VietNamNet Bridge – This market opens every Saturday morning for those who love old things.

Located in the small slope at Alley 456 on Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Hanoi, the market stretches the space of just a few hundred square meters of Lu tea shop. Although it has not been heavily advertised but since the market’s opening in June, every Saturday morning, hundreds of people flock to the market to admire, exchange, buy and sell second-hand items and antiques which they have painstakingly collected.

The market has over 20 "booths" or actually 20 tables of only over 1m2 each or pieces of plastics spreading out on the ground. On these tables and plastic pieces are thousands of items of all kinds, which are not arranged in groups.

Here, one can find loads of everything from antiques to junk, from items originating in different historical periods to the things that are introduced to come from the subsidy period such as crockery, vases, oil lamps, watches, desk phones, irons, copper trays, glasses, lights, old banknotes, water containers, canteens, aluminum spoons and bowls and coins of Vietnam and other countries, old magazines and pictures of Hanoi.

At this market, the sellers do not have to pay fees while the buyers can come for free.

Mr. Kieu Quoc Khanh, former chairman of the Hanoi Calligraphy Club is the founder of the market. Khanh said the market is a place for antique collectors in Hanoi to meet and exchange their items and experience.

Visitors to the market belong to all ages and occupations but most of them are men. Perhaps because the love of hunting and collecting antiques has been set defaults for men.

Watching a lamp that was introduced by the salesman as an ancient French crystal item, Mr. Nam said that this old lamp would have been used in noblemen’s houses. The seller offered it for VND20 million ($1,000).

With two tables, the “booth” of Mr. Quang Huy presents everything from fans, oil lamps, and French crystal lamps to clocks, watches, several desk phones, brass plates and pottery items. He said for sellers here, they only took part of their collections to the market.

The market has been opened for more than three months and it has been becoming a famous place for antique collectors and those who love old things in Hanoi and the neighboring provinces.

P. Linh