Going to the countryside market during Tet holiday was a great joy, with a lot of folks coming and going around, buying and selling. People were welcoming and friendly, greeting with happy conversation. Relatives sometimes gave each other a bunch of bananas and fish without taking money. For acquaintances, if they did not have money, they were still willing to buy on credit, pay later. Thus there was a saying "selling to relatives". Meeting relatives, they were willing to sell out, even without taking any money.

An old market in Northern Vietnam. Source: Documents.

Before 1960, Thanh Liem district, Ha Nam province had 24 communes but only 11 markets. Market names were associated with local place names, such as: Thanh Khe market, Bong Lang market, Tang market, Huyen market, Trang market, Non market, Nghe market, Hoa Ngai market, Kien market, Dong market, Dam market. In which, the big markets were Bong Lang market, Dong market, Dam market, Hoa Ngai market, and Kien market. Most of the remaining markets were small ones.

Two communes having one market had made an unwritten rule: markets that were close to each other would divide the auctions on even and odd days. For example, Nghe market was near Non market, so Nghe market days would be on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th of the month, and Non market days would be on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th. Then be that way for the rest of the month, it would be 15 market days for Non Market, and 12 market days for Nghe market.

Markets also had hierarchical models. If you want to buy bigger fish, geese, better chicken, you have to go to a bigger market to sell. Those things were not available in a small market. Similarly, if you have a 3 kg or 5 kg grass carp, you must go to Dam market- a big market. If you sell at Nghe market, the sales may not go well, because of low purchasing power.

If anyone intends to buy firewood, then they must go to Bong Lang market. If you want to buy tea, you have to go to Non market, Nghe market. If you want to buy piglets, you have to go to Huyen market 7 km away. And there was no market in that whole area selling cattle, only certain everyday items.

Market Custodian

The markets at that time had no market management board. Usually, people from the locality or from another place whose luck was running out, had no job, would come to the locality to apply for a position as market sweeper. They would be given a tent at the end of the market, where they stayed. Their task was to mobilize their children to clean the market before another new market day.

This position was called the market custodian. The job description was very simple: interfering in fights and chasing out the cattle. These people were not paid in cash. On the market day, when people came, they could be paid in kind, maybe fruits and vegetables, the freshest ones, or a pot of tea instead of market fee.

Only those who sold chickens or items that could not be obtained in kind, would be charged later. When the goods were sold, the custodian would come and ticket 5 cents- 1 “hào” (10 cents). Such were barely enough to live on.

Small market of Annamites- Petit marché annamite. Source: Documents.

Allocation & Structure Of Old Traditional Market

The countryside market was arranged clockwise, perfectly organized.

The first line to enter the market was a row of haberdashery, which were roofed with thin thatch to avoid moisture. The lovely, welcoming female haberdasher, sold needles and sewing goods on a flat winnowing basket . At that time there were no stalls. Each of them displayed dozens of flat baskets, strings, and five-color drawstrings, blue, red, purple, yellow, making children excited.

The fabric store was next to the haberdashery. At that time, there were no ready-made clothes, people only sold the cloth. Nearby the fabric store was the tea stalls and then, fruit and vegetable, as well as agricultural products.

Next was the area near the riverbank where fish stalls sat. They built beautiful steps up and down to avoid falling into the water. At that time, there was no plastic, they made a basket to hold water, called a fishing basket. The person sitting there was both convenient to wash the fish, and easily filled the fishing basket with water and put the big and beautiful alive fish in the basket.

A corner of the market by the river in the old Northern. Source: Documents.

For crabs, at that time there was no plastic bag, they split two bamboo sticks, then packed 20 of them to a skewer, then sold 2 “hào” (20 cents) for one.

Passing the row of crab and fish stalls was a row of butcher, which was displayed on a counter. Pork in the old days was delicious. Two people split the cost of one pig, cut into compact pieces. Poor people could still get the pork with a smaller quantity of 01 “lạng” (37.8 gram). People usually bought 2, 3 or 5 “lạng”. The whole 01 kg was for a special family occasion only.

