Dam Market of Nha Trang

Dam Market is a multi-purpose market that sells anything from gadgets to dry food and everything in between. This market is used by both locals and visitors; the locals prefer to go earlier in the morning (the market opens at around 05:00) and the tourists prefer to go later in the afternoon. From mid-morning onward, street stalls pop up around the permanent market building. Around 18:00, the market closes.

Dam Market first opened its doors in 1974. This is when the concrete building in the market's center, which is mostly a clothing market, was built. It's a massive, one-of-a-kind, and unsightly construction with stalls crammed together. It's a little chaotic, which adds to its appeal.

The market's clothing department takes up two floors of this concrete structure. The upper story is actually just a large balcony from which consumers may gaze down onto the bottom floor, which is connected by a small path to the side of tightly packed market stalls. A pool with a now-defunct fountain is in the heart of the market, surrounded by chairs and tables for consumers of the neighboring food vendors. The market was definitely intended to be a cutting-edge facility when it was built. The design, on the other hand, has not weathered the test of time, and the structure is a historical reminder of the newly unified Communist state of Vietnam's post-war goals that didn't quite come out as planned.

The majority of the vendors are selling clothing. Every style and type of clothing imaginable is on sale. Some of the kiosks provide extremely low-cost (fake) designer goods. Some shops sell t-shirts aimed at both international and domestic tourists. Other stalls provide clothing that might be worn by locals. There are no set prices, and if you aren't from the area, you should expect to pay a lot more than locals.

There are stalls selling a variety of things among the garment stalls. Here you may get low-cost household supplies, including plugs, lamps, kitchen utensils, kettles, and irons. They also sell various trinkets, sunglasses, and whatever else an inventive stall holder thinks he or she can sell.

A smaller, newer rectangular building next to the main market building sells goods. This section of the market isn't quite as crazy as the clothing section. The stalls are arranged in rows with spacious walkways between them, and the larger entrances make this building feel considerably less oppressive than the original circular market building next door.

Seafood is the major item for sale. Nha Trang is known for its seafood, especially dried shrimp, squid, and cuttlefish, all of which are popular in Vietnamese cuisine. Some dried food items are offered loose in containers, while others are wrapped in boxes and ready to be taken home and transported. The Dam Market is frequented by Vietnamese visitors to the city who come expressly to buy pre-packaged dried fish to give to their friends and family when they return from their vacation in the city.

Other stalls offering souvenirs and children's toys can be seen among the food stalls. The pricing here, like the rest of Dam Market, is not fixed, and you'll have to haggle hard to obtain anything cheap.