A little weekend market, located in a café in alley 311 on No Trang Long street, Binh Thanh district, has been well-known among antique hunters in Ho Chi Minh City since 2013.

A stand sells old dong bills. It is customary for shop keepers to sell one bill to one customer so that many will have the chance to acquire them.

Shops open from 6am to 2pm. Buyers and sellers both pay a 30,000 VND (1.3 USD) entrance fee, which includes a drink from the café.

“We call it a market but in reality it’s more like a place where people who share the same passion for antiques come together to meet and talk,” said a shopkeeper who goes by the name of Khanh.

“Sometimes, collectors just come in to show off their treasures. Many others just come to have a cup of coffee and watch,” he added.

Antique hunters travel the country to collect their wares; some even bring things from overseas to sell here. One can find anything here: vintage cameras, typewriters, watches and out-of-circulation coins and bills.

Business here is done in a different way: no bargaining, no yelling and no rushing. Both buyers and sellers take the time to talk, to carefully watch and to admire precious items that belong to a distant time.

VNA