Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5
Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5
3.5
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
About
The western part of the city is dominated by Cholon (Chinatown), a thickly settled district rife with teahouses and pagodas and the famous Binh Tay Market.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Restaurants
1,105 within 3 miles
Attractions
247 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
742 reviews
Excellent
170
Very good
260
Average
197
Poor
73
Terrible
42
John F
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico73 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
Mexico has dirty fresh markets and streets... Ho Chà Minh makes Mexico city look like paradise. .. This market... Oh my Buddha.. Filthy.. Polluted.. Crazy... But not crazy in a good way. Avoid. In fact.. Avoid HCMC!
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wonder A
Singapore436 contributions
Nov 2022
Was amazed at the variety of goods sold at this market. The price was definitely very much cheaper than those sold at department stalls or the airport. We managed to snap up several good buys and were extremely satisfied with the trip!
Written November 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
josephpA9806WL
Cary, NC7 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
This part of HCMC is a complete waste of your time. Sure, there are a few temples here. But, the neighborhood is filthy, the people aggressive (not accustomed to foreigners here) , the scooter drivers especially aggressive and rude, 99%of the architecture is second -rate.
If your time is limited skip the neighborhood. If you have all the time in the world, skip the neighborhood.
If your time is limited skip the neighborhood. If you have all the time in the world, skip the neighborhood.
Written November 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lukas B
Prostejov, Czech Republic172 contributions
Apr 2014 • Solo
If you are staying in district 1 and want to save 120.000vnd take a bus #1 from Ben Thanh Market to China Town bus terminal, 5.000vnd, approximately 15 min. Don't worry where to get off cause the bus terminates exactly where you need to get off.
Not more that 150m south from bus terminal is interesting Binh Tay Market.
I have seen ALL the sights in China Town, but those worth seeking are these: Quan Am Pagoda, Thien Hau Pagoda.
To get back to your hotel again take a bus #1 either from the same place you got off or from any bus station along DL Hai Thuong Lan Ong street.
Not more that 150m south from bus terminal is interesting Binh Tay Market.
I have seen ALL the sights in China Town, but those worth seeking are these: Quan Am Pagoda, Thien Hau Pagoda.
To get back to your hotel again take a bus #1 either from the same place you got off or from any bus station along DL Hai Thuong Lan Ong street.
Written April 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve W
Sydney, Australia75 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
If you are looking for well priced authentic jade jewellery then go to An Dong plaza under the Windsor plaza hotel. We purchased a number of items here for between AUS 40 -50. They have been authenticated as the real thing back home. The same bangles etc in larger shopping centres in the CBD were ten times the price. Individual merchants in the An Dong travel to old Burma and purchase direct and don't try to rip you off to the extent of others.
Written June 21, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew W
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia1 contribution
Oct 2012 • Solo
I have been reading many of your comments and have to strongly disagree cholon is a most wonderful and interesting place if you give a little time to explore. If you expect to be dropped off by taxi and have everything in your face as soon as you step out you are sadly mistaken, you need to spend a little time and explore and walk and sit with others eating at comunal tables, the experience is fantastic and it will make you a better person for it. And not wanting to buy anything there is surely a joke as you can purchase some of the best food and food ingredients anywhere on the planet, Ok some of the chinese clothing is a bit "How's your mother" but it is the same in any market around the world. Just take time and get out of the taxi use your feet or a sicklo and remember this is not your little part of America or Europe in is uniquely Viet-Nam. So take time and enjoy.
Written May 16, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SirCyrus
Asia200 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
I read the reviews on tripadviser and almost didn't go to Cholon, but I'm glad I did.
Cholon is one of those places that is not all pretty and sanitised for the bulk of the tourists.
As it did each day during my stay in HCM, it rained heavily and turned roads into small streams, and dirt into mud. It was like that outside my hotel in District 1, and it was like that when I got to Chinatown's main marketplace Cho Binh Tay.
The lanes and small roads around the market were filled with dirty deep puddles and water.
And you can see how Vietnamese really live. Vietnam is not just what tourists see in District 1 with the Spas you see listed in the top 20 attractions in HCM.
Walk around the Chinatown market and you can see tin shed huts, old women wearing the traditional wide based conical hats serving pho for 20,000 dong. I know the price because I had some and was sitting on those tiny stools next to several office staff from a nearby bank. Even the locals eat this way. You may not see this in district 1 if you just go to the spas and Bitexco skytower.
