Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City

Great market with some great prices. However, you need to work to get these prices. Shopkeepers will all inflate the price by a high margin. A general rule is the correct price will be anywhere from 50-70% of the original price. You will sometimes have to walk away from the stalls to get a better price and this is practised regularly. Even going past the stall you will get prices shouted at you with them drastically reducing it without even saying a word. The only advice I would give is to just be friendly and don't forget that they are human too and need to make a living. Don't be mean and approach them with a bad demeanor as this will get you nowhere, some people we saw seemed to be like this and it really sours the shopkeepers attitude. Overall the market has everything there with plenty of shows, clothes and food. Good for a days visit.

I have visited HCMC more times than I can count and head to Ben Thanh night market straight from the airport almost every time. The vibe is great. I often frequent the market in the daytime for breakfast and sometimes souvenirs. If you're looking for souvenirs and want the best price, go early in the morning. They believe the first customer sets the tone for the rest of the day so they're willing to go low, but you need to be the first. Tip: you'll easily get 50% off, more if you're willing to haggle. Go deep into the middle of the aisles where tourists are less likely to stop and for the love of mango, get a kilo of the dried stuff. My word it's good.