Springvale Market is located in the south east suburb of Springvale, 23 kilometres from Melbourne’s Central Business District.

Here you can access a huge variety of Vietnamese and other Asian produce, including fresh meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, as well as a huge range of household goods.

Springvale Market information:

Address: Buckingham Avenue, Springvale, 3171, Australia.

Getting there: Paid parking off Balmoral Avenue, Springvale Train Station

Trading Hours: 8.00a.m. to 6.00p.m.

Where to stay: Nightcap at Waltzing Matilda. For latest prices check here.

Springvale Market

Buckingham Avenue is the epicentre of shopping in Springvale for fresh produce with a heavy Asian influence, especially Vietnamese.

Located on this street are the Springvale Shopping Centre, known as the Springvale Market, Springvale Central, and the Springvale Centre.

In addition, the street is also home to many Vietnamese restaurants specialising in the foods of different Vietnamese regions, such as Hue, as well as some great café’s selling Vietnamese coffee made with the traditional coffee filter.

Although each of the shopping “centres” has its own feel, one thing is for sure – in each, the trade is lively, the prices very competitive, and the produce fresh and authentic to the Vietnamese food culture.

Springvale has one of the largest Vietnamese communities in Melbourne, with over 20% of Springvale’s population having being born in Vietnam, and more than 25% speaking Vietnamese.

The influx of Vietnamese to Australia came from a combination of the Whitlam government removing the last elements of the White Australia Policy, and the Vietnamese refugee intake in the decade following the Vietnam (American) War.

Along with Footscray and Richmond, Springvale became home to many of these refugees.

A contributing factor to Springvale becoming one of the Vietnamese hubs was the opening the Enterprise Migrant Hostel, a Commonwealth Government initiative that helped with the short term housing needs of the refugees.

Springvale has since developed into a thriving example of the multiculturalism Melbourne is famous for.

My Springvale Market Experience

After I spent time in this shopping precinct, especially meandering through the narrow aisles of the Springvale Centre, I was transported back to the bustling markets of Vietnam. There is an authenticity to these markets in Springvale, one that can only come about by a combination of language, sights, smells, and the no-nonsense, yet friendly, attitude of the Vietnamese people.

This short review isn’t meant to provide a detailed list of all the produce and ingredients available at Springvale Market. It is just a flavour to hopefully whet your appetite.

Although the shops here are skewed towards the Vietnamese community, other Asian communities are represented, in particular the ubiquitous Chinese community.

Springvale Market Meat

One of the impressive aspects of the Vietnamese food culture, not unlike many others, is the practice of utilising the entire animal, ensuring minimal waste. Many dishes, including some of the popular soups, think Bun Bo Hue, have many of these lesser used parts of the animals as ingredients.

I didn’t take notes at the time but noticed that many of the butcher shops were selling tripe, beef tendon, pork stomach, pork heart, and pork spleen, just to name a few of these cuts.

Springvale Market Seafood

There was a large selection of seafood available throughout Springvale market. In particular, seafood products popular in Vietnam were available such as large bailer shell sea snails (óc giác), fish paste, clam meat, snake head fish, silverfish imported from Vietnam, and cá kèo, a species of Goby fish, found in the Mekong Delta.

Springvale Market Herbs

One of the essential ingredients of many different Vietnamese is the herbs that accompany to dishes, whether in soups or other dishes. I found quite a large selection of herbs available here not normally found in local supermarkets.

A few examples include the la lot betel leaf (used in the classic bò lá lốt), rice paddy (ngò ôm), and a mixed mint selection (rau thơm các loại).

Springvale Market Fruit

The selection of fruit is improving in Australia and on this trip I noticed the availability of durian fruit in the larger supermarkets. That being said, the variety of fruit was excellent here and included fruits such as dragon fruit, persimmon, and of course, durian, although the ones I saw were imported from Thailand.

Springvale Market Vegetables

The vegetable options were impressive and included banana flower, taro, purple yam (made to use one of my favourite Vietnamese soups, khoai mỡ), sugar cane, yam beans (củ sắn) and the lotus root (củ sen).

Takeaway Options

The shops selling the take away foods really piqued my interest. A chance to try the ready-made traditional Vietnamese dishes such as caramelised snakehead, pork chop and broken rice (cơm tấm), pork rolls (bánh mì), fresh spring rolls, tofu stuffed meat, bánh ít trần (a classic snack from Hue), and gỏi tôm thịt (salad with shrimp and pork).

Springvale market is a wonderful place to visit to get a great feel for the Vietnamese food culture and a place to purchase well priced and fresh produce.

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