With passion for travel, Geoff from Canada has taken trips to many countries. In Vietnam, he has been to many attractive cities such as HCM City, Da Nang and Hoi An ancient town in Quang Nam, Hue, Ninh Binh and Hanoi, where he spent time to discover local cultures and food.

Geoff revealed that when he was in Hanoi, he had a memorable experience when he followed local people to the wholesale market at 4am to enjoy delicious food early in the morning.

His fellow traveler was Duyen, a chef who works in the tourism sector. The destination chosen was Long Bien Market under the Long Bien Bridge in Ba Dinh district. Long Bien, together with Dong Xuan, are the two largest wholesale markets in Hanoi, about one kilometer from the Old Quarter.

Long Bien Market opens from 11 pm to early the next morning, while the peak hours are 2-4 am. This is the ideal time for travelers to visit the market.

As Long Bien Market opens at night, it is called the sleepless market in the capital city.

Prior to that, Long Bien Market was recognized by Go Backpacking as one of the five most attractive markets in Southeast Asia, and one of the seven most attractive flea markets ranked by Conde Nast Traveler.

Geoff said he arrived at Long Bien Market at nearly 4 am. After walking around the market, the Canadian man was not only impressed by the bustling scene, but also was delighted when some petty merchants invited him to eat sugarcane, plums, and oranges for free.

Duyen enjoyed hot grilled squid and fried fish at a stall in the market. The Canadian guest was interested hearing that the dishes were homemade with eye catching colors and attractive flavors.

The squid was very fresh. At first, he did not expect too much from fried fish, but it turned out to be delicious. 

After enjoying the dishes, they moved to a small eatery at a corner of the market where they tasted fried eggs with mugwort leaves. Duyen said the leaves are medicine which and are good to human health.

Geoff commented that the leaves were a little bitter, but they smelled like orange peel. He also tasted steamed sticky rice with braised pork.

Thao Trinh