Without a doubt one of the highlights of any visit to Southeast Asia is a trip to a local market. Exotic, atmospheric and photogenic, the markets found around Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar are a million miles away from your average shopping mall or corner store …
Southeast Asian markets come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the eclectic to the more specialized. Central Market in Phnom Penh is a great example of the former; this beautiful Art Deco structure, which was among the largest markets in Asia when it first opened in 1937, sells a huge range of goods including gold, silver, clothing, clocks, books, food, fabrics, shoes, souvenirs, luggage, electronics, stationary — it’s a proper ‘one-stop-shop’ and an absolute must-see for tourists.
At the other end we find more specialist markets like Pak Khlong Talat, Bangkok’s Flower Market, selling only flowers, fruit and vegetables. In addition to these there are floating markets, night markets, morning markets, 5-day markets (so called because the market’s location rotates between 5 different venues over a 5 day period), tourist markets — the list goes on!
However, Southeast Asian markets have far more significance than merely being venues for shopping. Often the center of a community, they can also be a crossroads and meeting point for different ethnic groups, Sapa Market in North Vietnam being a very good example of this. People from the H’mong, Dao, Kinh and other minorities gather here from the surrounding hamlets to trade farming products such as rice, corn and fruits. More recently a large part of their trade has also been handicrafts and souvenirs for tourists. Even romance can be found by those who look hard enough — Saturdays in Sapa takes on special significance for young people with the ‘Love Market’ when hill-tribe teenagers trek into town to look for a mate!
In addition to shopping and socializing, markets can offer a third attraction – food! It’s rare to find a market in Southeast Asia that doesn’t have either a sit down food court of some kind, or a collection of street food stalls. Street food and other informal eating outlets are extremely popular in the region, and you will find that you are never far from a snack when visiting a local market. The vendors themselves are attracted to this occupation because of the possibility of earning relatively high incomes. In Southeast Asia, the earnings of a street food stall holder can be between three to ten times the minimum wage and are often comparable to the wages of skilled laborers employed in more formal sectors.
Making a purchase at a local market is another one of those unforgettable experiences when travelling as it involves the ubiquitous art of haggling! Generally limited in the West these days to informal flea markets or garage sales, bargaining is alive and well in Southeast Asia and accompanies almost every transaction, large or small. Guide books give you tips on how to do it and fellow travellers may agonize over it but to Asians it is simply a way of life.
The best advice? Throw yourself into it with a smile, keep in mind that a dollar is worth a lot more to the vendor than it is to you and don’t take the experience too seriously — market visits are meant to be the highlight of the day!