Nearby, people were just throwing rubbish onto a spot on the road.
Go inside the market and you will find hundreds of stalls crammed in. Downstairs, the ones on the outliers only have tarpaulins for cover so the corridor is black with mud and water. Yet the stall owners sit there because that's their job.
Go upstairs and it become drier, much stiller and humid. And again there are hundreds of people working. Where the products are clothing, the area can become very quiet, as the clothing acts as sound deadening.
In the middle of the market is an open courtyard with an area buddhists can place their joss sticks.
And in these narrow corridors, people are busy packing or unpacking boxes and bags, filling their orders.
Is it a clean modern air conditioned place? No.
Is it a snapshot of the real Vietnam? Yes. Something you won't see necessarily at home and it'll give you another holiday story to tell.
As a previous reviewer, Simon, wrote, the markets are dirty, but the culture is still very interesting for foreigners.
Cholon is one of those places that is not all pretty and sanitised for the bulk of the tourists.
As it did each day during my stay in HCM, it rained heavily and turned roads into small streams, and dirt into mud. It was like that outside my hotel in District 1, and it was like that when I got to Chinatown's main marketplace Cho Binh Tay.
The lanes and small roads around the market were filled with dirty deep puddles and water.
And you can see how Vietnamese really live. Vietnam is not just what tourists see in District 1 with the Spas you see listed in the top 20 attractions in HCM.
Walk around the Chinatown market and you can see tin shed huts, old women wearing the traditional wide based conical hats serving pho for 20,000 dong. I know the price because I had some and was sitting on those tiny stools next to several office staff from a nearby bank. Even the locals eat this way. You may not see this in district 1 if you just go to the spas and Bitexco skytower.
Nearby, people were just throwing rubbish onto a spot on the road.
Go inside the market and you will find hundreds of stalls crammed in. Downstairs, the ones on the outliers only have tarpaulins for cover so the corridor is black with mud and water. Yet the stall owners sit there because that's their job.
Go upstairs and it become drier, much stiller and humid. And again there are hundreds of people working. Where the products are clothing, the area can become very quiet, as the clothing acts as sound deadening.
In the middle of the market is an open courtyard with an area buddhists can place their joss sticks.
And in these narrow corridors, people are busy packing or unpacking boxes and bags, filling their orders.
Is it a clean modern air conditioned place? No.
Is it a snapshot of the real Vietnam? Yes. Something you won't see necessarily at home and it'll give you another holiday story to tell.
As a previous reviewer, Simon, wrote, the markets are dirty, but the culture is still very interesting for foreigners.
Written July 25, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kiwitravlers
Wellington, New Zealand76 contributions
If you want to experience the real HCMC, get a feel for some local commerce, see what keeps the city ticking and get out of tourist alley then check this place out. Catch a #1 bus from the bus station opposite Ben Thahn market over the crazy roundabout. Stay on the bus till it reaches the last stop. 150m South is the main market. It's dirty, crammed and real. Put down your can of 333 and escape the pushy locals to experience some true HCMC.
Written December 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron D
Marshall, TX5 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
After reading the reviews I felt I must not have been in the same Cholon. I had been in Cholon 47 years ago and I saw very little change except for the sidewalks that are mostly cleared except for the excellent street vendor food and the traffic lights that show seconds left before light changes. The traffic is orderly and moves well. Two days into my trip while walking to the Nhac Tre Tea Shop from the Arc en Ciel Hotel I began laughing because the people had not changed in fifty years. They don't see as many Americans as Saigon but when you smile they smile back. I was fascinated to interact with the original Vietnamese who came south from China many centuries ago. The people are very friendly and helpful. I only saw one policeman and no crime or anyone unpleasant to another. I felt peaceful my entire stay even at 1 AM on the street or in alleys. I even had breakfast with the hotel owner three times and he treated me like family just as my Vietnamese army friend had done during the war. The hotel is where American ambassador's ate evening meals on the rooftop with General Westmoreland. Sit down and have a glass of tea with a Vietnamese. Look beyond the sites and buildings and experience the hospitality of a people that endured many hardships without complaining. This is the finanancial center of Vietnam but the treasure is really in the people. This trip was to be a one time thing but I will return in two years and stay for 6 months at a time.
Written November 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MrsScott11
Hobart, Australia28 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
we tried to visit here yesterday based on tourist information we read, this district is miles away from where we were staying so we endured a long taxi ride to be totally disappointed and then stuck in an area with didn't know with no taxi option.
