Where Did The “Chợ Bà” Come From?
In Vietnam, the word “chợ” means “market”, being not only a place to buy and sell, but also a social and cultural anchor of the neighborhood. In Ho Chi Minh City, many markets bear the name “Chợ Bà,” which loosely translates to “Madam” or “Mrs.” Market.
Among the many chợ Bà across the city, five stand out for a unique reason: a long-standing local legend ties them together. These are Chợ Bà Chiểu (Ba Chieu Market), Chợ Bà Điểm (Ba Diem Market), Chợ Bà Quẹo (Ba Queo Market), Chợ Bà Hom (Ba Hom Market), and Chợ Bà Hạt (Ba Hat Market).
One enduring explanation suggests that these five markets were named after five wives of Lanh binh (Military Commander) Thang, a Nguyen Dynasty general named Nguyen Ngoc Thang (1798-1866) who fought in the early resistance against the French in southern Vietnam. Truong Vinh Ky - a renowned 19th-century Vietnamese scholar describes how multi-wife households in that era often practiced economic self-sufficiency. According to the legend, General Thăng assigned each of his wives a market in a different area of old Ho Chi Minh city to manage. This arrangement was meant to avoid domestic rivalry while allowing the women to focus on business.
However, this theory is not universally accepted. Cultural historian Vuong Hong Sen argues that names like Ba Chieu, Ba Diem, or Ba Queo may have originated not from legendary wives, but rather from real women who were the first to trade there, or who donated land or helped form the markets. Much like Ba Hoa Market in Bay Hien, named after a woman who gave up her land for the market, these names could reflect local history rather than legend. Thus, the origins of the five markets are likely a blend of myth, memory, and the everyday contributions of women in the city's economic life.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these five markets, regarding how they got their names, where they are, and why they still matter today.
Ba Chieu Market
Located in Ward Gia Dinh, Binh Thanh, Ba Chieu Market is one of the oldest and most recognizable markets in the city. It began as a humble “cho xom”, an informal early morning market, before being formally constructed in 1942 with an impressive area of 8,500 square meters. The market was later renovated in 1987, adding a second floor and modern facilities, becoming one of the five top-tier public markets in Ho Chi Minh City today.
But its roots may go deeper. According to the writer Son Nam, the name Chieu means “a natural pond” and may refer to a local female deity worshipped near such a pond. Another explanation aligns with the urban legend that Ba Chieu was one of General Thang’s wives.
No matter the name’s origin, the market is alive with energy, selling everything from fresh produce to secondhand clothes. It’s also famous for its vibrant night food stalls, including crispy chicken rice (xoi dui ga), sweet desserts, and steaming bowls of beef/pork offal stew (pha lau) and broken rice (com tam). Despite two fires in 2007 and 2013, the market still stands, a resilient landmark of Binh Thanh.
Ba Diem Market
Set in Ba Diem Commune, Hoc Mon, Ba Diem Market sits at the heart of a historically rich agricultural area. Known for its 18 villages growing betel and areca (trau cau), this market thrived on local specialty produce. According to scholar Truong Vinh Ky, the quality of betel sold here, being grown locally and sought after throughout the region, was unmatched. For generations, Ba Diem Market served as the central wholesale market for this crop, feeding not only local trade but also supplying the southern provinces well into the late 1980s.
In the early 20th century, dense forests still surrounded the village. Tigers were real dangers. According to stories passed down, farmers carrying their harvest to the central Ben Nghe Market at the break of dawn would travel in groups, lighting torches and sticks to ward off wild animals. It was a life where survival and trade were intertwined.
A photograph taken in 1910 during the French colonial period captures this blend of hardship and resilience. In the image, Ba Diem Market sits along a neatly leveled street corner - now known as Phan Van Hon - Phan Van Doi. The street had already been planned with raised curbs, and primitive oil-lit street lamps lined the sidewalks. On either side stood clay-tiled houses, while ox carts and horse-drawn wagons made their way past.
