Hello everyone! Today, I want to introduce to you a unique cultural aspect of Viet Nam in general and Da Nang City in particular. That is the Son Tra night market. This is one of the most famous night markets in Da Nang with a relatively large area located right in the center of Da Nang city, about 50m from the Dragon Bridge.
Due to its prime location, the market attracts a lot of domestic and international tourists to visit. As a night market, it opens from 5 pm to 11 pm and operates every day of the week. This is my second time visiting this market because I do not like crowded places. The market sells a wide variety of items such as fashion, jewelry, souvenirs, food, and even a playground for children.
The first time I visited this market was with my friend. After we watched the Dragon Bridge light show, we visited the Son Tra night market. I was overwhelmed by the diversity of shops here. From clothes for men and women, hats, and fashion accessories, all with various designs and at affordable prices. I found the sellers here to be very friendly and enthusiastic in advising me about the origin, function, and characteristics of their products.
Not only clothes, I also saw many shops selling products that have unique characteristics and traditional Vietnamese cultural values such as non la, bags made from handmade materials - often from natural fibers in the forest, and dyed with many vibrant colors. In my opinion, foreign tourists love to use bags made from natural materials.
And the thing that I love the most here is the food. To be honest, coming here feels like a paradise for foodie lovers. There are many dishes from salty to sweet, fruit, and seafood here is also very fresh and affordable.
What I like the most when coming here is visiting the wood carving stalls. The artisans will directly carve on the wood and make everything by hand, even with basic tools like a saw or a pen. In a short amount of time, they can create very beautiful wooden letters. I often come here to shop and chat with these craftsmen. They are very friendly, they share with me about their experience in the craft, their passion for it, and the difficulties they face when competing with advanced machines. I really like talking to people with a lot of ups and downs and aspirations in life. Their positive attitude and perseverance are essential for the younger generation like me.
However, one thing I do not like about this market is that it is too crowded and cramped for me. Because the Sơn Trà night market combines both shopping and sightseeing, the number of visitors here is very large. The stalls are very close to each other, so traffic jams are unavoidable. My experience is that you should go during the less busy hours from 6 pm to 8 pm. This is the time when there are fewer tourists. Because at 9 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, the Dragon Bridge will light up with water and fire, so it will be very crowded. If you go early after visiting the night market, you can leisurely watch the Dragon Bridge light show.
These are some of my experiences with the Son Tra night market in Da Nang. If you have a chance to visit Da Nang, Viet Nam, I recommend that you visit this market at least once. The unique and interesting experiences here will definitely enrich your travel experience.
Wishing everyone a delightful read!