Meat went along with the vegetables. People sold both vegetables for humans and vegetables for pigs. Water hyacinth was loaded in a package, sold for 3-5 “hào” (30-50 cents). The next was the rice and paddy stalls. They were displayed in a dry, clean place with a flat basket to drain. Rice was stored in a basket, shoveled with an old recycled milk bottle. They sold every kind of rice from sticky rice, plain rice or even pig mash.

Very clunky nearby was the agricultural tool booth. Where they sold all kinds of things: hoes, plows, shovels, sickles, picks, ropes, ropes, bamboo utensils... In the water season, they sell boats, fishing traps, stomps, and fishing tackles... These items were completely homemade and handmade.

A little further was the women selling breeding animals: chicks, ducklings, and puppies. Sometimes people brought both mother dogs and puppies for sale, stuffing them in baskets. But piglets were rarely sold.

An interesting thing in Nghe market was the sale of storks. In the village near the market, there were many bamboo bushes, storks came and parked a lot. The villagers caught the stork and tied it up, brought the whole load to sell, and charged the price of 5 “hào” (50 cents) for 2. Many people often bought storks to enjoy, and then to eat.

The countryside market at Tet also had a very good joy, which was “to he” (toy figurine). An old man skillfully sat on a chair, then molded a “to he” according to the buyer's preference. He molded the image of "Battle of Hu Lao Gate", holding a lifelike sword. He molds everything as requested by the customer. Chicken costed 2 “hào” (20 cents), buffalo 3 “hào” (30 cents), rabbits 3 “hào” (30 cents). People waiting in line were always crowded.

After walking through the market, buying all the necessary things, you would come to a cake shop. The shopkeeper often chose a high, clean place next to the rattan and bamboo seller, discreetly, away from fish and butcher stalls. This remote location showed the subtlety, reducing the guest’s hesitation. Because at that time, women and girls thought that eating at the market was not advisable. They would cover their eating with a conical hat so that neighbors could not see it.

An old market corner. Excerpt from the Monographie dessinée de l'Indochine series.

Nghe Market had a shop selling a kind of delicious cake- “banh uoi”, like “banh day”, filled with green beans and lard, at affordable prices. Mothers going to the market often stopped by to buy a few cakes for their children and grandchildren. “Banh uoi” is still sold nowadays, but it's not as delicious as before.

Called treats, but most stalls only had “bánh đúc”(castor cake) and “bánh rán” (donuts). “Bánh đúc” was placed into a big sieve, whenever the buyer came, the seller cut the cake, served with dips such as shrimp paste, sesame salt, selling each for 5 cents 1 piece. Buyers bought the cake to eat or brought back for their children, which was cool and cheap.

With donuts, people often brought the raw ones and then fried, not ready-made at home. Cakes were made using glutinous rice flour, processed and made into balls like ping-pong balls. Big family regularly bought this. 5 cents 1 piece of a warm beloved cake.

Countryside market during Tet holiday

Going to the countryside market during Tet holiday was a great joy, with a lot of folks coming and going around, buying and selling. People were welcoming and friendly, greeting with happy conversation. Relatives sometimes gave each other a bunch of bananas and fish without taking money. For acquaintances, if they did not have money, they were still willing to buy on credit, pay later. Thus there was a saying "selling to relatives". Meeting relatives, they were willing to sell out, even without taking any money.

The Annamite women going to the market. Painting by Joseph Inguimberty (France).

Going to the market was like hanging out, horsing around, no hurry as it is nowadays. When there was no clock, people just listened to the rooster crowing and departed. The women wore a big basket that was full of stuff, kept walking for kilometers, and greeted on the way & laughed joyously.

The old countryside market was not only a place to exchange goods, but also a space to connect people, imbued with the Vietnamese national cultural identity.

NGUYEN HOANG PHUONG