Dong Ba Market is the most famous market in Hue ancient city, it’s a pity if you come to Hue without coming here to buy some things as gifts or visit to enjoy local delicacies in this market. With a long history, and known as a “specialty” of Hue, Dong Ba market has become a tourist destination in Hue city.
Let VN Cars give you some detailed information about this place, for example where is this market located, is it really worth coming here once and Dong Ba market has any delicious specialties or not. Come on, let’s find out together, surely everyone is very curious about this bustling market of Hue people.
History and Location of Dong Ba Market
Dong Ba Market is the most famous traditional market in Hue ancient city, with the cultural and historical value. This market was originally named Quy Gia Thi to mark the return of the Nguyen King when he returned to Phu Xuan. The name Dong Ba Market began to appear in 1887 under the reign of King Dong Khanh.
Dong Ba Hue market is located at 02 Tran Hung Dao street, Phu Hoa ward, Hue City, right between Gia Hoi and Truong Tien bridges. It is the favorite spot to explore the street food scene or to buy the famous conical hats made by the best craftsmen in Hue city.
Coming to Dong Ba Market, visitors can understand the life of local people – how people purchase and bargain, what do they eat and what are the hot stuff to buy at the moment. It’s the best place in Hue to witness most clearly the Vietnamese spirit – crowded, pushy and busy.
Architecture of Dong Ba Market
Dong Ba Market was designed with a 3-storey building. Each floor has its own items, which are divided into make each area easy for customers to find.
- 3rd floor: Coming to this market, the first thing you will immediately catch your eye are stalls selling fabrics, clothes, especially beautiful fabrics selected to make ao dai. If you are looking for gifts to buy for mothers and grandmothers, this is not a bad suggestion.
- 2nd floor: Down to the 2nd floor, you can be impressed by wonderful handicrafts. Here you can find poetic hats, jewelry, Phuoc Tich village pottery, bamboo items… and many other souvenirs that can be bought as a gift.
- 1st floor: This is the area for dried seafood in the Central region and many specialties of Hue fish sauce such as cori fish sauce, seasoning sauce… The sellers here are very hospitable and give thoughtful advice so you can feel free to ask them.
What to buy in Dong Ba Market?
There are many things that you can buy at Dong Ba Market, from fast food to handmade handicrafts to footwear to gold jewelry with the agreeable price. When asking the local people where to buy the best cultural gifts and souvenirs of Hue city to bring home, they will point you to Dong Ba market. Visiting Dong Ba Market, the best souvenirs to buy are ‘non la bai tho’ (conical hats with poem woven onto them), me xung (Hue traditional candies), Truoi berries, Tuan tea, tom chua (Hue Sour Shrimp), lotus seed of Tinh Tam Lake, etc.
What to eat in Dong Ba Market?
You can find many kinds of Hue food at Dong Ba Market: Bun Bo Hue which is already very famous to many visitors around the world. Com Hen is also a excellent dish to try. In addition, Many kinds of cakes, noodle soups and candies that has made the name for Hue are also very easy to find here. You will be excited when coming to this market.
Best time to explore Dong Ba Market
The most ideal time to visit Dong Ba market is after 3 pm. From this time, the market is not as crowded as in the morning, the weather is also more cooler. Nomarlly, the stalls are often very reluctant to bid early in the morning. If you go in the afternoon, you can pay a comfortable price without fear of being uncomfortable. However, things in Hue are actually quite cheap, you should only pay a little lower to “considerate buying and selling”.
If Dong Ba market is busy with household items, clothes, and fresh food in the morning, the most impressive thing in the afternoon is still the food stalls. If you want to enjoy delicious, cheap and especially Hue specialties, you should go to Dong Ba market.
If you have a chance to travel to Hue ancient city, do not miss out to discover Dong Ba Market. You can not only shop for local goods, try many dishes that are specialties of this city as well as Central Vietnam, but also take snapshots of daily activities of local people.