Cholon Chinatown gearing up for Mid-Autumn Festival.

Rows of stalls along Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5,Cholon Chinatown selling mooncakes(月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng).

Mooncake festival is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival where the Chinese pray to the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality.

Mooncake in Vietnamese is Banh Trung Thu.
 The Mid-Autumn Festival is a very auspicious event of the Chinese which falls on the 12th day of September 2011(the 15th day of the eighth month in the chinese calender).

On this very day is also the Ong Bon Pagoda Festival where there will be incense offering ceremony to the Chinese gods Ong Bon, Quan Cong, Quan The Am, Ba Chua Sanh.

 Whereas in many coastal localities from Ngang Pass to Ha Tien, Phu Quoc Island,there will be the festival of welcoming the Lord Whale from the 15th to the 17th day of the eighth lunar month.
The Whale is a holy sea creature, the savior of fishermen and those living in the sea in general.

There the sacrifice offering ceremony and a procession of dragon boats welcoming the Water General (Nam Hai Tuong Quan) and will be accompanied by hundreds of boats of various sizes and decoration. There will be many cultural activities taking place, stirring up the festive atmosphere as this is one of the biggest festivals of the fishermen.




A corner shop at Go Cong Street selling some of the tradition Chinese cultures festival products. Here visitors can find the lion dance costumes and lanterns.
The lanterns and the lion head are all handmade and finely crafted.

 Traditionally the Chinese use Lion and Dragon dancers as a symbol of auspiciousness and blessings to mark key dates such as Chinese New Year or the opening of a new business premises. The difference is lion dance only requires two people whilst the dragon dance needs a team of at least 15 people to perform the task.




  A smaller sized lion dance headgear novelty and the laughing Buddha headgear are popular novelties for the children.

 In China, the lions are considered as a symbol for joy and happiness.
From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year festival, lion dance groups tour from village to village in traditional China and excite all the spectators with their electrifying performance.

 However, the lion dances of Northern China and Southern China display a great difference in their appearance and the art of demonstration.
The Northern style Lions have muzzles which make them resemble like dogs, and are deep orange and red in color.
The Southern style Lions have flatter faces similar to lions, but are adorned with a horn and two antenna style whiskers.
If you were to watch the Chinese movie entitled "Once Upon A time in China"(Wong Fei-Hung),the lion dance acrobatic duel stunt by the Chinese martial art triad groups are very fascinating.

The lanterns have been designed to attract the interest of children with the many cartoon features,even adults can join in to carry the lanterns on that day.

The head mask that look like a person face is actually the "Laughing Buddha" who is a buddy to the lion dance troupes.

 His ultimate task is to tease and fool around with the lion while it was dancing so as to make it dance and roll-over making all sorts of dancing patterns. He will normally has a fan with him.

 Banner reads "Chung Mung Hai Ho" meaning "Wishing You Good Luck".
Chinese like to have the color red(pinyin:hong ser) because it symbolizes good fortune and joy.
A red envelope(pinyin:hong bao) is a monetary gift which is given in Chinese society during holiday or special occasions.
The red color of the packet symbolizes good luck.

Red is strictly forbidden at funerals as it is a traditionally symbolic color of happiness.

Vietnamese colours name: Màu trắng(white) -Màu đen(black) - Màu đỏ(red) -Màu vàng(yellow) - Màu xanh lá cây(green) -Màu xanh (blue) - Màu nâu(brown) - Màu cam(orange) -Màu xám(gray) - Màu hồng(pink) - Màu tím(purple)





Paper Lanterns and Chinese praying peripherals shops all along Hai Thuong Lang Ong Road(the main artery road into Cholon Chinatown).

 A round lantern is a common features but the Vietnamese seemed to prefer the conical or balloon shape.

I think it also resembles a heart shape and look very nice indeed. They are not paper made but from silk fabrics.
 These shop sells a larger version that are normally hung in shopfronts,shopping complexes, residential houses and temples. 



For the children,the smaller lantern version comes in various shapes some depicting animals like butterflies,fish,rabbits,dragon etc.

There are also lanterns which spin around when a candle is placed inside (den Keo Quan), symbolizing the seasonal spinning of the earth around the sun.

Modern days lantern are plastic made and battery operated. On the night of Lantern festivals,the children will parade on the streets and singing with colorful lanterns in hands.

Chinese delicacies at Binh Tay market.

The pair of ferocious dragons at the Binh Tay market did not spit out any water today due to the rainy spell.

Initially, dragons in Vietnam were associated with water and Yin energy.
Dragons were popular among the common people, who believed that rain was created by nine dragons, which took water from the sea to pour down on the rice paddies.
The dragon dance, a great favorite among people of all walks of life, was used to invoke rain.

Many places names in Vietnam bear the word long (dragon), as in Ha Long Bay (Where the Dragon Descended) or the Cuu Long River (Nine Dragons).

