HUE, Vietnam – Hue’s Dong Ba market (Cho Dong Ba)–like so many of the markets around the world in places people rely on markets for their day-to-day food and merchandise needs–is a bustling, crowded affair with things for sale crammed into every available space.
Hue‘s Dong Ba market (Cho Dong Ba)–like so many of the markets around the world in places people rely on markets for their day-to-day food and merchandise needs–is a bustling, crowded affair with things for sale crammed into every available space.
As with pretty much everywhere that there’s buying and selling going on, you can find the usual touristy stuff. But much of the market caters to locals. Deep in its heart, there’s a mishmash of stores and wares. You can buy hardware items next to a shoe stall next to costume jewelry, with a little conclave of tables around a small stove area where you sit to have a steaming bowl of delicious pho for 80 cents or so. If there’s a patch of ground with direct sunlight, you might trip over squid laid out to dry.
Head on over to the eastern end–follow your nose–and you’ll find the main concentration of fresh produce–a marvelous variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafoods. This part of the market is at its best in the morning. By lunchtime or so, many of the vendors–especially those selling very perishable meats and fish–are packing up and scrubbing down.
A bit beyond that, and you’ll be at the muddy banks of a small tributary of the Perfume River, where kids swim in the muddy water and sampans pull up to resupply the market stalls.
Photos of Dong Ba Market (Cho Dong Ba)
A selection of cooking staples. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Fresh produce. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Pottery and ceramic goods. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Tea sets. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Brassware and crockery.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Porcelain and crockery.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
The main entrance.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
An advertising sign that lights up and is clearly visible across the Perfume River. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Ginger root, coconuts, and other edible fruits.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Fabric lanterns.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Decorated scooter helmets and hats.Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
When you first look at it, this looks like any normal bamboo canonical hat (nón lá). But When you shine a light through it, it reveals the internal pattern–in this one, a pair of lovers. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Lanterns and light shades. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
A central staircase. The shops around it tend to be ones focusing on fabrics and clothing. The food stalls are mostly in the downstairs and outer areas. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Toys and stuffed animals. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Map
Phú Hòa, Huế, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
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