According to the book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi, Phan Thiet was formed in 1697 when it was one of the four provinces of Binh Thuan. With its potential for maritime economy, Phan Thiet gradually attracted many classes of residents to settle (especially in the Central region). By the 19th century, although it was not the provincial capital of Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet was already an urban area; above was a dense population, the streets were connected, below were busy fishing boats and trading boats.
Wherever there are people, there is a market. Markets are usually held in convenient locations, where there are many people passing by such as: road intersections, river intersections, village entrances... According to author Truong Quoc Minh, before the 20th century, Phan Thiet had 4 crowded places for trading. The largest was the market near the head of Quan bridge (now Le Hong Phong bridge) with over 500 people coming and going, the afternoon market in Long Khe, the Co Hon market in Duc Thang, the Doi Thieu market in Duc Long and the "squatting" markets that can be found in many other places.
The market near Quan bridge was formed thanks to the great contributions of the people of Duc Thang village and Mr. Tran Chat himself. According to documents from the book Duc Thang Bat Khuoc - Chien Cuong (1930 - 1975). On September 16, Quy Mui year (1823), when the Left General Le Van Duyet went on an inspection tour passing through Phan Thiet. Because he saw that Phan Thiet market at that time was located in an area that was not convenient for people to travel, trade, and buy and sell. Therefore, the people of Duc Thang asked Mr. Tran Chat to wait on the road to present a petition asking for the market to be moved (from the current location of Phan Boi Chau street, Duc Nghia ward) to a new location on the right bank of Ca Ty river near the foot of Quan bridge to make it more convenient for people to travel and buy and sell. Seeing that someone dared to be disrespectful and blatantly wait on the road to obstruct military work, Le Van Duyet accused the villagers and beheaded Mr. Tran Chat. After thinking about it, in order to seek the benefit of all the people, the people of Duc Thang committed such a crime. Therefore, the Left Army agreed to allow the market to be relocated, which then developed into a bustling place.
According to the edict of July 12, 1899 of King Thanh Thai, Phan Thiet officially became an urban center, the provincial capital of Binh Thuan. In the overall planning of the whole town, the government also planned to upgrade Phan Thiet market, so the market was moved to its current location. In 1903, the process of rebuilding the new market was completed more solidly with a flat roof. Initially, the market was managed by a British contractor, who collected taxes.
…and some merchant activities
Étienne Aymonier in the journal Excursions et Connaissances de Cochinchine (24-1885) said: In Phan Thiet, the market is held twice a day; in the morning on the right bank of the Ca Ty River, it is larger than in the afternoon (on the left bank). The stalls in the market not only sell domestic goods but also many imported goods from China and Europe. Here, the Chinese merchants play a very important role, they control almost all activities. And of course, their wealth is said to be "over the top", their power is very strong, not unlike the Chinese gangs in Cochinchina. In 1883, the Chinese in Phan Thiet planned to assassinate a Frenchman named Granger. But because they were afraid of the consequences, their compatriots in Pho Hai prevented it.
According to the records of some contemporary writers and journalists, in addition to selling fish sauce, silk, lamp oil, incense, votive paper and local agricultural products such as betel and areca nuts, oranges, grapefruits, etc., many ceramic items were also sold here. These were “white or blue porcelain teapots, earthenware pots used to boil water, spouts and handles molded parallel, earthenware with a beautiful black or light yellow color, a treasure for those who love the luxury of rustic jars, bronze and glass jewelry”.
Under the strong influence of the Duy Tan movement (early 20th century), the awareness of building an independent and self-reliant economy and the concept that the rich people will make the country strong, many Vietnamese people boldly stood up to do big business, rising up to compete with Chinese merchants and even the French. During this period, in addition to Chinese and Indian shops, many Vietnamese shops opened along the main street of the market. It is worth mentioning that not only doing business to develop the economy, the traders at Phan Thiet market more or less had a national spirit. For example, the movement to demand amnesty for Phan Boi Chau in 1925, especially the movement to mourn and pay tribute to patriot Phan Chau Trinh (who had come to Phan Thiet to spread democratic and reformist ideas since 1905) in March 1926. Accordingly, 54 shops in the Phan Thiet market area and the town center automatically closed in response; butcher shops refused to slaughter pigs for sale. Not only that, the households, merchants and many people of Phan Thiet gathered to contribute money and send people to Saigon to attend the funeral.
