In the midst of hosts of street vendors hawking everything from spa services to art to food, there is the granddaddy of markets: Ben Thanh. It is absolutely huge and houses clothing, fabric, jewelry, meats and seafood, gifts/accessories and more than I can begin to list.
The enthusiastic (read: aggressive) sales people are quite friendly and it was terribly fun to bargain with them on selected items. They seemed kind of annoyed to do it, but It was part of the game. Too bad we can’t run that number at Dillards. Wouldn’t that be great? Just offer half for an item and see what happens? *sigh*
The bright and colorful fabrics were an artistic backdrop to the open, smiling faces of the local people. The pungent fragrance of dried shrimp, fresh fish, cooking noodles and various meats was inescapable. Grains and rices were piled high in neat order as were coffees, teas and beans.
By the end of my and my friends’ time there, we had successfully scored some great bargains. The winner was my friend Krista, who purchased three gorgeous formal gowns for a total of $50. (Have to say that as a size 4, she wore a ‘large’---lol!!! Have I mentioned how tiny the people are here?
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