Amid the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City, factory workers finish the day and walk to a makeshift market where sellers measure products with small plates and little baskets.

The market is located on Street 54 in Tan Tao Ward, Tan Binh District, near Tan Tao Industrial Park, close to numerous manufacturing companies. 

It is reminiscent of the Mekong Delta, and vegetable and fish stalls line both sides of the road, set up on canvases, where customers, chatting and laughing, stop to choose goods along the way.

Despite being a makeshift market, it offers a wide range of items, from meat and fish to local specialties from the Mekong Delta.

No scales needed

At noon, the street is quiet, with no business taking place.

This market, a vital part of workers’ lives, operates from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and most vendors sell only enough to meet daily demand. 

For example, 41-year-old Nguyen Thi Be from Binh Tan District brings 10kg of vegetables and 5kg of grapes every day. 

“I buy them at noon and sell them in the afternoon since I don’t have space to store goods,” she said.

Like many other vendors, Be’s stall does not use scales; instead, she offers products in small baskets or on little plates.

Her familiar greeting to customers is “a basket for VND10,000 [US$0.4], come on in, everyone!

Be does not weigh her goods beforehand -- she estimates quantities and arranges them on each plate. 

“I’ve been doing this for years and don’t lose money, though the profit isn’t as high as if I used a scale,” Be explained.

Nearby, Phuc and his wife run a fish stall, inviting customers with a loud call, “VND20,000 [$0.8] for a basket of fresh fish, come and choose!”

Practical method

Phuc’s fish stall offers a variety of both sea and freshwater fishes. 

He sources his fish from Binh Dien Market, the largest wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City, located in District 8. 

In the morning, he tours the streets selling them directly from his motorbike. 

At 4:00 pm, he returns to Tan Tao makeshift market to serve workers after their shifts.

“I still weigh the fish in the morning, but in the afternoon, I sell them by the basket,” Phuc said.

“Each basket holds two to three fish, totaling nearly a kilogram -- not a small amount.”

He explained that selling by the basket makes it more convenient for workers to buy the right quantity.

“If I sell by the kilo, it’s more difficult -- I’ve tried it before,” Phuc said.

“Workers usually buy just a few fish for dinner, but weighing only a couple of fish makes pricing inconvenient.

"Selling by the basket or plate is much more practical.”

As a small bonus, Phuc always adds a bunch of green onions and chili peppers to each purchase.

After work, Diem, a 38-year-old worker from Binh Tan District, often stops by the market to pick up dinner.

She says buying food by the basket or plate is a long-standing practice that fits well within workers' budgets.

“For me, living alone, it feels odd to buy just one or two tomatoes at the market -- it’s inconvenient for the seller to weigh and price them,” Diem explained.

“But here, I can simply grab a pre-portioned plate with two or three tomatoes, just enough for one meal.”

With VND20,000, she can buy a basket of three sea fish, enough for dinner and breakfast the next morning.

For just VND60,000 ($2.40), Diem can get multiple meals: two plates of tomatoes for VND20,000, a plate of straw mushrooms for VND10,000, a basket of fish for VND20,000, and a basket of mangoes for dessert with the remaining VND10,000.

Workers-turned-vendors

Many food vendors at the market are workers, like Nguyen Thi Huynh Nhu, 32, who works at a nearby leather shoe company.

Recently, sales have been slow, and Nhu has not had any overtime work.

After finishing her shift at 4:30 pm, Nhu rushes to Mien Tay Bus Station in Binh Tan District to pick up chicken eggs, duck eggs, and dried fish sent from her family in the Mekong Delta to sell.

“If sales go well, I can make a profit of VND100,000-150,000 [$3.9-5.9] per session,” Nhu shared.

Bringing goods from the Mekong Delta, Nhu also sells them in the traditional Mekong Delta style.

“In my hometown, a dozen eggs is counted as 14, and here I sell a dozen eggs as 12 per basket and still make a profit, attracting many buyers,” Nhu said with a smile.

“As a worker myself, I understand the tough situation many of my fellow workers are in.

"Selling at a small profit is fine, as long as everyone is happy.”

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