Chợ Bình Tây| History of foundation

In 1776s, Saigon area ( is Cho Lon now, and Saigon now is called Ben Nghe before ), a chinese’s domicile,Cu Lao Pho ( Bien Hoa now ), after their evacuating from the war of Nguyen Anh & Tay Son troop.

Make a comparation with Cu Lao Pho, Saigon has more advantages thanks to the convenience of road and river traffic. According to their customs, chinese people often establish markets when they arrive at new domiciles for convenient goods exchange. Make a comparation with Tan Kieng market of Vietnamese people, Saigon ( the area of Cho Lon post office now ) is more bigger so it is called Cho Lon ( Lon Market ).

The more and more developing Cho Lon was, the more and more people from other place came to here to do business.

The market became narrower so that it couldn’t be developped more. The Cho Lon provincial government at that time also intended to build a new one but a spare land lot couldn’t be found. Learning about this, Quach Dam spent his own money to purchase a swampy land lot of 25.000m2 area in Binh Tay village and had someone level the ground plan and a new maket was constructed of ferro- concrete to be awarded the state. But he himself only got a permission to build house blocks arrround the market and his statue to be placed in the middle of the market after his death.

Quach Dam, trade mark of Thong Hiep (1863- 1927, according to caves in the base of his statue in the market flower garden ), the person who is considerred as a fortune of Binh Tay market, from Trieu An village, Long Khanh, Trieu Chau, China,

leaving his native land in empty hands. At the beginning, he collected old bottles, duck feather and waste materials for daily living. Thanks to his hard working and good calculation and trading, he soon became a rich man. When getting an approval of Cho Lon provincial government, he organized to build a new market basing on chinese architectural design and apply French modern construction tech at that time. To Mr. Quach Dam’s copper statue, it was made in France. After his death, in 1930, Quach Dam’s family set up his statue on the high base with the kylin attending at the foot of the statue, the dragon breathing water. At present, his statue is kept and reversed at HCMC fine arts museum.

After being built, located on a large land lot, the new market looks very spacious, clean, so it is called new Cho Lon ( new big market ). Right after it’s put into operation, thanks to the convenience of road and river traffic as well as trading skill of pity traders, Vietnamese and Chinese, New Cho Lon soon became a busy trading area, keeping it’s role of commody supplying sources throughout the South Vietnam six original provinces, local and surrounding countries until the independence day.

Right after the independence day, The revolutionary government took the control and arranged people keeping their trade to serve commodities for the nationwide and neighborhood nations Lao, Cambodia, China and then the name of the market is changed into Binh Tay market. In 1992, going on promoting the market’s advantages, 06th district People’s Committee organized to repair and upgrade the market heart with one more storey. In 2006, going on investing to repair and make Tran Binh area – Le Tan Ke cleaner and more beautiful, Binh Tay market, therefore, becomes one of city’s big markets with 2358 stalls. The market heart area has 1446 stalls including 698 stalls in the ground floor and 748 stalls in the storey. The external area of the market heart has 912 stalls including 408 stalls in Tran Binh area, 328 stalls in Le Tan Ke area, 176 stalls in Phan Van Khoe area. Commodity items are arranged logically, gatherring in accordance with each trade area to promote advantages of each item, chinese people still flock into this market area to do business, majority is chinese those who live in 05th , 06th and 11th districts, Chinese small traders occupy 25% of amount of trade households in Binh Tay market.

For more than 80 years of foundation and development, Binh Tay market now still remains it’s position of the big commodity supplying center of the city and the 06th district. Although there is a drastic competition of supermaket systems, commercial centers in the recent years, thanks to chinese ancient architectural design and the market’s history length, the market is open a new developing way, it is a potiential tourist site, sightseeing and shopping for visistors in locally and abroad.

Annually, there are more than 120,000 of foreign visitors come here to visit and shop thanks to nationwide tourist agents, among them, Saigon Tourist’s visistors come here mostly. Welcome to Binh Tay market, visitors not only see ancient architecture but also learn about the market’s history and shop at suitable price.