Cholon Guide

Cholon's crown jewel and arguably the most authentic market experience in Saigon. Built in the 1920s by a Chinese-Vietnamese businessman, Binh Tay is a wholesale market that supplies goods to vendors across southern Vietnam. Unlike the tourist-oriented Ben Thanh Market, Binh Tay is a working market where the energy is raw and real — porters hauling impossibly heavy loads, merchants negotiating in rapid-fire Cantonese and Vietnamese, and stalls piled high with everything from dried seafood and Chinese herbs to fabrics and household goods. The food court on the upper level serves some of the best and cheapest Chinese-Vietnamese food in the city. The architecture itself is stunning — a Chinese courtyard design with ornate roof tiles, dragon sculptures, and a central pagoda-like clock tower.

One of the most beautiful and atmospheric Chinese temples in Southeast Asia, Thien Hau Temple (also called Ba Thien Hau or Lady Thien Hau Temple) was built in the early 19th century by Cantonese immigrants and dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of the sea. The temple is a masterpiece of Chinese religious architecture — every surface is covered with intricate ceramic figurines, gilded carvings, and dragon motifs. The main altar room is perpetually filled with smoke from enormous spiral incense coils that hang from the ceiling and burn for weeks. The diorama friezes along the roof depict scenes from Chinese folklore. Early morning is the most atmospheric time to visit, when the incense smoke catches the sunlight streaming through the temple doors.

Several streets in Cholon are devoted entirely to traditional Chinese medicine, creating one of the most aromatic and visually striking experiences in Saigon. Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street is the main artery — both sides are lined with shops displaying hundreds of dried herbs, roots, barks, berries, mushrooms, and other ingredients stored in glass jars and open sacks. The air is thick with an earthy, complex fragrance. Herbalists weigh and mix custom prescriptions on old-fashioned scales. Some shops have been operated by the same families for five or six generations. Even if you have no interest in buying, walking these streets is a sensory experience unlike anything else in the city.

Cholon is Saigon's fabric capital, with entire streets dedicated to textiles. Soai Kinh Lam Street is a riot of color — bolts of silk, cotton, linen, and synthetic fabrics stacked floor-to-ceiling in hundreds of shops. This is where local tailors and fashion designers source their materials, and where you can find incredible deals on high-quality fabrics. Many shops will also recommend nearby tailors who can make custom clothing in 24-48 hours. The fabric market is busiest in the morning and tends to wind down by early afternoon.

A beautiful yellow and white Catholic church built in 1900, Cha Tam Church is historically significant as the place where South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu sought refuge during the 1963 coup before being captured and assassinated. The church is an architectural contrast to the Chinese temples that dominate Cholon — its French Gothic style feels distinctly European amid the Chinese shophouses. The interior has elegant stained-glass windows and a peaceful courtyard. The church is still active, with services in Vietnamese and Chinese.

Cholon's food scene is a unique fusion of Chinese and Vietnamese culinary traditions that exists nowhere else. Dishes you must try include: hu tieu (a clear pork and seafood noodle soup that originated in Cholon), banh bao (steamed buns with pork and egg), che (sweet dessert soups with Chinese variations), dim sum (available at several restaurants on weekend mornings), and roast duck and char siu pork. The food stalls on Tran Hung Dao and Nguyen Trai streets are particularly excellent. Prices are some of the lowest in Saigon — a bowl of hu tieu costs 30,000-40,000₫ and portions are generous.