What to Expect in Thanh Ha Fish Market?

At the entrance of Thanh Ha Pottery Village, Thanh Ha Fish Market is one of the biggest fish markets in Hoi An Vietnam. It’s near some major roads of the city and Thu Bon River, the largest river in the area. Distance from this market to the sea is about 10 kilometers. For that reason, fishing boats from both the sea and rivers, can easily dock here to offload fishes they caught. After that, fish sellers will quickly see buyers who bring the fishes to the restaurants or other markets. Thanh Ha Fish Market opens early in the morning because locals want to ensure that fishes are still fresh and buyers can see them before they go to work.

At Thanh Ha Fish Market, locals and visitors will expect to see a wide variety of fishes, seafood and other aquatic species. There are ca ngu (tuna), ca nuc (anchovy), ca thu (king mackerel), ca kinh (white spotted rabbitfish), ca ho (largehead hairtail or beltfish), ca bac ma (Indian mackerel or bigmouth mackerel), ca ngan (yellowtail scad), ca bao ao (cleftbelly trevally, also known as the cleftbelly kingfish), ca song (yellow grouper, also known as the banded grouper), ca chim (Pampus argenteus, the silver pomfret or white pomfret), ca trao (razorbelly scad), ca chi vang (yellowstripe scad, also known as the yellowstripe trevally), ca moi (sardines), ca trich (sardinella), tom (squids), bach tuoc (octopus), tom (prawn), so lua (Paratapes undulatus, common name undulate venus),…

Visit Thanh Ha Fish Market before the sunrise to see the most types of fishes as possible. If come late, there are not so many fishes remaining.

Next to Thanh Ha Fish Market, that’s Thanh Ha Market, the largest fresh market in the area. Here, visitors have the chance to see different local vegetables and foods. Especially the fishes from the fish market will be used to make ‘fish cakes’ (raw or fried). This kind of fish cake is an ingredient for noodles, soups,…around the city. 

After visiting Thanh Ha Fish Market, we suggest going into the village (called Thanh Ha Pottery Village) to sightsee and learn about its tradition of pottery making (started from 400 years ago). Visitors buy can an entry ticket costing 35,000 VND to enter the area where artisans have lived and made pottery, watch how they use manual potter’s wheel to make pottery and then try your hand with their instruction, go shopping with products,… On the other hand, can buy another ticket to enter Thanh Ha Terracotta Park to see a mini model of all world wonders, exhibitions introducing traditional pottery villages across Vietnam, exhibitions to honor the village itself. Museum buildings are nice in architecture.

Going cross the Cam Kim Bridge above the market, visitors will see Thu Bon River and then Cam Kim Island, a peaceful rural area with a woodworking village and rice paper making, mat weaving households.