The modern city of Hanoi was formerly known as Thang Long,City of the Soaring Dragon.

Like Chinese monarchs, Vietnamese sovereigns chose the dragon as the symbol of their power.
 But unlike the Chinese dragons, which were shown descending from heaven and spitting fire, the Vietnamese dragons were shown ascending from water.
Though imposing and fierce, the Vietnamese dragons were never threatening.

For Vietnamese peasants, the dragon was a vivid symbol of the fourfold deity-clouds, rain, thunder and lighting.
So Vietnam is in fact a body part of Asian Dragon with China being the dragon head and Singapore being the tail end.





Abundance of edible birds nest in Binh Tay market.
This product is not cheap mind you and one of the Chinese prized delicacy.
This is a multi-million revenue return business if you can lure the swiflets to a specially built house for them to nest.

This is called swiflets farming It costs around VND700-800 million to turn a normal house into one for bird nests and more than VND1.5 billion to build a brand new house for bird nests, including wood for the nests, sound equipment to attract the birds, and the equipment to create humidity for the house.

Raw bird nests are sold at more than VND40 million a kilo.Each box of 100 grams is sold between VND4 million to VND10 million.
 A bird nest house of six square meters, can receive one kilogram of bird nests worth around VND30 million a year.

So if you have ample funds and wish to invest in this business,go to Tam Thon Hiep Commune in Can Gio District in the Mekong Delta where the swiftlets like to call it a home. 

These dried oyster is a must have during Chinese festive seasons.
All these marine dried seafood products are harvested and processed from the tropical island of Phu Quoc also known as Pearl Island in Kien Giang province in the Gulf of Thailand.

 Its northeast cape is 4 sea miles from the neighbour Cambodia.
The island is 62 sea miles east of Kien Giang capital (Rach Gia town)about 250km from Ho Chi Minh City, and 45km from Ha Tien town.

There are ferries and hydrofoils between Phu Quoc to Rach Gia, Ha Tien and Hon Chong. Ferry Time:

Phu Quoc - Rach Gia - 0800, 0810
Rach Gia - Phu Quoc - 1300, 1310.

Hydrofoils takes 2 1/2 hours, costs 240,000 Dong.

Phu Quoc - Ha Tien Hydrofoils takes 1hour 10 mins. Costs 190,000 Dong. Daily at 0900.

Slow boat takes 3 hours, costs 100,000 Dong, but doesn't go daily. Leaves at 1000.

Phu Quoc - Hon Chong - 12:30  hrs departure
Hon Chong - Phu Quoc - 10:00 hrs departure Costs 160,000 Dong.

Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world.

 Phu Quoc is also famous for its pepper. It also has some of the best unspoilt beaches in South East Asia. similar to Phuket Island in Thailand.






 Abalones can be divided into 3 major categories in general, Fresh Abalone (frozen abalone), Abalone in Soup (canned abalone) and dried abalone.

Dried abalone required the most complex cooking procedure and longest time, when comparing with other types of abalone.

The less complex one is canned abalone. The frozen abalone is the most convenient and simple to cook.

 Containing abundant protein, abalones have tonifying, complexion-beautifying, blood pressure regulating, liver-nourishing, vision-improving, yin-enriching, and heat-removing properties.

 In particular, their yin-enriching and vision-improvement properties are extremely potent, making them suitable for people with conditions such as poor vision.
Abalone is another expensive Chinese delicacy.





 A foodstall inside Binh Tay market with a price menu:
Mui (porridge): 18,000 VNDong
 Banh Lot : 18,000 VNDong
Bun Gao : 18,000 VNDong
Hu Tiu :18,000 VNDong
Hu Tiu Mi : 20,000 VNDong
Hoanh thanh (wonton) : 20,000 VNDong
 Mi Hoanh thanh : 20,000 VNDong
Hai vat mi : 20,000 VNDong
Banh lot hoanh thanh : 23,0000 VNDong
Hu tiu hoanh thanh : 23,000 VNDong
hu tiu mi hai vit : 23,000 VNDong
Hu tiu mi hoanh thanh : 23,000 VNDong

Very reasonable and cheap food can be found in the Cholon Chinatown area with lots of variety to choose.









While walking along Le Quang Sung Road which is the second road junction after the bus terminal,stumbled into one chinese medical practitioner who specializes in Osteopathic treatment.

His clinic is known as Zhang Guo Zhiang Medical Hall which must be quite popular among the locals here seeking treatment for any bone disorders.

Zhang is a Teochew Chinese and also an acupuncturist.

  Veteran Zhang also have rooms in the same building that serves as a hotel guesthouse.The rates are being displayed in front of the shop.





Just beside Zhang's Mediacal Hall building is another hotel called Cuu Long 2 which also have the same room rates.

