Turn Ben Thanh market into an attractive check-in spot

Many experts believe that in addition to repairing Ben Thanh Market (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), the city needs to renovate and synchronize both the market and the surrounding area, Le Loi Street, to turn this area into an attractive "check-in" spot when the metro line comes into operation.

Tourists visit and shop at Ben Thanh market - Photo: N.Tri

Repairing the market requires a large amount of capital, but many small traders are still having difficulty doing business.

Therefore, in addition to socialization, according to experts and traders, there should be a separate mechanism to pour budget capital into repairing and upgrading the market as well as renovating the area around Ben Thanh market.

Small traders hope the State will join hands

Talking to us, Mr. Nguyen H., owner of a fashion stall at Ben Thanh market , said that because the market has deteriorated, during the dry season, traders have to endure the heat.

"During the rainy season, the market is often flooded and leaky, causing damage to goods and the drainage system to not be able to meet demand. Therefore, the sooner the market is repaired and upgraded, the better," said Mr. H.

Tuoi Tre's records show that although business activities at Ben Thanh Market were busier than previous months, many traders said the number of customers was very modest compared to previous years.

"Business is difficult, while I rent the stall for 100,000 VND/day, not to mention many related taxes and fees. Therefore, if the market is repaired, we can only contribute a part," said Mr. H.

According to Ms. NTV - a handicraft seller at the market, purchasing power is 50% of previous years so many stalls are still closed.

Therefore, it will be very difficult to rely on traders to repair the market. "The government needs to consider a mechanism to support repairs, because this is also a tourist destination, the face of the city," said Ms. V.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre, a representative of Ben Thanh market management board said the market has 1,433 business households with 1,538 stalls/stands.

However, due to the lack of customers, there are currently only about 1,100 businesses. Therefore, according to this person, the main source of income for the market is service fees for using the sales area, which is quite modest.

"Ben Thanh Market used to be a central market, a bustling hub for goods, but now it is mainly a tourist market, and people's income is not as much as before. Therefore, we really need support from the budget, in addition to options such as contributions from small traders, socialization, or borrowing at low interest rates... to repair the market," he said.

Need to invest in synchronous renovation

Speaking with Tuoi Tre, Dr. Duong Duc Minh, deputy director of the Institute for Economic and Tourism Development Research, said that the value that Ben Thanh Market brings is not only the business activities of small traders, but it also has symbolic value for Ho Chi Minh City.

Therefore, investing in upgrading and developing Ben Thanh market is not only a matter of small traders, but also a matter of the city.

"The city has specific resolutions, especially resolution 98 which talks about investing in tourism development. Based on this resolution and related factors, we can be flexible, considering the investment in repairing Ben Thanh market as an investment in tourism, in developing the city's economy, and needing budget support," Dr. Minh suggested.

According to Mr. Minh, investing in the synchronous renovation of the central area, in which Ben Thanh market is a connecting point, is necessary.

"The synchronous investment creates spatial connections such as from Le Loi street through Ben Thanh market, Nguyen Hue street , metro line... giving customers a continuous feeling and positive experience.

In particular, Ben Thanh market is the place that leads visitors to check-in, from there spreading to other places," Mr. Minh added.

An expert in the field of architecture also believes that with the available historical and geographical factors, if built properly, Ben Thanh market and the city center will soon become the top check-in point in Vietnam. Therefore, Ben Thanh market must be considered not only a traditional market , but also a tourist and economic development destination.

"When attracting many international tourists, it will lead to the development of other industries from accommodation, shopping, cuisine... In addition to the common work, the city should come up with its own model to mobilize people in this area to participate, such as repainting houses, applying uniform advertising signs, and doing business according to regulations...", he suggested.

Increase connections to sell multiple times

According to Dr. Duong Duc Minh, the market is associated with the flow of commercial culture, so in addition to upgrading, the city can research to design more space to sell OCOP products at Ben Thanh market, specialties of localities to tell more good stories.

In addition, it is necessary to calculate to create a product data bank and increase online sales connections, so that foreign tourists after returning home can still order products from Ben Thanh market, we must increase connections to sell many times.

Tuoitre.vn