Despitecompetition from modern supermarkets, Dong Ba market in Hue city, in thecentral province of Thua Thien-Hue, remains as bustling as ever.
"I don't feel that anything has changed because of the modern shoppingtrend. In fact, everything continues to go well," said Ngan Hanh, aconical hat vendor.
The 113-year-old market is aphysical reminder of the former imperial capital's glory days. Duringthe reign of Thanh Thai, the fifth king of the Nguyen dynasty(1802-1945), Duoc market - the biggest market in Hue city - merged with asmaller onet near the citadel's Eastern Gate called Dong Ba.
The merger aimed to meet the growing demand of what was then the largest city in Vietnam.
"Hue was the royal capital city with a big population and manydifferent occupations, including royal family members, mandarins,secretaries and soldiers," said cultural researcher Ho Tan Phan.
The market was rebuilt twice, in 1967 and in 1987. Today, it remains acity institution, as famous as Dong Xuan in Hanoi and Ben Thanh in HoChi Minh City and a fixture in many traditional songs, poems andpaintings.
Visitors can find almost everything theyneed, from luxury watches imported from Europe to small bunches of cheaplocal herbs.
For Hue residents who typically buygroceries one day at a time and rarely buy produce that isn't local, themodern supermarkets that cropped up in the early 2000s are noreplacement for the bustling wet market.
"Everyonewho knows about Hue understands how carefully the locals, especially theolder generations, select ingredients for a meal," said Nguyen KhoaHoai Huong, chairwoman of the market's management board. "Dong Ba stillmeets their needs, so we're confident that the market can remain openand prosper."
Many Hue natives consider Dong Ba thebest place to taste local specialties such as "bun bo Hue" (Hue beefnoodle soup), "beo nam loc" (rice flour cakes) and "bun thit nuong"(vermicelli with grilled pork and herbs). The market also offers "che", atraditional dessert that can be made with anything from lotus seeds tosweet corn, taro and pomelo.
When school begins,children prepare for the new academic year by buying notebooks, newshoes and clothes at Dong Ba, while families and groups buy food forbanquets and death anniversaries. During Lunar New Year, city residentsand people from surrounding rural areas head to Dong Ba to buy theirholiday items.
Tourists can find specialties andhandicrafts from all over the province, including Tinh Tam lake lotusseeds, Hue sesame candy, Hue grapefruit, Hien Luong village scissors, KeMon jewellery, Sinh village paper and Thanh Tien village paper flowers.
In 2008 and 2009, local authorities allotted halfof its land to large supermarkets. But Dong Ba remains home to 2,700stands, although the market's management board has made some changes tolure shoppers and tourists.
"We succeeded ingetting sellers at Dong Ba to fix their price for each item. No morebargaining and price cheating here," Huong said.
Sellers are also required to have clear information on the origin ofgoods. The board has also invested in giving the market a localcharacter. During special occasions like national holidays or thebiennial Hue Festival, female vendors don traditional ao dai.
"It was my idea and it has really worked," Huong said. "Ladies told methat wearing +ao dai+ makes them act more elegantly and communicate in amore gentle way, which gives a nice impression to tourists.".-VNA
"I don't feel that anything has changed because of the modern shoppingtrend. In fact, everything continues to go well," said Ngan Hanh, aconical hat vendor.
The 113-year-old market is aphysical reminder of the former imperial capital's glory days. Duringthe reign of Thanh Thai, the fifth king of the Nguyen dynasty(1802-1945), Duoc market - the biggest market in Hue city - merged with asmaller onet near the citadel's Eastern Gate called Dong Ba.
The merger aimed to meet the growing demand of what was then the largest city in Vietnam.
"Hue was the royal capital city with a big population and manydifferent occupations, including royal family members, mandarins,secretaries and soldiers," said cultural researcher Ho Tan Phan.
The market was rebuilt twice, in 1967 and in 1987. Today, it remains acity institution, as famous as Dong Xuan in Hanoi and Ben Thanh in HoChi Minh City and a fixture in many traditional songs, poems andpaintings.
Visitors can find almost everything theyneed, from luxury watches imported from Europe to small bunches of cheaplocal herbs.
For Hue residents who typically buygroceries one day at a time and rarely buy produce that isn't local, themodern supermarkets that cropped up in the early 2000s are noreplacement for the bustling wet market.
"Everyonewho knows about Hue understands how carefully the locals, especially theolder generations, select ingredients for a meal," said Nguyen KhoaHoai Huong, chairwoman of the market's management board. "Dong Ba stillmeets their needs, so we're confident that the market can remain openand prosper."
Many Hue natives consider Dong Ba thebest place to taste local specialties such as "bun bo Hue" (Hue beefnoodle soup), "beo nam loc" (rice flour cakes) and "bun thit nuong"(vermicelli with grilled pork and herbs). The market also offers "che", atraditional dessert that can be made with anything from lotus seeds tosweet corn, taro and pomelo.
When school begins,children prepare for the new academic year by buying notebooks, newshoes and clothes at Dong Ba, while families and groups buy food forbanquets and death anniversaries. During Lunar New Year, city residentsand people from surrounding rural areas head to Dong Ba to buy theirholiday items.
Tourists can find specialties andhandicrafts from all over the province, including Tinh Tam lake lotusseeds, Hue sesame candy, Hue grapefruit, Hien Luong village scissors, KeMon jewellery, Sinh village paper and Thanh Tien village paper flowers.
In 2008 and 2009, local authorities allotted halfof its land to large supermarkets. But Dong Ba remains home to 2,700stands, although the market's management board has made some changes tolure shoppers and tourists.
"We succeeded ingetting sellers at Dong Ba to fix their price for each item. No morebargaining and price cheating here," Huong said.
Sellers are also required to have clear information on the origin ofgoods. The board has also invested in giving the market a localcharacter. During special occasions like national holidays or thebiennial Hue Festival, female vendors don traditional ao dai.
"It was my idea and it has really worked," Huong said. "Ladies told methat wearing +ao dai+ makes them act more elegantly and communicate in amore gentle way, which gives a nice impression to tourists.".-VNA
