Vietnam — Hang Dao St Night Market - Thành Phố Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam
My first market in Vietnam
September 2015
After eating at the Countryside Restaurant, I wandered as I was suffering from ‘plane legs’ (tired and achy legs after a flight). And as luck would have it, I wandered into Hang Dao St Night Market.
Hang Dao St Night Market was rather impressive. The market consisted of dozens of stalls, all on a long straight road which ran for several blocks. The market struck me as a typical Southeast Asian night market in that it sold clothes, food, shoes, takeaway food, small electrical goods, and some stalls of tourist souvenirs.
The market was well-lit and full of locals. There were a few tourists, but not that many. The market also felt safe, and I wasn’t hassled by people begging for money, although some stallholders were quite “in your face”.
This was my first market in Vietnam and my first experience wandering around Hanoi’s streets. I had a great evening walking amongst the stalls taking photographs, and watching the locals enjoy their evening.
As with every market I seem to go into in Southeast Asia, there were stalls selling T-shirts.
Food vendors seemed to be doing a brisk trade in the market. I didn’t try the food as I just had Pho at the Countryside Restaurant.
The market had a pretty laid-back and casual feel to it.
It was busy and vibrant.
It was also interesting that you saw other street sellers wandering back through the market at the end of their day.
I found Hang Dao St Night Market to be worth exploring. It was a real “locals” market with very few tourist-type stalls. It felt like a much more genuine market than some of those I had encountered in Hong Kong. It was also a great place to get a feel for Vietnam. The market was vibrant and busy, and all the people seemed friendly, helpful and willing to chat (communication was a little tricky as I don’t speak Vietnamese, and many of the people I met didn’t speak English).
An excellent start to my time in Vietnam.
Foursquare: Hang Dao St Night Market
