Hoi An Market
Buy fresh local produce, sample traditional street food and hone your haggling skills when you visit this loud, lively and colorful riverside market.
Go on a culinary adventure through Central Market, a riverside marketplace filled with stalls selling herbs, spices, live poultry and fresh produce. Try local specialty dishes and Vietnamese favorites in the food hall and shop for souvenirs and clothing.
Expect the market to be busy throughout the day, because this is where locals and tourists alike come to shop. If you want some fish, arrive first thing in the morning when fishermen unload their catches. Even if you are not a lover of fish, watch the lively and loud spectacle of market vendors and other local buyers haggling over prices.
Then browse the rest of the market for fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs and spices such as chili powders and saffron. Stop by stalls where there are live ducks and chickens for sale.
Visit the massive food hall and try traditional Vietnamese fare, including pho, a noodle soup. Order local specialties such as the rice noodle dish, cao lầo. Each stall prepares only a small variety of meals, typically based on unique family recipes. All of the vendors work together, so you can order dishes from several stalls, and they will be delivered to you in the dining area.
After your meal, continue your tour of the market. Find stalls selling souvenirs and have clothes custom made for you by a tailor. There are several in the market and they make suits, dresses and jackets among other items. Although the prices are a lot cheaper than elsewhere, haggle for even more of a bargain because the first price you will be offered is usually inflated.
The Central Market is located in the old town between two of Hoi An’s main thoroughfares, Tran Phu Street and Bach Dang Street. It is just across the river from the island of Cam Nam and is open every day from early morning until the evening.