Get There; Beware!
To get from Ben Thanh Market from anywhere in the backpacker’s district near Pham Ngu Lao Street you can walk in less than 15 minutes. I was staying at Elios Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Street and I decided to go for a morning errand run and got to Ben Thanh Market by accident just by following the park and NOT following the advice of cyclo drivers, moto taxi drivers and various other people trying to make some money off a Saigon first timer.
(View from Elios Hotel Roof Restaurant) Park along Pham Ngu Lao St. Leads to Ben Thanh Market
Rip – Offs: Getting There
Cyclo are Everywhere near Pham Ngu Lao
Cyclo are Everywhere near Pham Ngu Lao
If you walk to Ben Thanh Market you will be under constant pressure from people trying to sell you services. As mentioned in the overview of Ho Chi Minh City the best (and only) way to deal with the people who try to talk to you is to completely ignore their existence. Yes, it does sound rude and against the mantra of most travelers but it is absolutely necessary dealing with the following skilled and very persistent characters roaming around district 1.
First and foremost you have cyclo drivers. Cyclos are everywhere and while you want to ride in them the drivers have a horrible reputation for taking you to places you don’t ask to be taken and charging too much. You also have motorcycle taxi drivers who will constantly be telling you that the Cyclo drivers will rip you off but they won’t. They seem a little more trustworthy than the cyclo drivers and even provide testimonial books but seem pretty shady. One thing they all have in common is they will tell you that Ben Thanh Market is expensive and they can take you somewhere cheaper, usually Chinatown.
Secondly you have shoe shine boys. These kids who seem to be very poor and/or addicted to meth walk around and try to shine or brush your shoes with tooth brushes. They are very very persistent and will follow you for blocks and if you talk to one, you’re likely to have a group surrounding you. If you make the mistake of talking to them, they will likely demand several hundred thousand dong.
Lastly I ran into the Filipina women. I was actually warned by a cyclo driver about the women and it was just in time. I already had talked to 2 Filipina women in the park who asked where I was from in perfect English (as most Filipinos speak) and coincidentally she knew people there. Next was talking about where you live and they gave me their phone number and asked to have lunch later. Evidently they get tourists to trust them and somehow get them involved in gambling which can cost a lot of money.
I wouldn’t have thought twice about it at first, but I ran into 2 or 3 Filipina women on the walk who all said the same thing, “Hello, where you from? …. Oh my sister lives there…. “ It seemed to me that all the scam artists were working against each other. I know it sucks having to suspect everyone being a scam artist but unfortunately in Saigon it seems to be the norm. I guess you would expect this in a developing, communist country which has only been open for tourism around 25 years.
Rip – Offs: At Ben Thanh Market
Before going over what is actually available at Ben Thanh Market you should know that you have to bargain very hard at Ben Thanh. Not a rip-off per say but you can learn from my mistakes. I bought some designer underwear (which I assume was knock-off) and nice Abercrombie cargo shorts and some T-shirts and I paid around 2,500,000 or more dong (around $140).
When I told this to my 2 expat friends over lunch, I received the dreaded double face palm as they painfully explained that the starting negotiating point for anything at Ben Thanh Market is 20% of the asking price!
Shop for Everything under the Sun Roof
You can literally find anything under the roof of Ben Thanh Market. It is very big and crammed together like most markets in Asia. There seemed to be no real organization of goods. You could find clothes on one stall which was next to a stall selling mystery food (see picture below). Vendors (especially young women) were often grabby when I expressed interest. I found some pretty high quality (what I assumed to be) knock-off clothes and other products.
Name that Food
Recommendation
If you go to Ben Thanh Market take your time and bargain very hard. You are no doubt going to visit another shopping area so compare prices and you can always come back if you don’t find what you want in Chinatown or another shopping area in Saigon or anywhere in Vietnam.
