Hi Hivers, have a nice day. You must have heard about busy markets in Southeast Asia, today, I would like to introduce to you about one of the most special markets in Southeast Asia, Long Bien, a sleepless market.
Long Bien wholesale market is located near Long Bien bridge, Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The market has been in operation for more than 20 years, is an important trading place of Ba Dinh district. Long Bien market is also a familiar meeting place for many traders from the provinces bordering Hanoi such as: Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, Phu Tho, Ha Tay, ... and from some suburban districts of Ha Noi as: Gia Lam, Thanh Tri, Dong Anh, My Duc, Chuong My,...
Long Bien Market is a bustling and large commercial area. The products sold here are very diverse; especially vegetables, fruits, fish and other agricultural products. However, if you come here during the day, the market is very empty. The market starts to become bustling from 10pm until 4am when the whole city has fallen asleep. Goods from nearby provinces, even from China, will be gathered here and then distributed everywhere before the new day. That's why it's called the "sleepless market". The convoys of trucks going in and out of the market, the sound of traders, the horns of the vehicles, the calls of the transporters make me really overwhelmed, and I believe you will be too when you come. here for the first time.
The market is very peaceful during the day
But it's super busy at night
A very special profession that helps this market run smoothly is the transporters. You can easily recognize them with trailers or with baskets or with bicycles, motorbikes with shelves or baskets in the back seat, or even they gather in groups to load and unload goods from trucks. Most of them are people who have a difficult life accept to do these jobs to earn money to support their families. They work very hard while the others are sleeping. But they play an extremely important role to ensure the smooth operation of this market.
The market is very crowded and bustling, so if you want to visit it, you need to pay attention to not obstruct the flow of people moving or you will be scolded. My advice to you is that you can stand in a dark corner and observe, or Long Bien Bridge is a great spot to see the panoramic beauty of this market. I am sure this will be an interesting experience and give you a different perspective on people and life.
The market is always crowded from night until dawn. When the city wakes up, the market is gradually quiet and empty. The noisy, bustling scene suddenly disappeared along with the night. Everything calms down and goes into a state of rest to prepare for another busy night. The pace of life in Long Bien market is always in contrast to the life outside. Long Bien Market is the same every day, whether sunny or rainy, summer or winter, creating a very unique feature of Hanoi. If you have the opportunity to visit Hanoi, do not miss this special market.