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| Stack that paper: A stand sells old đồng bills. It is customary for shop keepers to sell one bill to one customer so that many will have the chance to acquire them. |
Viet Nam News A little weekend market, located in a café in hẻm ( the southern Vietnamese word for alley) 311 on Nơ Trang Long Street, Bình Thạnh District, has been well-known among antique hunters in HCM City since 2013.
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| Buzzing: The little market is a popular gathering spot for antique hunters and collectors in the city. — Photos Mạnh Linh |
Shops open from 6am to 2pm. Buyers and sellers both pay a VNĐ30,000 (US$1.3) entrance fee, which includes a drink from the café.
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| Far and wide: The market is well-known not just among locals but also foreigners. |
“We call it a market but in reality it’s more like a place where people who share the same passion for antiques come together to meet and talk,” said a shopkeeper who goes by the name of Khánh.
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| Eye on the prize: A man carefully examines an old watch with a loupe. |
“Sometimes, collectors just come in to show off their treasures. Many others just come to have a cup of coffee and watch,” he added.
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| Tick tock: Old watches for sale at a shop. |
Antique hunters travel the country to collect their wares; some even bring things from overseas to sell here. One can find anything here: vintage cameras, typewriters, watches and out-of-circulation coins and bills.
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| Pre-Instagram: Vintage cameras on display at the market. Collectors often come here just to show off their treasured possessions. |
Business here is done in a different way: no bargaining, no yelling and no rushing. Both buyers and sellers take the time to talk, to carefully watch and to admire precious items that belong to a distant time. — VNS
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