From the 1920s onwards, Vietnamese newspapers gradually penetrated people's lives. At that time, many cases of unreasonable market tax increases were reported to the newspapers by the people. During the years 1929-1933, people were heavily affected by the crisis but had to bear the burden of taxes when they doubled. Tiếng Dân newspaper (No. 456, published on January 23, 1932) reported that at Phan Thiet market, a fish basket cost only 3 dong but the tax was 1.5 dong, each chicken and duck had to pay 5 cents; cotton goods cost only 1-2 dong each but had to pay 2-3 cents in tax. "The ones who came to the market did not agree to the silver price, so when we begged them, they said they would tell the mandarins to put us in jail. It was extremely miserable...!" - said a trader. There were also frequent beatings, for example the following case: At 10am on August 18, 1932, a woman named Mi went to the market to buy 2 bushels of sticky rice. Because she had to buy other things, she temporarily gave the sticky rice to an acquaintance who was selling it in the market. Seeing that, a tax collector - a Cha (dark-skinned Indian) came to demand tax on the 2 bushels of sticky rice. The two argued, and because he could not collect the tax, the Cha beat Mi brutally. The police in the market also joined in, then grabbed her by the neck and dragged her to the police station. The article also said: "This drama was not the first time it was performed in Phan Thiet market, but had been performed many times before."
Although the above abuses of power were reported to the authorities, they may not have been resolved properly. However, the initial steps show that the traders have become aware of their basic rights, using the pressure of public opinion as a powerful weapon to fight against oppression. That is the more or less effect of the types of books and newspapers with progressive democratic ideas sold in the Phan Thiet market area, including Han Lam Commerçaint - the only agent in Binh Thuan distributing books of the Tieng Dan newspaper printing house.
During the movement for democracy (1936-1939), Phan Thiet market traders also fought fiercely against the tax policy of the French colonialists. A typical example was the 3-day strike (from the 15th to the 17th of the first lunar month of the year Dinh Suu (February 24-26, 1937). As a result, the strike was successful, the colonial government forced the market tax contractor Pham Van Ba to reduce the tax by more than half and publicly post it around the market and in crowded places.
In August 1945, responding to the call of the Provisional Viet Minh Committee of Binh Thuan province, traders in the big market and merchants in the town enthusiastically donated and supported the revolution until the final victory. Under the people's democratic regime, traders in Phan Thiet market were free to do business, joining hands with the people in the province to develop the socio-economy and protect the homeland.
Conclusion
Above is a brief overview of some milestones in the formation process and some typical activities of Phan Thiet market traders. After more than 300 years of accompanying the formation and development of the city, Phan Thiet market was invested in rebuilding by the State; after more than 2 years of construction (from May 2013), the new Phan Thiet market was completed and put into use (August 2015). With a scale of 1 ground floor and 1 upper floor on a usable area of 13,523m², equipped with many modern facilities, well meeting the business of traders and shopping needs of Phan Thiet people and neighboring districts.
Recently, thanks to the operation of the highways, plus the hosting of the National Tourism Year 2023 - Binh Thuan - Green Convergence, people from the provinces have come to Phan Thiet in large numbers. And Phan Thiet market is one of the addresses not to be missed. Tourists come here not only to shop, but also to feel the soul of the coastal countryside and the historical values of Binh Thuan homeland. Or in other words, "the market is the choice to understand the whole from the one".
References and citations:
100 years of Phan Thiet town. Phan Thiet Town Party Committee - People's Council - People's Committee - Fatherland Front Committee published (1998); Tieng Dan Newspaper, issues: 456 (January 23, 1932); 462 (February 20, 1932); 518 (September 3, 1932); Camille Paris. Travelogue of Central Vietnam along the main road. Hong Duc Publishing House (2021); Duc Thang indomitable - resilient (1930-1975). Duc Thang Ward Party Committee. published (2000); Phan Thiet tradition of revolutionary struggle (volume I). Phan Thiet Town Party Committee Standing Committee published (1989); National History Institute of Nguyen Dynasty. Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi, volume 3. Thuan Hoa Publishing House (2006); Binh Thuan Provincial People's Committee. Binh Thuan Geography. Department of Culture and Information published (2006); Many authors. Customs, salt tax, alcohol. The Gioi Publishing House (2017).
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