietnamese to eat on these low laying tables and stools. It is very uncomfortable when you have long legs.

Highly recommended to have a simple but very delicious and affordable lunch. Eat a small breakfast and then go to the market in the afternoon for some shopping and good eating.

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