The administration in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City has proposed revitalizing the iconic Ben Thanh Market, including replacing its current tile effect roofing sheets with roof tiles, District 1 vice-chairman Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh said at a meeting on Saturday.

Ben Thanh Market was built from 1912 to 1914 on an area of 13,000 square meters. It was last renovated in 1985, Vinh informed.

The century-old market has been dilapidated. In particular, its walls and clock tower have been wet and blistered.

District 1 authorities have reviewed run-down items and would propose the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee allocate some VND95 billion (US$3.9 million) from the city’s budget for the replacement of the market's current tile effect roofing sheets with roof tiles, Vinh said.

The market was earlier roofed with tiles, which were later replaced with tile effect roofing sheets, the district official noted.

An additional VND45 billion ($1.8 million) will be sourced for the renovation of the wastewater drainage, electricity supply, and fire prevention and fighting systems, as well as the repair of the 10,000-square-meter floor.

District 1 expects to finish this work before April 30, 2025.

The municipal administration had earlier assigned District 1 to study the renovation of Ben Thanh Market and an area totaling over 45,000 square meters in front of the venue, including a square, roads, and sidewalks, requiring some VND157 billion ($6.4 million).

Ben Thanh Market is one of the symbols of Ho Chi Minh City and a popular tourist attraction of the southern metropolis.

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