History

Although located in the heart of the Old Quarters, the market is fairly young compared to the surrounding streets. It used to be an empty lot in front of Huyen Thien pagoda. Old Hanoi residents step by step developed trade activities here because it is adjacent to the river which made it convenient for transportation of products.

On the night of July 14th, 1994, a fire has brought down the whole market, causing a damage of 300 billion VND. At present, you see the market today was recently built with the model after the architecture before the fire.

Shopping

Travelling to Vietnam of local residents, Dong Xuan is mostly reserved for bulk sale and distribution points for many retailers in Hanoi. Main products include electronic devices, household equipments and clothing. At the back of the market is the trading place for animals (puppies, kitties, birds, fish, etc.) and plants (mostly Vietnamese bonsai). Suppliers for the market come mainly from North Vietnam with many Chinese blends.

Eating

The Northern end of the market holds mainly eating venue, serving both day and night time. It is a wise decision to stop here for local cuisines such as “bun cha”, “bun rieu” or chipping in a hot pot in a fall/winter night.

Source:vietexplore