What to Buy in Bac My An Market?

Bac My An Market is one of the biggest local markets in Da Nang Vietnam. It’s located in the heart of My An ward, Ngu Hanh Son district. This market is surrounded by four roads: Nguyen Ba Lan Street (west), My Da Dong 2 Street (north), My Da Dong 1 Street (east) and My Da Dong Street (south). Its main entrance is on Nguyen Ba Lan Street. In the front, there is Bac My An Park.

Around the entrance of Bac My An Market, visitors can see stalls where people sell any things to wear such as ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress), ready-to-wear T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, office shirts, short and long pants, jackets, dresses, shoes, sandal, hat, handbag, travel bags and suitcases, wallet, leather belt, shocks, underwear, swimsuit, more. The price depends on the seller, quality, brand, etc. Generally, buyers can bargain to make the price lower (if feel the stuff too expensive) or request a discount if take some stuff from one shop. We advise going around and asking the price to compare between shops, to choose the best quality and best price stuff.

After walking into Bac My An Market, the food court is immediately seen. Here, many local and regional dishes are sold with a local price (see more information and details below). Not far away, it’s possible to find kiosks where local people sell cakes (Cam Le dry black sesame cake, mung bean cake, durian cake, mango cake,…), candies (coconut candy, mango candy,…), crackers, candied fruits, nuts and seeds (lotus seeds, cashew nuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts,…), dried seafood (especially fishes, shrimp, squid, seahorse,…), Vietnamese beef jerky, caramelized seafood (most popularly fish, squid and small crabs), pork or beef sausage (sellers don’t mind to give buyers a small sample to know the flavour, beef sausage cha bo is famous in Da Nang), fresh tropical fruits and vegetables, coffee beans and powder, instant coffee, dried tea, Nam O fish sauce, fermented sauces or pastes (from shrimp, prawn, fishes), rice papers, dried noodles, prawn cracker, packs of spices (chilli, turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, cinamon, star anise, black pepper, coriander seed,…), tiger balm (esp ‘golden star balm’), essential oils (cajeput oil, cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil), more. These things are good to buy and bring home as souvenirs. Compared to more touristy markets, the price here is more affordable. However, local sellers do not speak English fluently, so make sure that the internet is available to use online translation.

If want to try or buy local sauces (mam), there are many options to choose from too. Popularly used sauces to make food in Da Nang are fish sauce (produced in Nam O Village), fermented anchovy fish sauce (mam nem), shrimp paste (nam ruoc), fermented shrimp sauce (mam tom chua), fermented anchovy fish sauce with eggplants, papaya, cucumber and chilli (mam dua), more. These dishes are smelly but delicious.

The section of Bac My An Market by My Da Dong 1 Street is where local people sell fresh meats and food made by meats (pork, chicken, beef, goat, pork sausage, beef sausage, fish cakes, fish balls, pork bones to make the broth of noodle soup,..), fresh seafood (fishes, shrimp, oysters, scallops, squid,…) during the dry season and vegetables.