The origins of the market’s name, Ba Diem, remain open to interpretation. Besides the common theory, another version describes her as a woman who fought alongside national hero Truong Dinh during anti-French uprisings in 1861. According to scholar Dr. Le Trung Hoa, however, Ba Diem was a more humble figure who simply sold tea at a roadside stall, yet became so beloved and essential to the area that her name outlasted her life.
Throughout the mid-20th century, Ba Diem Market continued to thrive. Even into the 1990s, it remained a rural transport hub, with a horse-cart terminal still operating beside the market. The community even once dreamed of preserving the area’s historical garden homes through a formal cultural conservation project, but these plans faded. Today, the old betel gardens have largely been sold off, divided, and replaced by plots of concrete and residential lots. Yet, Ba Diem Market persists.
Ba Queo Market
The story of Ba Queo Market, now officially renamed Vo Thanh Trang Market in 1978, traces its roots to the once rural heart of Tan Binh District (now ward Tan Binh). The original name “Ba Queo” is believed to come from either Bau Queo or Bo Queo, local terms referring to a sharp bend in the road. Some oral histories say it was named after a woman with a crooked arm (queo tay) who sold tea and bananas near a crossroad. Others suggest the name simply echoed the curve of the land, a visual anchor in the memory of the area.
As journalist Thuy Tien recalls, historically, the main road through Ba Queo was part of the old Thien Ly route, which was a historic highway that later became Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, before portions of it were renamed Truong Chinh Street, where the market sits today. Back then, the area was still mostly agricultural. In Tan Ky of Tan Son Nhi, Ba Queo Market was the only nearby market. People from neighboring Tan Quy would travel by horse-drawn carriage along a single dirt path to reach it.
The road connecting the two hamlets eventually took on the name Tan Ky Tan Quy, reflecting the link between the two villages. At the intersection of Tan Ky Tan Quy and Le Trong Tan was the local horse-cart terminal, which also became the site of Ba Queo Market’s famed night market. At its peak, this was one of the busiest wholesale flower markets in all of old Ho Chi Minh city.
According to journalist and historian Tran Nhat Vy, who once lived at what was then called nga ba Trong (the Trong junction), the night market was so active that it created public safety concerns. The area bustled with people, horse hooves echoed through the street, and oil lamps lit up the rows of stalls stretching into the early morning. To maintain order, local authorities imposed a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m., but the vendors found a way around it - moving deeper into the Trong junction area to continue trading until sunrise.
Today, Ba Queo Market officially bears a different name, but for locals, the memories of carts, flower bundles, and nighttime hustle still linger in the air.
Ba Hom Market
Unlike the others, Ba Hom Market has its roots in both legend and logistics. One story suggests the name comes from Bau Hom, a place where bamboo traps were soaked. Another tells of a savvy female merchant named Ba Hom, who in the late 19th century began trading agricultural goods from the Mekong Delta and established a small market along the Tau Hu Canal.
Today, Ba Hom Market resides in Binh Tan District (no ward Binh Tan) and has been modernized with over 1,000 stalls, offering fresh produce, household goods, clothing, and street food. Despite urbanization pressures, it retains its distinctive local flavor, bustling with chatter, bargaining, and familiar smells of delicious food - such as steaming bowls of bun rieu cua (crab noodle soup), savory com tam suon bi cha (broken rice with grilled pork and shredded pork skin), and sweet che chuoi nuong (grilled banana with coconut milk).
Ba Hat Market
Ba Hat Market, once located in District 10, has now faded from the city’s map. It’s rarely mentioned in as much detail as the others, and little remains of its structure. However, its inclusion among these five markets suggests it once played an essential role in the everyday lives of its surrounding neighborhoods.
Whether Ba Hat was a real person or a symbolic figure is unclear, but her name lingers in local memory and the occasional street corner.