 While browsing along the streets,the nicely carved elephant tusks also caught my attention.

They made great ornamental collection.
Ivory has been so widely used that many of the animals from which it derives are now under serious threat of extinction.

This is especially true of the elephant which was killed purely for its tusks. To buy such items,one need an import permit as they are being banned by most countries.





 Bun Boe Hue Restaurant offers beef noodle soup,kinh moh looks like spicy curry flavour.

 Bun Bo Hue comes from the central region of Hue.

More precisely, the real deal (apparently) comes from Gia Hoi.
The key is the broth. It has a sweet tang to it and ladled in among the liquid are fatty pork slivers, rare beef, chopped spring onions, two kinds of spamsticks and fairly thick fresh bun (noodles).
There's also a side dish of beansprouts, saw tooth herb and peculiar to Bun Bo Hue is the stripped end of a banana.
This is one signature food of Vietnam apart from Pho noodles.
Com tam is a plate of rice with grilled pork.
"Banh xeo" as known as Vietnamese pancakes, consisting of a delicious filling of your choice.

Buses to Cholon terminal entered this back section with the arch facing Phu Giao Road.

Traders around this section of Chinatown Cholon deals with packaging materials.

Along Phu Gio Road,a big bowl of Pho noodles for 35,000 VNDong has rich fillings like chicken meat,liver,pork,intestine and the wonton noodles.

Sat on a small table beside the street pushcart stall.

While having my Pho noodles,noticed a Chinese restaurant just across the street which also caters specially for wedding dinners.

This must be another place to try some chinese cuisines.

Vietnamese Dragonfruit for 4,000 VNDong per kilo.

Known in Vietnamese as ‘thanh long,’ dragon fruit is the bulbous fruit of a species of cactus extensively cultivated in dryer regions of the central coast.

Its skin is reddish-purple, and its sweet white flesh is flecked with tiny black seeds
The fruit's taste is fairly sweet and juicy, very much alike that of kiwi, watermelon and pear.
The dragon fruit is very high in antioxidants,extremely high in vitamin C,The vitamin B12 content helps enhance the appetite of a person.The vitamin B1 content helps in generating of energy as well as metabolizing carbohydrates.
A great source of phosphorus and calcium, dragon fruit reinforces our bones, makes healthier teeth and is great for body cells development.





A DONG RESTAURANT is located at 301 Hai Thuong Lan Ong St., Dist. 5, HCMC that is towards the left side of main road as you are about to enter Cholon.

 This is one of the many exclusive Chinese-Vietnamese restaurants in Cholon Chinatown to pamper yourself with the great chinese food.

 Vietnamese dishes name:
=(Bún măng vịt)-Bamboo shoots and duck noodle soup

=(Bánh tằm cà ri)-rice noodles and very spicy chicken curry.

=(Mì bò viên)-A Chinese-influenced egg noodle soup with beef meatballs and raw steak

=(Lẩu)- A spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup, with many vegetables, meats and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs =(Cơm chiên Dương Châu)-A Chinese fried rice dish, named after the Yangzhou region in China. It is a well-known dish in Vietnam.

=(Cơm gà rau thơm )(Vietnamese mint chicken rice)-A dish of rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with chicken that has been fried then shredded, and flavoured with mint and other herbs. The rice has a unique texture and taste which the fried mint garnish enhances. Served with a special herb sauce on the side.

=(Bánh chưng)-Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung bean paste, lean pork and black pepper, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year(Tết). Bánh chưng is popular in the North, while its cousin version bánh tét is more popular in the South. Bánh tét has the same content, except cylindrical in shape and lean pork is substituted with fatty pork.

=(Bánh mì kẹp thịt)-Vietnamese baguette mayonnaise, different selections of Vietnamese cold cuts (of which there is a large variety, most commonly ham, head cheese, and a Vietnamese bologna), pickled daikon, pickled carrot, and cucumber slices. The sandwich is often garnished with coriander leaves and black pepper. This food is common everywhere in Vietnam as a favorite of factory workers and students, and eaten for any meal of the day, =(Gà nướng sả)-Grilled chicken with lemon grass(sả). Lemon grass grilled beef and other meats are also popular variations. =(Goi Ga)-Chicken and cabbage salad.

Cho Binh Tay Market in Cholon Chinatown.

This morning the weather over Ho Chi Minh is still very cloudy with light rainfall.
Took a walk from Pham Ngu Lao Road to Ben Thanh Central Bus Terminal which takes less than 10 minutes.
 I need to cross the road here to the other side where buses to Cholon are readily available.
They do have signboard in English. Intercity buses are plentiful and is advisable to use these public transport.
Ho Chi Minh City is too big to walk on foot and also to avoid the chaotic traffic system.
The fares for most intercity destinations irrespective of distance is 4,000 VNDong.

After a 15minutes of comfortable bus journey,the bus stopped at the Ben Xe Khach Cholon terminal.

