Ben Thanh Market Prices & Fees: What a Visit Costs
Prices verified October 2026. Entry to the market is free; the metro fares below are the official Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee figures. Food and souvenir prices are typical, observed stall prices — there is no published market price list — and are labelled accordingly.
Ben Thanh Market charges nothing to enter, which surprises some first-time visitors who expect a ticketed attraction. From the moment you walk in, everything is priced stall by stall, and the final amount depends as much on your bargaining as on the goods. This page sets out the honest ranges for food and souvenirs, the official metro fares that get you here, and the etiquette that decides what you actually pay.
💵 The headline
Entry to Ben Thanh Market: FREE. There is no ticket and no gate fee. You pay only for what you eat and buy. The market opens daily from about 06:00 to 18:00, with the night market and surrounding streets running on until roughly 22:00–23:00. See our opening hours page for the full daily rhythm.
Food and drink — typical prices
Stalls are independent and prices are informal, so treat the ranges below as indicative. They are deliberately wide, because the same bowl of pho costs less at a back stall and more at a front-facing one aimed at tourists.
| Dish or drink | Typical range (VND) |
|---|---|
| Pho (beef noodle soup) | 50,000–120,000 |
| Banh mi | 17,000–80,000 |
| Vietnamese iced coffee | 15,000–50,000 |
| Goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) | 40,000–80,000 |
| Com tam (broken rice) | 50,000–70,000 |
| Bun bo Hue | 60,000–80,000 |
| Banh xeo (sizzling pancake) | 80,000–150,000 |
| Bun thit nuong | 60,000–100,000 |
| Bun rieu (crab noodle soup) | 40,000–70,000 |
| Banh beo | 20,000–50,000 |
| Che (sweet soup) | 20,000–60,000 |
| Fresh sugarcane juice | 15,000–30,000 |
Type: observed / indicative. Sources: ben-thanh-market.com food guide and the market's own listings, verified October 2026. There is no official price list.
For a full dish-by-dish guide — what to order, and where the best versions are — see our Ben Thanh food guide. The surrounding night market grills seafood and serves Vietnamese desserts from about 18:00, often at prices below the indoor daytime stalls.
Shopping — typical prices
The market is famous for lacquerware, silk, embroidery and coffee, and prices vary enormously with quality and with how hard you negotiate. These ranges are observed, not fixed.
| Category | Typical range (VND) |
|---|---|
| Lacquerware | 50,000–1,000,000 |
| Silk products and textiles | 40,000–300,000 |
| Handcrafted embroidery | 30,000–200,000 |
| Vietnamese coffee (per 100 g) | 50,000–200,000 |
| Ao dai dress | 300,000–800,000 |
Our what to buy at Ben Thanh guide goes into more detail on each category and how to tell good lacquerware or silk from the cheap imitations.
🧧 Bargaining: how it really works
Opening prices are high, and haggling is expected on most goods. A reasonable approach is to start at around 50% of the asking price and expect to settle somewhere near 60–70% of the original quote. Buy several items from one vendor and you will usually do better. But note the exceptions: some food stalls and a few fixed-price shops do not negotiate at all, so read the sign or ask before you begin. Cash in Vietnamese dong gets the best treatment; some vendors also accept QR payments such as MoMo or ZaloPay.
Getting here: official metro fares
Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line 1 runs from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, and its fares are approved by the city People's Committee. Central hops, such as Ben Thanh to Ba Son or the Opera House, sit at the minimum fare.
| Ticket | Price (VND) |
|---|---|
| Single ride (cash) | 7,000–20,000 (distance-based) |
| Single ride (cashless) | 6,000–19,000 |
| Day pass (unlimited) | 40,000 |
| 3-day pass | 90,000 |
| Monthly pass (general) | 300,000 |
| Monthly pass (student) | 150,000 |
Sources: official HCMC metro fare announcement (vietnamnet.vn) and the operator fare table (hochiminhcitymetro.com), verified October 2026. Children under 6, the elderly and people with disabilities travel free.
The operator also charges a refundable 35,000 VND deposit on a Stored Fare Card (returned at the machine). Buy tickets at the machine — cash up to a 100,000 VND note, and no change given — at the ticket office, or simply tap a Visa/Mastercard/NAPAS card, MoMo/ZaloPay, or use the HURC app. Routes to the market on foot and by other transport are on our how to get here page.
The non-obvious costs
- Parking near the market: roughly 10,000–20,000 VND per turn at private lots (observed).
- Grab or taxi from District 1 hotels: about 40,000–80,000 VND (observed); always use the meter or the app.
- Cooking classes that include a market tour run about 450,000–1,800,000 VND per person, depending on the operator (third-party).
- ATMs are available inside and immediately around the market if you need cash.
💡 Getting the best price
Shop in the late afternoon or at the night market if you want room to bargain — vendors chasing their daily target are more flexible. Carry small dong notes, keep a smile, and be willing to walk away: at Ben Thanh, that is the single most effective negotiating move.
Currency
Prices are in Vietnamese dong (VND). As a rough guide, 26,000 VND ≈ US$1.00, and 1,000,000 VND ≈ US$38. Conversions move with the rate, so treat these as approximate and recompute on the day you travel.
How to pay
Market entry is free and nothing needs booking. For food and shopping, cash in dong is preferred and usually earns the best price, with QR payments increasingly common. The metro takes cash or contactless cards and apps. Tours and cooking classes are worth pre-booking online, since the good ones fill up ahead of time.
Prices verified October 2026. Metro fares are official HCMC People's Committee figures; food, souvenir and transport-cost ranges are observed and indicative only. Bargaining outcomes are exactly that — outcomes — and will vary.