Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Street Scenes from Sa Dec, Vietnam

Sa Dec is a city in the province of Dong Thap, about 2 and a half hours away from Saigon. It’s my dad’s hometown and I still have quite a few family members left here.

Next to the Cho Sa Dec market, one street over, is the river market. There lies the fresh fish, fruit and vegetables market area where there are dozens of vendors under giant umbrellas by the river “hawking” their goods. It’s a beautiful sight in the morning with all the villagers walking around picking out the freshest fruit and vegetables for the day’s meals. I saw live fish, crabs, snails, and even frogs at these vendors. Snails are sold almost everywhere in Vietnam and I think it may be due to its French colonial past. My auntie would love to go from stall to stall and haggle for the best prices for durian, mangoes, and chuom chuom (rambutan) fruit. This is pretty much the same way of life the people of Vietnam have lived for hundreds of years: buying and selling fresh and local fruit, vegetable, and meats in open air markets. Every day is a farmer’s market in Vietnam.

After travelling to the market, my auntie would wrap some bi cuon, summer rolls made with rice paper, vermicelli noodles, and pork strips that you would eat with a fish sauce dip.