Gerard Gastel from France is busy preparing his kiosk at the Ecosunday weekend market, Ecopark residential area, about 18 km from downtown Hanoi.
The old man has spent 20 years living in Vietnam, and is now the owner of several restaurants and cafes in Hanoi Old Quarter. He is among the first people selling products at this market, and his pastries are familiar products here.
“I have been living in Vietnam for 20 years, and married a local wife. When you love the Vietnamese culture and your products are good, your business here is a success for sure,” said Gerard Gastel.
Most of the foreign sellers at Ecosunday are from shops and restaurants in Hanoi. But Eddy Goseling, a businessman from the Netherland is a citizen of Ecopark himself.
The organic skincare market is tough, but Eddy always finds a stable number of customers in Ecosunday market.
“We sell in shops, not only in Hanoi but also another shop. But when we are here we are in direct contact with our customers, and we hear tips and remarks so we can improve our products and make them better,” Eddy Goseling told the reporter.
At another bustling corner of the market, Martyn Jensen from Wales is swinging with his music notes.
Participating in the market for only several months, the songster and his unique music instruments have brought a fresh air to the weekend market.
Martyn said: “When I came here, I go on Facebook and look at all the different markets and things happening, what the expats do. I saw a placed called Ecopark and thought that’s cool. So then I wrote to the manager of this place and said if possible can I come and play music there, maybe do some teaching, get some money for biahơi and enjoy it”.
“I love to teach. So I’ve enjoyed it ever since. So I’ve been doing this now for maybe eight months here. And I love it here. It’s fun. It’s the highlight of my week,” said Martyn.
Gerard, Eddy and Martyn each has their own story for participating in the Ecosunday market. However, all share a common love for and desire to spend their life here in Vietnam.-VNA
