From fasting to feasting: Ramadan market thrives in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (MNTV) – During Ramadan, alley 157 on Duong Ba Trac Street in Ho Chi Minh City transforms into a lively food market where the Cham Muslim community shares its culinary traditions with the wider city, offering residents and visitors a taste of Halal cuisine and Islamic culture.

The market began as a modest community affair. “Initially, the market was only open to the community to buy food, each person buying a little to save for their evening meal after finishing their fasting period,” said Ab Dul Rah Man, 65, a small business owner at the market.

“Later, as the market became busier, more people from outside learned about it, came to visit and try the food. From there, the market gradually developed and became as bustling as it is today.”

Popular dishes include characteristic curries — goat, beef and chicken — alongside traditional Cham cakes such as jackfruit seed cake, beef cake and crescent-shaped cake.

All dishes strictly adhere to Halal regulations, with beef, chicken and seafood as the main ingredients prepared according to Islamic law.

Other offerings include spaghetti, grilled meat, fried croissants, pumpkin pie and baked sweet potato pie.

A signature item is Spe bread — thin dough filled with carrots, mushrooms and dried shrimp, then pan-fried until lightly browned. Vendors begin setting up around 11 a.m. and start serving from noon.

For many visitors, it is an entirely new experience.

“I found it very interesting because there were many dishes I saw for the first time, even the names were quite unusual. When I tried them, the flavors were also very unique,” said first-time visitor Nguyen Hoang. Tuong Vy, who had heard about the market for a year before finally attending, said she found the food “quite diverse,” with familiar dishes alongside many unique to the Muslim community.