A month or so ago, I shared a video of two Korean women enjoying a working lunch at the fish market, but I have yet to share with you scenes from the Vietnamese markets.
Before arriving in Vietnam, Rob and I had no idea what our food shopping situation would be. I have to say, I am very thankful that we found a more western market to get our regular groceries, but the locals all shopped at the outdoor markets.
The majority of the stands are set up right outside the sellers homes. Technically, they are working from home, as are most Vietnamese business. The lower part is the business, and everyone lives upstairs.
It’s easy to tell which vendors are wealthy by how much they have to sell. Some opt to sit in one spot and wait for people to walk by,
While others keep their wares on a cart and move among the shoppers in a “convenient” store type fashion.
Meat is a tricky thing at the markets. Since the markets pop up, and are busiest, in the mornings, if you arrive in the afternoon there is no guarantee that your meat will be fresh.
With fermented fish being a best seller at the indoor markets, the smells are quite potent.
I will tell you that in all our market exploration in various towns around Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia, we only ever saw one dog prepared for sale. Dog meat is considered taboo in the culture and you have to look very hard to find it. The dog we saw was in a very remote village in northern Vietnam.
One of our main issues with shopping in the markets was the height of the canopies. Most of the canopies capped out at 5 feet, making it very likely that Rob and I were ducking and dodging to avoid hitting our heads or poking our eyes out.
I took a quick video while we were exploring a market in Hoi An. When I say, “We know better,” I mean that it walking through the local market at mid-morning can be a crowded, noisy, and pushy experience.
RQ: Would you shop in the outdoor market? What is the weirdest thing you have seen in a market?
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
All of the fresh produce at the markets looks awesome, but I would be terrified to eat meat or fish from an outdoor market!
I can only imagine what the aroma was like… I can barely handle walking through the seafood department at the grocery story, haha!
I LOVE outdoor markets. Everything is just so lively and fresh and exciting. I loved hearing (in China at least) arguments over the price of tomatoes and then a second later, everyone is happy and smiling. But the first time I lived in China, I was a vegetarian and I hated the meat section. It smelled bad and I did not want to see the heads of dead pigs.
Wow – I bet the market was quite an experience!! I think I would enjoy it once but that would be plenty!
That looks so chaotic! I love buying fresh produce and veggies at markets, however I would be hesitant about the meat. I’m a pretty picky meat eater and like to know that my meat is clean and stored properly. It looks to be a lifestyle there. Dog meat? No thank you 🙂