Vendors at the iconic Ben Thanh Market in downtown Ho Chi Minh City have said they do not feel secure to do business as the market has deteriorated.

It is often leaky and flooded whenever heavy rains or high tides hit the city.

Its firefighting and wastewater drainage systems fail to meet the demand. 

Stalls of fabrics, souvenirs, and dried foods are clean but the walls above are wet and blistered with an interlacing system of electric wires.

T.T.H., the owner of a fashion stall, said vendors in the area get wet whenever it rains due to the leaky roof, so most have prepared tarpaulins to cover their goods.

Trinh Thi Van, the third generation of a family selling goods at Ben Thanh Market, said the marketplace had been increasingly deserted with the number of visitors being fewer than one-fourth of that in previous years.

“Supermarkets and convenience stores are mushrooming, not to mention peddlers surrounding the market, putting traders at the market at a disadvantage,” Van explained.

Mentioning the infrastructure at the market, Van said the weak foundation had caused subsidence.

Many kiosks of fresh goods have run down with rusty roofs and bars.

“In addition to the stuffy atmosphere during the dry season, traders often suffer the leakage and inundation whenever it rains or tides rise," H. added.

“I expect the city to repair and upgrade the market early so that traders and tourists can set their minds at rest."

A representative of the market management board told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the venue has been dilapidated.

After over 100 years of operation, many facilities at the market have become ramshackle.

In particular, the drainage system has failed to deal with the much higher volume of wastewater, while the roof has worn out.

The road in front of the market is now higher than the ground of the marketplace, whereas it was lower in the past. 

The market management board has repeatedly repaired the roof, dredged drains, and handled subsidence sites.

However, the market is large and its drainage and water supply systems are complicated, while the budget is limited, so the market has been repaired in a patchy and unsystematic manner, according to the official.

In the past, vendors sold products on the floor, but they now operate in kiosks which are close to one another and separated by partitions, making the market stuffier.

The market has installed fans to make the space airier but the efforts were in vain.

The solution of equipping the market with air conditioners is unfeasible as Ben Thanh is a traditional market so it requires an open space.

Earlier, the administration in District 1 informed that the century-old Ben Thanh Market has deteriorated and proposed revamping it, including replacing its current tile effect roofing sheets with roof tiles, which needs some VND95 billion (US$3.9 million).

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.

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

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