MangoVine - Intense Product Displays in Hanoi’s Dong Xuan Market

17 March, 2009
Tuesday

Dong Xuan Market is the oldest and largest market in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is located at Dong Xuan Street, at the end of Hang Dao Street (where the night market sits), in the northern part of the Old Quarters.

The current building was only opened in 1996 after the original one, constructed in 1889, was destroyed in a fire. However, it already looks quite dated and reminds me of the shopping malls of Hong Kong from when I visited a decade ago.

The market itself also apparently has lots of historical significance. For example, it witnessed fierce battle between the Vietnamese resistance units and the French.

Dong Xuan Market is aimed at the locals for doing business although there was a splattering of tourists around. Our guide cautioned us to watch our valuables when pressing through the crowds.

All sorts of low priced goods are sold here such as counterfeit t-shirts, watches, electronic gadgets, toys, hats and shoes. Lots of 'em! Alot of the open toed shoes have these creepy plastic foot models inside them, I'm guessing to show the shoe off to its best...

Most of the market stalls are crammed with tons of goods in as small as space as possible, so the displays are quite a spectacle. I've no idea how you're meant to choose anything, as there's so much.

We didn't feel like buying anything although I was highly tempted by this LED wall clock of Ho Chi Minh. Linh's father has a similar one with a landscape instead and I think they're fantastically kitschy!

More photos of Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi, on Flickr

Sources : AsianExplorers.com and Vietnam-Beauty.com

This entry posted in : Attractions. Culture. History. Tourism. Vietnam.

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Intense Product Displays in Hanoi’s Dong Xuan Market

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