Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi Overview

Dong Xuan Market is Hanoi's oldest market located in the old quarter and stands tall over three storeys. A typical South-east Asian market, the ground floor is reserved for selling fresh seafood, vegetables and flowers. The upper floors contain all the other items like clothes, handicrafts, handbags, souvenirs, accessories and electronics - all sold at wholesale prices.

Dong Xuan Market is situated at a place where the Hoan Kiem Lake lies to the south of the market while the Hang Khoai and Cau Dong street surround it. It was built by the French in the 19th century and has survived several renovations including the one after the 1994 fire.

Although mostly thronged by locals, it's an interesting place for tourists to explore the colourful life of Hanoi. In the daytime, the market sells a wide variety of products like household goods, clothes, food electronics and others while in the night time, the streets are alive with flea markets, music and young backpackers sipping on Bia Hoi.

If you have a few spare days to spend in Vietnam and want to immerse yourself in the Vietnamese culture, a visit to Dong Xuan market is ideal. Not only will it open you to a slice of the local life and help you meet some interesting people, but also you may get a few good gifts to bring back home as souvenirs for very less bucks.

Night market at Dong Xuan

Dong Xuan Market at Night — The Dong Xuan Night Market caters more to the tastes of Tourists in Hanoi (Source)

The Dong Xuan Night Market is open to tourists and is a great place for buying souvenirs and handicrafts, tasting the traditional food and experiencing various cultural activities like ca tru and cheo. It opens up for tourists on weekends and offers a variety of curios.

Important tips

As Dong Xuan Market is a popular market with cheap goods, be careful as to the genuineness of the goods you buy.
If you don't find a printed price, don't be afraid to bargain since the goods may be overcharged.
The market is filled with narrow alleys and walkways where it's very easy to get robbed. So be careful of your belongings.
Try visiting on the weekends as you are more likely to get a wide variety of curios and local goods.
Do not plan for a trip in the afternoon as the locals tend to take a siesta during that time of the day.

What to Buy

Targeted mostly towards locals, the Dong Xuan Market is ideal for bulk buying. It's also a place from where goods are distributed to various retailers and wholesalers. Electronic equipment, household items and clothes are the main items to buy. Behind the market, animal trading takes place from where you can buy puppies, kittens, birds and fish. Plants and saplings like the Vietnamese Bonsai can also be found. The Vietnamese Bonsai Art is a wonderful tradition carried on by the local people where creatively talented artists work on each sapling and groom them to resemble a miniature version of the actual plant.

How To Reach Dong Xuan Market

You have to travel to the centre of the Old Quarter area of Hanoi to reach the Dong Xuan Market. It's just four blocks from Hang Ngang Street. On weekends, it's best to explore the whole area by foot.