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While they may not be as bright and shiny as malls or supermarkets, night markets have their own character and are popular destinations for local people and travellers alike. For many travellers the day is just too hot to spend shopping, and the cooler night air offers an ideal opportunity to grab some souvenirs, while for locals the evening is an ideal time to meet and gather outside and share a meal or a drink under the stars.

There is an enormous variety of goods on offer including clothes, footwear, hats. hair clips, jewellery, watches..etc The prices are normally cheaper than day markets or supermarkets as the sellers pay less for the rent, so there are some great bargains to be had. As well as the choice in souvenirs there's also a great range of food, with many street vendors setting up shop to take advantage of the passing trade.

Some night markets specialise in cheap goods for students and workers, and are located out of town near universities and textile factories, such as the huge Ky Hoa night market on Cao Thang in District 10, where many student live. In these markets the prices are often cheaper than in town and less bargaining is necessary; many people also come to these markets and buy wholesale to stock their shops in town.

The food in Ky Hoa is delicious and surprisingly cheap, just $1 for a bowl of noodles or a plate of broken-rice with grilled pork and fried egg, plus a glass of sugar cane juice on the side. You will find a similar atmosphere at Binh Tay / Cho Lon, Hoa Hung and Ba Chieu night markets.

Ben Thanh Night Market

After more than a year of neglect I realised it was high time to update the listings of English language blogs and websites devoted to Vietnam - after all, some people on the list have left Vietnam and returned since I last edited it like Jon Hoff at Its The Final Word

As well as some notable publications that were missing - The Word HCMC, a guide to living in Saigon, and Viet News Online, Tuoi Tre's (the most popular VN newspaper) new English language publication - there are a whole host of great blogs that I'd not got round to adding before.

Notable additions are Hanoi Scrachpad, a great blog with excellent in depth writing covering the history and background of the subjects covered - see the recent post on for an example.

Also great are A Girl In Asia whose posts on food (and gorgeous photos) have filled a gap since other dedicated food bloggers have left Vietnam, Michael Sieburg who has also just returned to Vietnam, and Backwater Views with more food and slices of life from Saigon.

We're back in the UK for a few more weeks still so it was great to see Vietnam featured on primetime TV on Thursday night, when Rick Stein, a popular UK chef, spent an hour travelling and eating through Vietnam as part of his Far Eastern Oddessey, which can be viewed here on BBC iPlayer.

We really enjoyed the show - and it was great to see a travel program on Vietnam where for once the food featured was about much more than macho presenters drinking snake's blood - food in Vietnam is so divine it always annoys me to see countless presenters grossing-out over dishes that many people in Vietnam wouldn't eat, either.

Retracing the journey

For those who have developed a taste for Vietnam after seeing Rick's show, here's a quick itinerary of his travels, should you wish to explore some of the places he saw and foods he ate!

He started the show visiting floating villages and the market in Chau Doc, at the border with Cambodia, deep in the Mekong Delta, before heading to the trading hub of the Mekong, Can Tho - famous its floating market, though he didn't pay it a visit.

In a repeat of last year's major flooding at the end of October 2008, Hanoi woke up this morning to find parts of the city were deep underwater:

As heavy storms turned to tropical depressions the rivers around Hanoi overflowed causing chaos on the streets. According to the city's drainage department the pumps are hard at work and the water could be cleared by the end of the day if the rain stops, but if it continues the floods could remain for several days.

Last year the flooding lasted for over a week and the people of Hanoi did their best to continue their daily business. Some even took the opportunity to catch fish in their local streets!

(photos: VNExpress + VietNamNet)