If you stay in Saigon long enough, you shall be fascinated in the hobby of hunting for antiques, old items and also in the name of the streets for these items. With the increasing demands of using “second-hand” products, Saigon has provided many famous old markets. These markets usually sell clothing and accessories and other unique objects at a cheap price.

Hoang Hoa Tham Market is located at Hoang Hoa Tham Street, 13th ward, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, famously known as the largest second-hand market in the city. The market covers the whole street, with over 50 stalls selling various products include clothes, bags, shoes, household accessories, … Hoang Hoa Tham is the place to go for online sellers and fashion enthusiasts looking for quality old clothing. 

New clothes packages often arrive around Saturday and Sunday every week. The stores will start selling newly arrived products, changes every week like shirts, skirts, dresses, jeans, … Their prices are often around 30,000 VND to 100,000 VND when they first arrived. After a few days, when the most beautiful clothes are picked up, the price will drop rapidly. You can purchase a shirt or a dress with only 10,000 to 20,000 VND.
 

Visiting Hoang Hoa Tham market for buy old clothing.
 

Most of the old goods in Hoang Hoa Tham are imported from Cambodia in large packages. When they arrived at the market, the seller will just cut the boxes, and pour the products down on the floor, already covered with plastic pads. Customers need to search for their desired product in large piles of clothes like that. Facemasks are highly recommended if you come searching, because the old clothes are very dusty. Moreover, due to the big amount of clothes, both in good and bad conditions, you should check the product carefully, especially areas like collar, armpit, buttons, … 

Newcomers to Nhat Tao Market will be absolutely overwhelmed with the shocking amount of clothes, arranged in two rows along a 2-kilometer long street. Nhat Tao Market stays on 10th district, Ho Chi Minh City, highly recommended by youngsters because of the products’ quality and the friendly attitude from the sellers in the market. Different from Hoang Hoa Tham Market, products in Nhat Tao have been chosen carefully and you don’t have to take the checking process too seriously. However, you will never be too cautious, as no store here would ensure you product’s quality as well as allow you to return clothes that are in bad conditions.
 

Nhat Tao Market selling old electrical devices
 

Items in Nhat Tao Market are priced from 50,000 VND and higher. The sellers are very friendly and enthusiastic, they are willing to show you the shop that sells whatever the products you looking for. The sellers have carefully selected the good clothes, so you can easily find many second hand products from large brands like Mango, Levis, … However, it’s hard to keep up with the trends when shopping here, because everything here is old. You need to be flexible and carefully adjust in order to have the best outfit possible.

Located in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Chieu Market is also recognized as one the largest second hand market in the city. The products are often priced higher than other markets, around 50,000 VND on average. Maybe this is the reason why Ba Chieu Market is the only place that allows customers to drive a bargain.
 

You can find cheap old clothing in this second hand market. 

Old clothing in Ba Chieu is considered expensive but totally worth it, however that does not apply to every store. In order to get good quality products for a cheap price, you have to drive a hard bargain, know how to choose good products. Come with someone who has experiences buying clothes here is highly recommended in order for you to come to the stores that sell the best quality goods. Around 10 years ago, Ba Chieu Market is the best place for locals to come searching for old products. However, due to the competition from other markets, its reputation has dropped rapidly.

Belonging to the 5th district of Ho Chi Minh City near Nhat Tao Market, Nguyen Tri Phuong Market is the most ideal location for young people that like to find good second hand clothes, especially office workers because the stores here stay open quite late, and sellers often sell clothes on the sidewalk so customers don’t have to find a parking spot like Hoang Hoa Tham Market.
 

Trying your luck in bargaining in Nguyen Thi Phuong traditional market place
 

The price of old products here is equivalent to the ones in Nhat Tao Market, but the quality is quite poor, which means there are a lot of very old and poor-looking products. However, in return, you can find and buy various children’s clothing here with lots of lovely design and also with a reasonable price. But before you buy anything here, pay close attention to the quality of fabric, material, … and once you bought clothes here then the products should be cleaned several times and dried under direct sunlight to prevent bacteria.

Located in the intersection between Huynh Van Banh and Le Van Sy street (3rd district, Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Huu Trang Market is a combination of about 20 stores stretching along the street opposite to the market gate. Unlike other markets, Tran Huu Trang Market is popular for its variety of old leather shoes, hand bags, accessories, … instead of dresses or shirts – which are quite rare to see here. 

Bags and shoes sold in this particular market are not exactly “second-handed”. According to many sellers at Tran Huu Trang, most of the products here are unused and kept in stock, that maybe the reason why they are still quite new. With high quality leather products in Tran Huu Trang Market, the price will generally rise from 100,000 VND to nearly a million VND, that is a regular thing considering they haven’t been used before.  

In the shops located on the short road of Le Cong Kieu in district 1, the antiques are presented in a very attractive way that draws the attention of visitors. 

The major products include the carving products, paintings and statues dating back for many years ago. Most of them are the products bearing the mark of Vietnam. You can find pottery jars or pots of the Nguyen Dynasty or an incensory of Tran Dynasty here.
 

Finding your favorite gift in Le Cong Kieu antique street
 

The shop owners here are often the elderly people who are fascinated about antique and are antique savvy. Foreign tourists coming to these shops often buy those old things as gifts to their friends and families after the trip to Vietnam.

It is called “Scraps Market” because the items selling here are all old and antique. To normal people they are nothing more but junk, but to the collectors, the “treasure hunters”, then this place is a treasure island with antiquities worth from hundreds to thousand dollars.

The thousand-dollar antique market lies deep in the alley of No Trang Long street, 11th ward, Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh city. This particular place sells anything that made centuries ago, including zippo lighters, old watches or ancient vases.
 

This place is selling a lot of old and antique including vases, pots, coins and other things.
 

Different from other normal markets, Saigon’s antique market is not as noisy and bustling as people would imagine, along with the melodious music, it becomes an interesting and must-go destination for antiquities collectors. The market only occurs once a week, on every Sunday. In the market, items are generally appropriately priced, neither the seller nor the buyer should change it, as the sale is based completely on mutual trust. 

The place is not very large but it provides a wide range of products, all are several or hundred years of age. Old zippo lighters are the most common items traded at the market, simply designed lighters averagely cost 50.000 VND each (~ 2 USD), while exquisitely carved Zippo lighters can cost up to 20.000.000 VND each (~ 1000 USD). Moreover, there are multiple types of old clocks, ancient ceramics preserved through many Vietnamese feudal dynasties, jewelries or old machineries (remember to check whether the product is still usable or not).
 

Walking around for a treasure hunting in this unique antique market in Saigon
 

Every Sunday, from as early as 6am to 2pm, a few dozen antique vendors set up shop deep in No Trang Long street, in a shaded garden area to hawk their wares. People will be charged an entry fee of 30,000 VND (~ 1.5 USD) per person, and this applies on anyone whether you are a collector, a seller, or just a window-shopper. This fee includes one drink or one meal. After a morning of wandering around, a hearty meal for breakfast or a cup of black coffee would help to restore your energy. 

While previous incarnations of the market faced low traffic, a spate of press coverage has bolstered its clientele, with many people turning up to purchase items made from the past. The younger people in Saigon also interested in the stuff equally as the older, pointing out the main motive of the market: to preserve the past and offer people of Saigon a bit of nostalgia from the old days. For both Saigon newcomers and local residents, this place will definitely be a refreshing experience.