Despite
competition from modern supermarkets, Dong Ba market in Hue city, in the
central province of Thua Thien-Hue, remains as bustling as ever.
“I don’t feel that anything has changed because of the modern shopping
trend. In fact, everything continues to go well,” said Ngan Hanh, a
conical hat vendor.
The 113-year-old market is a
physical reminder of the former imperial capital’s glory days. During
the reign of Thanh Thai, the fifth king of the Nguyen dynasty
(1802-1945), Duoc market – the biggest market in Hue city – merged with a
smaller 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 many
different 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 a
city institution, as famous as Dong Xuan in Hanoi and Ben Thanh in Ho
Chi Minh City and a fixture in many traditional songs, poems and
paintings.
Visitors can find almost everything they
need, from luxury watches imported from Europe to small bunches of cheap
local herbs.
For Hue residents who typically buy
groceries one day at a time and rarely buy produce that isn’t local, the
modern supermarkets that cropped up in the early 2000s are no
replacement for the bustling wet market.
“Everyone
who knows about Hue understands how carefully the locals, especially the
older generations, select ingredients for a meal,” said Nguyen Khoa
Hoai Huong, chairwoman of the market’s management board. “Dong Ba still
meets their needs, so we’re confident that the market can remain open
and prosper.”
Many Hue natives consider Dong Ba the
best place to taste local specialties such as “bun bo Hue” (Hue beef
noodle soup), “beo nam loc” (rice flour cakes) and “bun thit nuong”
(vermicelli with grilled pork and herbs). The market also offers “che”, a
traditional dessert that can be made with anything from lotus seeds to
sweet corn, taro and pomelo.
When school begins,
children prepare for the new academic year by buying notebooks, new
shoes and clothes at Dong Ba, while families and groups buy food for
banquets and death anniversaries. During Lunar New Year, city residents
and people from surrounding rural areas head to Dong Ba to buy their
holiday items.
Tourists can find specialties and
handicrafts from all over the province, including Tinh Tam lake lotus
seeds, Hue sesame candy, Hue grapefruit, Hien Luong village scissors, Ke
Mon jewellery, Sinh village paper and Thanh Tien village paper flowers.
In 2008 and 2009, local authorities allotted half
of its land to large supermarkets. But Dong Ba remains home to 2,700
stands, although the market’s management board has made some changes to
lure shoppers and tourists.
“We succeeded in
getting sellers at Dong Ba to fix their price for each item. No more
bargaining and price cheating here,” Huong said.
Sellers are also required to have clear information on the origin of
goods. The board has also invested in giving the market a local
character. During special occasions like national holidays or the
biennial Hue Festival, female vendors don traditional ao dai.
“It was my idea and it has really worked,” Huong said. “Ladies told me
that wearing +ao dai+ makes them act more elegantly and communicate in a
more gentle way, which gives a nice impression to tourists.”.-VNA