We had read tourist info that there was a beautiful are inside the BinTay market - well the market is currently under renovation so you are not even sure where to go. we walked around the most disgusting, smelly and dirty area we had ever been in and we have been to a few bad places in our travels, so this is saying something. we also run into another couple for Australia who were also experiencing the same as us.
The travel book recommended we take a cyclo tour - all the cyclo we saw were dirty and there is no way we would have sat in one. we wished we had of known about this before we went so I hope this review is helpful to someone else.
We had read tourist info that there was a beautiful are inside the BinTay market - well the market is currently under renovation so you are not even sure where to go. we walked around the most disgusting, smelly and dirty area we had ever been in and we have been to a few bad places in our travels, so this is saying something. we also run into another couple for Australia who were also experiencing the same as us.
The travel book recommended we take a cyclo tour - all the cyclo we saw were dirty and there is no way we would have sat in one. we wished we had of known about this before we went so I hope this review is helpful to someone else.
Written June 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria S
Liverpool, UK194 contributions
Anyone have some good place to get traditional Chinese baozi, jiaozi, and hand pulled noodles in D5? Xinjiang noodles especially if there is a Halal stall or restaurant would be amazing!
DAVID L
Los Angeles, CA8,327 contributions
Yes, Christina’s Info has it: Restaurants recommendations
Go to blog, period, christinas, period, vn, backslash, Chinatown-in-Saigon
Sounds delicious! Enjoy ... Dave
d0nnamack
Newcastle, Australia9 contributions
Hi, going to HCM in April, would like to go to Chinatown to do shopping is it worth the time or should I stick with Ben Thanh & shopping centres. Also would like to go to other markets around area.
Ngan H
350 contributions
It is worth every minute to spend your time visiting Cholon. The price tend to be cheaper than Ben Thanh Market area.
Alicia P
16 contributions
Alguien sabe si se pueden comprar allà instrumentos budistas? En este caso necesito un Mokugyo.
tofupike
Puchong, Malaysia122 contributions
Hi, I will be going to HCMC this weekend and it will be my first trip to VN. I am interested in going to Cholon and wondering if there are buses that goes from Cho Ben Tanh to Cholon or nearby Cho Binh Tay. Thanks.
J H
Melbourne, Australia176 contributions
Hi, we grabbed a taxi from our hotel- cheap. But I'm sure there'd be a local bus route which would get you there. There's a large bus depot not far from Ben Tanh market, with buses going in all directions. Don't expect too much from Chinatown- not a great place to visit. I'm fine with adventures and challenges, but Chinatown was dirty, seedy, unfriendly and didn't really offer much at all. The market is very much local shopping only- probably very cheap, but really not my thing. The dragon fountain in the park in Chinatown was the only thing that I thought was appealing. You might see things very differently- have fun.
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Claim your listingChinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5 - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5:
- Cho Lon’s Scents, Sights and Sounds (From $62.00)
- Ho Chi Minh: PRIVATE Off the Beaten Track Tour with a Local (From $41.05)
- Private Full Day Tour of Ho Chi Minh City including Lunch (From $83.00)
- Ho Chi Minh Nightlife & Street Food Tour By Motorbike (From $60.00)
- Private sight-seeing motorbike tour with local expert/student in HCMC (From $24.62)
- Hotels near Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5:
- (0.38 mi) Sao Mai Hotel
- (2.09 mi) Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City
- (2.63 mi) Christina's - Hotel & Cafe
- (1.60 mi) Windsor Plaza Hotel
- (0.11 mi) Khach San Hoang Gia
- Restaurants near Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5:
- (0.13 mi) Tiem An Nam Long
- (0.25 mi) Dim Tu Tac Hung Vuong Plaza
- (0.25 mi) Kim Sanh
- (2.11 mi) Chit Chat at the Café
- (0.38 mi) Ga Song Phung - Ga Khong Loi Thoat
- Attractions near Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5:
- (0.02 mi) Binh Tay Market
- (0.05 mi) HAY TRAVEL
- (0.27 mi) Water Buffalo Tours
- (0.52 mi) Saigon on Bikes
- (0.23 mi) Hoang Anh Holiday
Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5 Information
Excellent Reviews | 170 |
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Very Good Reviews | 260 |
Chinatown (Cho Lon) - District 5 Photos | 642 |