This terminal is more spacious than Ben Thanh terminal.Over here in Cholon you can find tuk-tuk similar to those in Thailand or Laos.
 Around the bus terminal is bustling with lots of morning market activities especially with the local farmers selling their agricultural produce.

As you emerged from the terminal,your first sight is this elegant clock tower building with a beautiful blend of Chinese architecture.

The multi-tiered roofs make it looks like a pagoda and one might think that this a place of worship.
 On entering the premise,a big surprise awaits all visitors.
It is swarmed with traders with their stalls and merchandise. Even without the fan and aircondition,the inside of the building is very cooling as the interior layout is circular in design with a central courtyard.
This whole building can be like a palace if it is not a market square.

Located on Thap Moui Street in District 6, Cho Binh Tay Market is situated in a beautiful and elegant building of French-era design.
This is the largest market in Cholon Chinatown with ethnic Viet-Chinese people making a large section of the community.
It is a very systematic market arranged according to sections selling the same type of products.

 I've noticed that most of the Cantonese people operates food stall,Teochew people more on medicinal herbs,Hainanese deal with restaurants and coffeshops and Hokkiens in autoparts and hardwares.
 It is a very exciting market where one can take a full day to explore the very systematic section of businesses layout in the whole community.

 The Cholon central market in  offers a wide range of products from food to clothing to daily necessities.

It is also a wholesaler market and a tourist attraction.
 CHOLON (" great market"), a town of French Indo-China, the largest commercial centre of Cochin China since colonial era can be regarded as the largest Chinatown in Southeast Asia.
 Over here the use of the Non La(coninal hat) is still very popular despite the change of time.
These original more durable and solid hats are made in Chuong Village(a small village, 40 kilometres on the west of central Hanoi).
They are the real, well made high quality hats which has become an inseparable multi-purpose item for Vietnamese women. It is used as a shield to protect them from sun and rain, a glass to get water when they are thirsty, a fan when they are hot, and a basket when they have nothing else with them to carry things.






Rows of shops surrounded the outer part of the building.They prefer to deal in wholesale bulk orders after all its volume that speaks for the turnover of business.

Chinese owned businesses controlled nearly a large section of the economy here.
Vietnam's major produce includes paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas, poultry, fish and seafood.
Prices over here is quite cheap and reasonable.This make it a great place for foreigners to source for Vietnamese products.

The atmosphere inside the market is rather very busy with the non-stop movement of goods and people.
It might look rather cramp with the narrow alleys but the various kinds of merchandise offered might give you the temptation to buy if one is in that particular kind of business.
A row of food stalls is just beside here but with limited seating capacity.I had a bowl of 'Pho' noodles for 30,000 dong cheaper than in District 1 area.

From the main entrance,a staircase leads to the upper floor which is surrounded with shops selling garments,bags,shoes and other accessories.
For the ladies,don't leave home without buying the Vietnamese áo bà ba costume as souvenir.
It simply consists of a pair of silk pants and a long-sleeved, button-down silk shirt.
The shirt will be somewhat long and split at the sides of the waist, forming two flaps.
In the front of the shirt at the very bottom are typically two pockets. The fashionable costume comes in various colors,design and embroidery.
The ao dai (áo dài) is a Vietnamese national outfit. "Ao Dai" is significant to Vietnamese women because it displays grace, beauty, and elegance.
The occasions in which the "Ao Dai" is worn signifies the importance of the event.

The centre court of Binh Tay market has lush greeneries with marble seats to rest your aching legs after a whole morning of non-stop walking.

There is a statue monument with an altar in memory of the icon of Binh Tay market.
Surrounded by four bronze dragons spitting water into the fountain,two bronze lions stood guard within the perimeter.

Binh Tay Market was built with a lot of investment from a Chinese businessman called Quach Dam (1863-1927).
He was also know as Thong Hiep and was thus given the nickname of "Handicapped Thong" by the local Chinese.
He started his fortune collecting recycling garbage.
His hard working and good calculation and trading thus made him a rich man.
 His statue is currently being kept and reversed at HCMC fine arts museum.

Can you imagine there are 2,358 stalls in Binh Tay market.
The market heart area has 1446 stalls including 698 stalls in the ground floor and 748 stalls in the storey.
The external area of the market heart has 912 stalls including 408 stalls in Tran Binh area, 328 stalls in Le Tan Ke area, 176 stalls in Phan Van Khoe area.
 Store selling cashew nuts(hat dieu),soya bean(đậu tương ),mushroom(nấm)

Dried seahorse (giô ng hai ma ngư)

Shark fins(cá mập vây) ,Birds nest(chim yến)

Sea cucumber ( biển dưa chuột)

Smaller species of sea cucumber,dried snake skins and turtle skins are also available.

Mushroom and dried monitor lizard skin.