And so we also gradually lose a hobby of going to the market. Believe me, going to the market is a very unique excitement, especially when we explore a strange land.
Waiting like waiting for mother to come to the market", but when traditional markets are gone, where will mothers go to let their foolish children wait? Fortunately, in the western provinces, traditional markets are still operating well so that those who like to go to the market are less disappointed and maintain the pleasure of going to the market.
Indeed, it is difficult for any place to expose the wealth, abundance, diversity and uniqueness of products like the markets in the Mekong Delta, even the notorious "tam da" system of Dong Xuan - Dong Ba - Ben Thanh. Located in the Mekong Delta region with two major river branches, Tien River and Hau River, the products in the Mekong Delta markets are countless.
In general, the market structure in the Mekong Delta provinces is quite similar, built in a square shape, including 4 sides that are 4 market gates, the main gate is decorated with very large embossed market names and is often decorated with a clock column in the style of Ben Thanh market (HCMC).
Some people will say that traditional markets in the Mekong Delta must be floating markets, no one builds markets. That's right, but that was before, when there were dozens of floating markets throughout the Mekong Delta, typically the 7 largest floating markets, creating a floating market culture. At that time, the whole region was divided by rivers and canals, and there were not many roads, so floating markets were number one.
But now, roads are springing up everywhere, including highways, so people move to land to gather for markets for convenience and speed. So it is the traditional market of the Mekong Delta, while floating markets have drifted into the past along with the water or become tourism products.
The market is planned into areas: Fish market area, seafood market area, poultry meat market area, livestock meat market area, fruit market area, vegetable market area, consumer goods. And especially, every market has a row of gold and silver kiosks, even a series of large gold and silver stores located outside but right next to the market.
The first impression when stepping into large markets such as: Sa Dec Market (Dong Thap), Tra Vinh Market (Vinh Long), Chau Doc Market (An Giang)... we will have the feeling of entering the oceanographic institute or the aquarium of the Water King because the fish market area occupies the largest area, and is located close to the river for convenient transportation.
Hundreds of types of fish, both sea fish and freshwater fish, make us dizzy because we cannot know or remember their names when looking at them. Sea fish, river fish, and field fish are up to hundreds of types, and you cannot know the full names without asking the seller.
If you don't know, ask, don't be afraid because the seller is willing to answer questions from subjects who know for sure they won't buy even though they are busy with choosing fish, catching fish, making fish. Even, they are willing to repeat the name of the fish because you can't hear what they say, as if they are from another country. Of course, with a smile on their face, they are not annoyed at all.
Pangasius oil is as big as a piece of wood, it takes 5 people to carry it to float, green claws are as big as a flashlight with a pair of half-meter long claws, and field snakehead fish are as big as calves, making us suspect that the snakehead fish in the North is "the same type" with a different name.
There are plenty of fish everywhere. There are non-fined types like catfish, basa fish, which are the main spearheads of the Mekong Delta fishing industry. There are scaled types like red tilapia, carp, and snakehead fish. There are long-bodied types like snakehead fish, goby fish. All are fresh, swimming leisurely in tanks and basins.
In the fish market area of Ha Tien, I also encountered a row selling triangular-headed sharks, with very treacherous eyes. These are just "baby sharks", about half a meter long and as big as a calf, which people call sharks. They do not swim but only lie on shells of snake carcasses, glaring at people going to the market.
Right next to the fishing area is a turtle and snake area, selling freshwater turtles and water snakes that are not on the list of prohibited trading and hunting. Turtles are arranged in pots, snakes are kept in cages, exactly like the scene described in "Southern Forest Land" by writer Doan Gioi.
Another typical product of the Mekong Delta market is fermented fish sauce. Too much fish is not eaten, sold out, then used to make fermented fish sauce. As many types of fish are available, there are as many types of fermented fish sauce, however, people usually only make linh fish sauce, sặc fish sauce (sặc fish sauce), snakehead fish sauce, trèn fish sauce, chốt fish sauce, sesame fish sauce, rô fish sauce...
Fish sauce is placed in a full red plastic basin with tops, arranged like small hills. There are types of sauce left whole, or cut into fillets or sliced into fish slices, or shredded into strands. In addition, there are also ba khia sauce and cong sauce also placed in large buckets, emitting a characteristic and very seductive fragrance.
Just go and try each type of fermented fish sauce comfortably, the seller is willing to teach how to eat fermented fish sauce, one hand to tear fermented fish sauce, one hand to make dishes, the mouth to guide and then smile and greet customers to go to another stall. It's nothing, fermented fish sauce is the same everywhere, if you buy it for me, I thank you, if you don't buy today, you will stop by another day to buy, both the seller, the buyer, and the passerby all smile happily.
Then, after wandering through the fish sauce stalls, vegetable and fruit stalls with dozens of local vegetables only found in the riverine area that sound both strange and challenging like kèo nèo, bòn bon, điên điển, remember to visit the gold shop. The gold shop is probably also a characteristic of the Mekong Delta market, where women flock in and out to buy a set of ximen bracelets worth a few hundred thousand or nearly a million VND that sparkle and shine on both arms.
Buying a set of beautiful ximen bracelets is a complete success, and talking and laughing loudly, stopping by the food stall to make a bowl of banh tam bi or a bowl of hu tieu is truly the joy of life.
