Tan Dinh Market & Pink Church in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Tan Dinh Market is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh city of Vietnam, established in 1926. when the supply of domestic goods was still limitation, the Tan Dinh market was one of the very few places in Saigon where local could find anything they needed. Supply small while demand high resulted in the fact that prices of commodities here were always higher than the average. That’s why nowadays Saigon people often call it “the market of the rich people”. Currently, although it is still diverse in the number of goods, the prices are significantly reduced to be the same as other markets in this city.

• Address: 336 Hai Ba Trung, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Opening Hours: Day Market 05.00 AM - 06.00 PM & Night Market 7.00 am – 11.00pm 

Where is Tan Dinh Market in Ho Chi Minh City Located?

Tan Dinh Market is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh city. With a large area, it has 4 gates on 4 different streets, of which Hai Ba Trung street is where the main gate lies and also the border of District 1 and District 3. It is opposite the Tan Dinh church or the Pink Church, which is a notable check-in point for many tourists. When visiting this nearly 100 years-old Tan Dinh market, don’t forget to drop by this amazing church to take some pictures. 

Tan Dinh is an indoor market which can provide foods and a variety of products for the daily needs of almost every family in Tan Dinh ward. The opening time is from 5 am to 5pm. However, with some goods like food, clothes, the stalls can open until late night. The market is bustling at all times, especially on some occasions such as Tet holiday, Christmas,...

However, streets surrounding the market are relatively narrow and have a lot of traffic. The thieves can take advantage of chaos to take action. Therefore, you should take good care of your property when getting around here.

History and Architecture of Tan Dinh market in Saigon:

Initially, the market was called Phu Hoa market, because it was located in the old village of Phu Hoa at that time. According to author Tim Doling, perhaps because it is located near Tan Dinh church in the neighboring village of Tan Dinh, later Phu Hoa market is also called Tan Dinh market.

In 1926, the Saigon City Council approved the construction of a new market at a cost of 110,000 piastre. New Tan Dinh Market is designed and constructed by French contractor Société Indochinoise d'Études et de Constructions (SIDEC). According to the newspaper Les Annales Coloniales, the inauguration of the market was held on July 26, 1927, with the attendance of top officials at that time such as the Governor of Cochinchina, the President of the Colonial Council, the mayor. Saigon.

Tan Dinh market at that time was considered a rich market because the selling price was often higher than other markets. The source of goods is fresh vegetables and meat, produced from Gia Dinh. This place is also considered as the largest and cheapest rags in Saigon.

The front of the market stands out in French architecture with three bell towers, one in the middle, two on either side. In the 50s and 60s of the last century, the two sides of the market also had a car park, behind the carriage station.

From the front, the market looks no less than a Temple in Thailand because of the yellow triangle roof with 3 bell towers, one at the top and two at two edges. Nearly 100 years have gone but this structure still preserves its original shape.

At first, the market had both indoor and outdoor areas. Afterward, all the vendors outside had to move inside. Therefore, each booth is only 1.5 m wide at most and the space seems extremely jam-packed. In some parts, the aisle is so narrow that customers have to slither amongst commodities to shift. 

Throughout the long history from the establishment to presence, not a single day goes by without the operation of Tan Dinh market, except one, on April 30, 1975, which was the Reunion Day of Vietnamese people. That time, when hearing of the victory of the Southern army, traders all spent a day off staying home, celebrating the important event of the country.

Tan Dinh market is definitely one of top most famous attractions in Saigon with lots of food stalls known for a long term still sell hot cakes. Tourists coming here will receive nice care from shop owners even if they don’t buy. No longer a commercial center for big pockets, it has become one of the places gathering affordable goods in Ho Chi Minh city.

What to Do and Things to Buy at Tan Dinh Market:

1 – Try authentic local food at the market:

The food court in this market is well known for a lot of food stalls with a lifespan of up to half a decade. They appeared and existed along with the history of the market. Almost all of them had no obvious name or decent signboard but the quality of food was what made their brand name. Gourmets from all over the city are reckless for long distances to reach this market, just to taste dishes.

Because space for a booth in Tan Dinh food market is very modest, if you come for food, please minimize your things as much as possible. One more thing is that a majority of food stalls in Tan Dinh market feature a written menu. Instead, the seller displays all the ingredients for customers to realize. This is a common thing for local people but a challenge to foreign visitors like you guys. You should learn some simple sentence clauses to ask them.

After your order, the shop owners will process the dish in front of you. This way, you will know how a Vietnamese delicacy is made. Top dishes that you should not miss are sweet gruel at Mrs.Di Muoi food stall, noodle at Giang Lam Ky food stall, and dish coffee (coffee served in dish).

2 - Shopping at Tan Dinh market in Ho Chi Minh City:

The market is likened to a heaven of products of all types, ranging from vegetable, meat, fruit to dry things, clothes, footwear, accessories, and particularly spare fabrics. Spare fabrics are the materials of fashion shops and garment factories that are unused then sold by weight rather than by square.

“Unused” doesn’t mean low quality. Good tailors or DIY people often take time to find in the spare fabrics shop with fine texture, unique pattern and color to make items which seem no less than products from big brand names.

Like other traditional markets in Vietnam, goods in Tan Dinh market are usually without price tags. That’s why shoppers are advised to ask for a price before deciding to buy anything. Besides, traders would rather you paid in cash, Vietnam Dong (VND) - the offical Vietnamese curency - because other payments cause them trouble.

3 - Visit Unique Tan Dinh Pink Church:

Tan Dinh Church (Also called the Pink Church because of its Pink Color) is a Catholic church in Ho Chi Minh City, belonging to Tan Dinh parish. Tan Dinh Church and Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral are two churches built very early and on the largest scale in this city.

• Mass Schedule: Weekdays: 5:00; 6:15; 17:30; 19:00 | Sunday: 5:00; 6:15; 7:30; 9:00; 16:00; 17:30; 19:00. Please note that all mass are in Vietnamese. In special events, Mass Times will be updated on the website: https://www.giaoxutandinh.net/
• Reconciliation: Weekdays: After morning mass and before evening mass; Sunday: 17:00-19:00.
• Eucharistic Adoration: Everyday – Anytime at Adoration Chapel;
• Sunday – 15h00 at Main Church.
• Infant baptism: 10h15 last Sundays each month.
• Church office’s working schedule: From Tuesday to Saturday: 7h30-11h30; 14h30-18h30 | Sunday: 6h30-10h30; 16h30-20h30 | (Monday closed).

The church is located at 289 Hai Ba Trung Street, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, was started in 1870 and inaugurated on December 16, 1876. Overall architectural style Roman. The church has been painted pastel pink both outside and inside since 1957, earning it the nickname "the pink church."

The entire building is now painted in a striking pink color with a façade consisting of a main tower in the middle and many symmetrical sub-towers. At the top of the main tower is 52.6 meters high, there is a cross made of bronze 3 meters high. Inside there are five bells, with a total weight of 5.5 tons. The two sub-towers have light towers, many wind-flower windows with patterns that create a solid but graceful look. The interior of the church is quite superficial with two rows of Gothic columns leading to the main altar made of Italian marble, greatly enhancing the beauty of the whole architecture. The left border column is where the pedestals of female saints are located, and the right pedestal is the pedestal of male saints.

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See Also:

• List of Best Things to Do & Top Places to Visit in Ho chi Minh

• Best Local Restaurants That Should Not Be Missed in Saigon