Han Market Shopping Guide – Han market (cho Han) is no longer a strange name to any visitors to Da Nang. Similar to most markets, this market is a typical Vietnamese market in the heart of Da Nang where locals get all their basic stuffs. Located conveniently right next to the Han River, among 4 streets: Tran Phu St, Bach Dang St, Hung Vuong St, Tran Hung Dao St, this market is easy to get to. A sad thing is that as a tourist walking around, it’s always not easy for you to buy something with its real price. However, don’t worry and keep reading because I’m going to give you these shopping guides when shopping in Han market.
What to expect and not to expect at the Han market – Han Market Shopping Guide
This market is primarily for locals, therefore, you can see most of the necessary things for locals appear here like: fresh food, footwear, clothes, fabric, personal items, dried food, flowers, cosmetics,…
This market is not much for tourists to buy but that is what makes it more authentic.
The ground floor is packed full of all sorts of food stuffs from fresh food like fruits, vegetables to dried seafood like dried squids, shrimps and preserved sour plums, coffee, snacks,…Unfortunately, there is no price or names of stuffs in English. Some sellers can speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin but not all. Behind is the wet market. It can be a little smelly during the heat of the day, so be prepared not to get uncomfortable with that if you intend to walk through.
Upstairs was packed with stalls of shoes, clothes, cosmetics, and glittery textiles where you can make evening gowns but believe me, design of clothes were not very attractive. There is something that you won’t find people wear them on streets. Most of clothes there are for women.
If you are hungry while wandering around inside this market, don’t forget to stop at one stall inside the food court to have some Da Nang local foods like My Quang (the Quang noodle) or Pho, bun bo (beef noodle soup) or a loaf of Vietnamese baguette (banh mi) or rice with some pork and vegetables. A meal there will just cost you only from 1 to 2 dollars. Try not to sit close to the meat stalls if you want to enjoy the food the best.
I have to say that Han market is not a place to go if you are looking for souvenirs since there are not many things here which is authentic for souvenirs. There are just some keychain, bracelets, marble statues,… that you can see at most of places in Vietnam.
You may not need anything from the market but it’s worth a visit to take a look and soak in the atmosphere anyway.
This market is busy early in the morning from 6 a.m to 11 a.m and then after 4 p.m. It shuts down between 12 and 2 p.m so don’t expect to do much shopping between these hours as most of the shopkeepers in the Han market are sleeping. It is better here than Con market not having to watch out for pickpockets or snatch thieves.
Shopping Tips:
Be willing to haggle on price at not only Han market but all of the markets in Vietnam as opening prices are inflated, especially while you are a tourist walking around. If you are tired of bargaining, go the shops near stairs, they have price tag on the plastic bags. Not all, but some stalls in this market are fixed prices and are very reasonable.
Actually, you can get to a better deal (around 5% difference at the bargaining shops than the fixed price shop (if you have good bargaining power)
Tips: Decide on your price and stick to it: they’ll come down.
The question is: How do I know a good price to stick to it???
Don’t worry! All are prepared for you as bellows:
First of all, you should know which kind of goods have a lower price in Vietnam than in a foreign country.
– Clothing: if it is not a famous brand, the price here is 3 maybe 4 times less than in Europe or America. A t-shirt, polo t-shirt or long sleeve shirt cost around 150.000 VND (from 7- 8 USD)
– Belts: for leather belt, with 8$ you can get one with top quality but if you prefer any other material, the price could be even less.
– Handbags: only an expert will be able to distinguish the replicas from the genuine handbag. You can find a hangbag replicas (no matter if it’s a Louis Vuitton or Prada) for 15$.
– Shoes: the average price is a half of the price abroad.
– Food: the cheapest thing in Vietnam without a doubt. Eating and drinking in Vietnamese restaurants is a pleasure at giveaway prices. For 5$ you can have lunch or dinner in any city of the country, but if you decided to try a street restaurant the price will be 1$.
– Hairdressers: hair cut, washing, new hair style and french manicure for 3$
– For snacks or dried food, you can taste before you buy, always make 30% discount with their offer.
If you go shopping early in the morning, don’t touch or smell anything if you don’t intend to buy it. This may not bring good luck for them if you don’t buy. However, if you are somebody’s first customer, they will give you a good price to help them sell fast while you buy fast and have a good day selling lots of stuffs.
Hope these Han market shopping guides are enough for you to have a good time shopping at Han market. Cheers!
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