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February 15th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
thanks for this info. me and a few friends are visiting saigon and nha trang in march. and ur blog pretty much gave me a heads up on what to expect in saigon. oh, im a filipino by the way and i’m not sure how to react by the filipina portion of ur article… i have to admit though that some filipinos have the attittude of scamming people. and they spare no one. be it a fellow filipino or even a relative. my mum even told me that the worst lesson she learned while living and working in the states was not to trust your fellow filipinos. on the other end, im a bit offended by this. anwyays, thats not the issue. i cant wait to get to vietnam…. hehehhe
May 30th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Saigon is not a bad city, but you have to aware that often the wrong people hang around perceived “tourists.” Once you are outside tourist areas, you find Vietnam becomes more real, and certainly a lot more affordable. In Hanoi and Saigon- the rule is, where there is tourism, there is overpricing, and scams.
Filipinos, I have worked in several South-East Asian countries with Filipinos. Although they were professionals, most people disliked them, and found them corrupt, hypocritical and double dealing. I found the most immoral Filipinos, the ones which show a pretense of being “moral” or “religious.”
I have no comment about the Filipinos, except I avoid them and ignore them politely if I work with them. This is the trick Vietnamese and other South- east Asians have learnt from dealing with Filipinos, especially if they are forced to work with them.
August 29th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Wow Markus & dhawell,
Such stereotypical statements from so-called travelers… Evil people are everywhere just as there are evil Americans, evil French, evil Brits and even evil Filipinos… For you to just generalize like all Filipinos just because of your grudge on your coworkers, wow really immature. You should know better.
October 4th, 2010 at 11:54 am
hello,
thankz to mikhbenken.. tomorrow i gona start my visit to ho chi minh for a couple of nights then bangkok..what you are saying maybe it is true..i have been in medan,indonesia..i thought the place safe and beautiful but unfortunately it is dangerous for tourists and dirty as well as so many poor people.the bechak(like cyclo) keep asking you where to go and when you start a ride,they always ask you to go this way,that way..then they make u turn go around and when you reach,thay asking more money even you already agreed with the price before take the bechak.. and your safety is something very difficult when you in pndonesia.i had experience go to night market and have a look at clothes,but didint want to buy..the sales women grab me and pursued me,i have to buy because i already promised..then she shouted at me loudly and other people didnt do anything..they saw it like usual even this particular women almost beat me juz because i have a look at her stuffs..
so,whenever you go to the asian countries,beware of your knowledge and most important your safety.. Thailand is very good,.most of the people respects tourists and they are gentle..Thailand is the best palce i have been travelled.i am malaysian,my country also have so many tourists.but like everybody said,evil is everywhere..the most ridiculus in malaysia is the taxi driver,.they like to cheat you and increase price..especially indidans taxi drivers.most of them involved in gangs and very rude and agresive.thats why i said,evil is everywhere. so,as tourists,we must prepared with knowledge and guidelines..
thank you
October 8th, 2010 at 12:36 am
AGREE 100% with proud_filipina… Such close-mindedness from you two. To characterize a whole race just because of the actions of a few? So with this logic, would you blame all Germans for the holocaust? Get a grip you guys…
October 15th, 2010 at 6:22 am
nice Abercrombie cargo shorts and some T-shirts and I paid around 2,500,000 or more dong (around $140). LOL
what a painful experience in vietnam.
visit my blog – read my travel tips before you travel to vn next time, it’s maybe helpful: saigontourmate.wordpress.com
by the way, i’m local tour guide, if u need some help when u travel to vn next time, u can call me or send me a message
November 4th, 2010 at 3:09 am
Yes there are lots of scams and rip-offs but did you know that they target you because you’re white? They completely ignore the Vietnamese-Americans and always act pretend nice to the obvious tourists. Unfortunately you’ll always get the high price and will have a hard time bargaining. These days in Ben Thanh there are signs that say Fixed Price so it’s even harder. Yes you can go from stall to stall but they know each other and sometimes they will sell from another stall and get the commission. Also, Ben Thanh is more organized than you give credit to it. There’s clearly a clothing section, food section, kitchen section, shoe section, fabric section, and I could go on. Yes it’s a crazy maze but there is some organization there.
From going there three times I know the Vietnamese people are a very money hungry and desperate people. They would sell out the deed of your house from right under the nose of their own family if given the chance. And yes I know of this happening!
I don’t know much about the filipino scam but it was laugh worthy. Giving you their number.. seriously? And the kids on meth? How do you know they are on meth? Say yes to one kid and they all crowd you for money yeah, but meth?