When traveling in Hue, besides visiting the beautiful tourist destinations, do not forget to explore the busy market Dong Ba, one of the old places that showcases the rich culture of this city. A leisurely few hours here will definitely bring you lots of exciting experiences.
Dong Ba Market is a valuable trading center of Hue City for the local people. For tourists, it is also an excellent place to buy delicious specialties as gifts. The stalls in the market are opened and traded every day of the year.
Dong Ba Market
Opening time: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: 2 Tran Hung Dao Street, Phu Hoa Ward, Hue City
Top products selling at Dong Ba Market
As the busiest trading place in Hue, the products are diverse for you to choose from and purchase. The main building has a lot of clothes and bags on the second floor, and the first floor sells candies, hats, stationery, and souvenirs.
- Hue local food at Dong Ba Market: If you want to enjoy the flavorful cuisine of Hue at affordable prices, you can not miss a meal at this market with many attractive local dishes, including Com Hen (clam rice), Bun Bo Hue, Banh Loc, Banh Nam…
- Sweet soup is a famous local food in Hue made of beans, sugar, and other types of flour and fruits. Tourists can find this type of food in Dong Ba. The sweet soups in Hue have different dishes, so the shops often offer 10 to 20 types to taste.
- Royal tea: This tea used to be a royal drink of the Nguyen kings. It is made of different herbs, creating a distinct taste. Many people say that royal tea is good for sleeping. Its price is from 50,000VND to 70,000VND per bag. One bag is separated to make many different cups of tea.
- Shrimp sauce: This fishy food is popular in Vietnam—many people like shrimp sauce with steamed pork, bean sprouts, and rice. The price ranges from 80,000VND per 400g jar.
- Dry food: Walking around the dry food stalls on the first floor of the market is also enjoyable. If you want to buy food to bring back to taste at the hotel or in the car, you can not ignore the dry food stalls, which sell candies, dried fruits, cakes, dried squid, dried shrimp, and dried beef.
- Conical hat: This is near the dried food area. Travelers can find many conical hats selling here, especially Non Bai Tho (Poem Hats), which can also be found here. The poem hats are traditional Vietnamese hats with poems and pictures of Hue between two layers of the hats.
>>> You may want to see more of the top things to buy in Hue City.
The best time to visit Dong Ba Market
If you want to know the busiest time of day in Dong Ba Market, come in the morning, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. This time is good for buying fresh food, including vegetables, fish, and meat.
To go shopping for souvenirs, clothes, or bags, you may come after 3:00 pm. Because this duration is not as crowded as in the morning, the weather is cooler, and an essential reason is to avoid the first person coming to the shop of the day. If the first person comes to the shop for a day, they do not buy anything, creating a bad luck business day for the shop sellers.
Notes before visiting Dong Ba Market
- Many people think Dong Ba is a small market, but actually, it has 15,600 square meters. Thus, you can spend a few hours shopping at this site for half the day. You can find most kinds of goods for daily life, such as food or souvenirs.
- The unique features of the cuisine culture at this market make many Vietnamese people want to come to taste the local Hue food. However, as an international tourist, please think twice before tasting it.
- The journey to visit the market also needs a suitable starting point. If there are no correct directions, you will probably get lost inside the market because of the many stalls and small alleys. Thus, remember the parking or the main gate of the market to start and return after shopping.
- The market here is quite crowded, so you must pay more attention to your belongings.
- The market has two parking spaces, on the right and the left side. The right near the CoopMart is typically where tourist cars and buses stop.
Tips for shopping: Although Dong Ba is a vital market in Hue, sellers often tell the very high price of products, especially goods of bags, souvenirs, and clothes. Therefore, you need to bargain a lot when you go shopping here. How much can you negotiate? Depending on what they sell, most items are bargained from 20% to 30% to get the correct discounts. Also, most people avoid bargaining at the food court, where they sell food to eat immediately.
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