After deciding to spend the first few months of 2019 living in Vietnam’s ancient and very beautiful coastal town of Hoi An, I soon learned that there weren’t any supermarkets in town, with the closest being located in Danang, an hour away on the motorbike. And despite the quality of local food on offer, if I wanted to cook for myself and keep my fridge full of fresh and healthy food, I would need to get to know the Hoi An market scene pretty quickly.

 

Hoi An Market Shopping

There are three main markets in Hoi An, and typically of Vietnamese markets, they essentially sell the same range of fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats, and other essentials as each other.

They are, however, very different in personality, with the attitudes of the vendors, the layout, and the general feel differing between the markets.

I usually found the range of produce more than sufficient at each of the markets, and topped up on harder to find items at smaller specialty shops and “mini marts”, including the new kid on the block, 9 Mart, which caters to the needs of foreigners with an impressive international foods selection.

These are the main markets in Hoi An. (See below for Google Map locations).

Hoi An Central Market

The largest market in Hoi An, and the one almost every visitor to Hoi An will walk past, Central Market is conveniently located on the edge of the Ancient Town.

The market is always a hive of activity, regardless of the time of day, with the streets surrounding the market filled with locals and tourists alike, walking, riding push bikes or motorbikes, or sitting on a rickshaw taking in the views.

The entrance of the market, which is coloured the famous Hoi An yellow, is on Tran Phu and is where the food stalls are located. A popular spot for breakfast, the dishes on offer are Vietnamese and include the local and regional specialties of Cao Lau and Mi Quang, alongside Vietnamese classics such as Banh Xeo, Pho, Bun, and Com Ga.

Menus and pictures are provided to make choosing easier.

The rest of the internal sections are filled with stalls selling dried goods, nuts, noodles, and a huge array of knick knacks including a good variety of chop sticks, with the back area containing the meat and poultry areas.

Outside, and running along Bach Dang, is the fruit and vegetable sections, with seafood running along the river.

As with most markets of this type, the stalls are mixed up so finding prawns next to avocados is not uncommon.

I really enjoyed the energy of the central market during the day and would sometimes order a coffee and watch the daily activities of the market unfold.

At night, the surrounding streets, mainly along Tran Quy Cap, will transform into a mini Hoi An Night Market, with the many trinkets being sold alongside the food carts offering pancakes of the mango, pineapple, coconut, banana, and Nutella variety.

Hoi An Central Market Opening Hours

The official opening times are from 4am until 10pm. I have been through the market before sunrise a few times and it was always very busy, especially along Bach Dang. The main entrance is off Tran Phu. (Google Maps below)

 

Tiger Market

No, there are no tigers for sale, with the name of the market coming from a nearby temple, Mieu Ong Cop, which means Tiger Temple. Folklore has it that this temple was named after local farmers were initially worried for their livestock after hearing the roar of a tiger, with the tiger ending up protecting their livestock by driving away other predators.

Of the large markets, Tiger Market is the most local with fewer foreigners visiting. I found Tiger Market the friendliest and very laid back, and I have never been hassled there, which is a blessing when moving through stalls.

Another attraction of Tiger market is the way it is laid out. There is plenty of room to walk through the stalls and through the centre of the market. The motorbike parking is well managed, (3000 dong), and there is a small, but complete, eating area.

And despite it being further away from my house, I often shopped there.

There is also a bit of an institution that is situated across the road from the market. The large shop, Hanh Nga, is a good place to pick up a few western style products, but pales in comparison with the new player, 9 Mart, on Ly Thuong Kiet.

Tiger Market Hoi An Opening Hours and Location

Tiger Market opens at 5am and closes (officially) at 8pm, although some stalls and a number of surrounding shops are still open. This Hoi An Market is located on Nguyen Dinh Chieu and the Tiger Temple can be found very close by on the corner of Dinh Tien Hoang and Nguyen Truong To. (Google Maps below)

 

Ba Le Market

Ba Le market is another local market and is more used to seeing foreigners due the larger expat community living in the area. This ended up becoming my local market as it was closest to where I lived and it was conveniently around the corner from Dingo Deli, which was my main working café.

There is a reasonably good eating area, including a few food stalls across the street from the main market area.

Ba Le Market Opening Hours and Location

Ba Le market opens at 5pm and closes a little earlier than the other markets at 7pm. The market is located on Le Thanh Tong just off Cua Dai. (Google Maps below).

 

Hoi An Night Market

Hoi An Night Market is located across the river on the island of An Hoi, and can be reached by crossing the brightly lit An Hoi bridge. This is the loudest part of Hoi An with many restaurants and bars lining surrounding streets.

The beginning of the night market is highlighted by the beautifully colourful lights of a few shops selling the ubiquitous Vietnamese lanterns and is, no doubt, the most photographed part of the market.

The market runs the length Nguyen Hoang, with stalls mainly offering the standard trinkets, keep sakes, knick knacks, clothes, and bags that can be found in many similar markets. There are also stands offering the chance to have your name written on a piece of rice.

For the hungry, one tip when visiting this classic Hoi An Market, would be to head to the end of the market where it reaches the water. Here there is an eating area where you can enjoy some barbecued seafood, including frog legs, with a decent view of the river and the passing boats.

Night Market in Hoi An Opening Hours and Location

The night market Hoi An opens from 6pm and runs until 10pm, and runs along Nguyen Hoang. There are many restaurants and bars close by. (Google Maps below).

 

Hoi An Fish Market Thanh Ha

If you have been following along with this blog for a while you know I like to visit wholesale seafood markets, the bigger the better. The closest example in Hoi An is actually located 3 kilometres outside of town, along Hung Vuong and the Thu Bon River.

The Hoi An Fish Market was once located within the central market, but was moved to a more spacious and practical location.

This isn’t a large wholesale seafood market, but is as busy as any other I’ve visited, with tight walkways, errant fish tails, and gruff vendors auctioning off seafood for the two hours the market is open.

There are plenty of food and coffee options open to cater to the early arriving vendors and customers alike.

Thanh Ha Fish Market Opening Hours and Location

The Hoi An Seafood Market opens at 5am and with the main stock sold by 7am. I was there at 5.30am and the market was already in full swing. Located on Hung Vuong, which the main road out of Hoi An heading west. (Google Map below)

 

For more posts like this sign up to my irregular email that is SPAM free, but not Food free.