Saigon Market Soundscape

Start The Saigon Market Sound Project presents ethnographic field recordings from marketplaces in Ho Chi Minh City collected between November 2024 and May 2025. The collection provides primary data for observing, analyzing, and comparing aspects of contemporary urban life in Vietnam. Tiếng Việt [[Early Morning->Early Morning]] [[Morning->Morning]] [[Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Early Morning Before sunrise, Saigon’s markets are already alive with activity. Wholesale transactions peak, goods are unloaded, and the foundations of the day’s commerce are set. Select a market to explore in this time frame: [[Chợ đầu mối Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Chợ Bình Tây (chợ Lớn)->Early Morning Bình Tây]]

Morning This time frame captures the city in its early daily rhythm, when commercial activities are in full swing and the interplay of sound, movement, and human interaction shapes the unique sensory identity of each market. In this segment, you will explore two emblematic urban markets—**Chợ Bến Thành** and **Chợ Tân Bình**—both central to understanding the socio-economic and cultural life of Hồ Chí Minh City. Please select a market to proceed: [[Chợ Bến Thành->Morning Bến Thành]] [[Chợ Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]]

Late Afternoon This time frame reflects the city in a transitional phase between day and evening, when market activities shift from the concentrated energy of daytime trade to the more fluid, socially oriented rhythms of the night. The soundscapes during these hours capture a nuanced interplay between commerce, leisure, and community interaction. Select a market to explore in this time frame: [[Chợ Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Chợ Hồ Thị Kỷ->Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ]]

Early Morning Bình Điền You are now at **Chợ đầu mối Bình Điền**, the city’s largest wholesale market supplying produce, seafood, and meat across Saigon. Choose an area to hear its distinctive soundscape: - [[Market gate, heavy vehicle traffic (outdoors)->Bình Điền • Gate (Dense Traffic)]] - [[Market gate (outdoors)->Bình Điền • Gate (Outdoors)]] - [[Meat section->Bình Điền • Meat]] - [[Fish section->Bình Điền • Fish]] - [[Snail section->Bình Điền • Snails]] - [[Vegetable section (outdoors)->Bình Điền • Vegetables (Outdoors)]] - [[Vegetable section (indoors, quiet)->Bình Điền • Vegetables (Indoors, Quiet)]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Early Morning Bình Tây Market **Welcome to Early Morning Bình Tây Market** The Bình Tây Market, located in the heart of Chợ Lớn, awakens with a distinctive rhythm at dawn. Vendors prepare their stalls, the scent of fresh produce fills the air, and the echoes of footsteps mix with market announcements. In this section, you can explore key areas of the market at the start of the day. Please select an area to explore: - [[Preparing Stalls at Dawn->Bình Tây • Preparing Stalls at Dawn]] - [[First Floor Sounds at Dawn->Bình Tây • First Floor Sounds at Dawn]] - [[Food Court->Bình Tây • Food Court]] - [[New Year Holiday Announcement->Bình Tây • New Year Holiday Announcement]] - [[Vendors Setting Up Stalls->Bình Tây • Vendors Setting Up Stalls]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Market gate, heavy vehicle traffic (outdoors) 4:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_4am_truoccongcho,xecodongduc,khungoaitroi_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Market gate (outdoors) 4:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_4am_truoccongcho,khungoaitroi_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Meat section 5:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_5am_khubanthit_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Fish section 5:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_5am_khubanca_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Snail section 5:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_5am_khubanoc_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Vegetable section (outdoors) 5:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_5am_khubanraucu,ngoaitroi_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Điền • Vegetable section (indoors, quiet) 5:00 AM  <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChodaumoiBinhDien_5am_khubanraucu,vangkhach,trongnha_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Điền->Early Morning Bình Điền]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Tây • Preparing Stalls at Dawn 6:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBinhTay(choLon)_6am_amthanhdonhangdaungay_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Tây->Early Morning Bình Tây]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Tây • First Floor Sounds at Dawn 6:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBinhTay(choLon)_6am_amthanhtulau1vaosangsom_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Tây->Early Morning Bình Tây]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Tây • Food court 6:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBinhTay(choLon)_6am_khuanuong_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Tây->Early Morning Bình Tây]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Tây • New Year Holiday Announcement 6:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBinhTay(choLon))_6am_thongbaonghitetAtTy2025tuBQLcho_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Tây->Early Morning Bình Tây]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Bình Tây • Vendors Setting Up Stalls 6:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBinhTay(choLon)_6am_tieuthuongdonhangsangsom_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Early Morning Bình Tây->Early Morning Bình Tây]] [[Back to Early Morning->Early Morning]]

Morning Bến Thành In the morning hours, **Chợ Bến Thành** offers an immersive study in urban commercial soundscapes. The spatial configuration of its stalls and the density of pedestrian movement create overlapping layers of auditory stimuli: the cadence of vendor calls, the clinking of utensils, and the fluid exchanges of bargaining. Select a sector to engage with specific micro-environments: [[Food Court 01->Bến Thành • Food Court 01]] [[Shopping Area 02->Bến Thành • Shopping Area 02]] [[Shopping Area 01->Bến Thành • Shopping Area 01]] [[Food Court 02->Bến Thành • Food Court 02]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Morning Tân Bình **Chợ Tân Bình** functions in the morning as both a wholesale and retail marketplace, offering insight into the city’s textile and food distribution networks. Here, auditory markers range from the rhythmic mechanical sounds of meat processing to the informal linguistic exchanges of negotiation. These sonic elements are intertwined with spatial patterns—from enclosed ground-floor sections to open-air perimeters. Select a sector to explore: [[Food Court->Tân Bình • Food Court]] [[Accessories->Tân Bình • Accessories]] [[Food Section->Tân Bình • Food Section]] [[Clothing 1st Floor->Tân Bình • Clothing 1st Floor]] [[Clothing Outdoor->Tân Bình • Clothing Outdoor]] [[Clothing Area->Tân Bình • Clothing Area]] [[Food Section Meat Grinder->Tân Bình • Food Section Meat Grinder]] [[Front Gate->Tân Bình • Front Gate]] [[Outdoor 2nd Floor->Tân Bình • Outdoor 2nd Floor]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Bến Thành • Food court 01 10:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBenThanh_10am_khuanuong01_May2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Bến Thành->Morning Bến Thành]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Bến Thành • Shopping area 02 10:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBenThanh_10am_khumuasam02_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Bến Thành->Morning Bến Thành]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Bến Thành • Shopping area 01 10:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBenThanh_10am_khumuasam01_May2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Bến Thành->Morning Bến Thành]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Bến Thành • Food court 02 10:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoBenThanh_10am_khuanuong02_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Bến Thành->Morning Bến Thành]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Food court 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuanuong_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Accessories 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuphukien_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Food section 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuthucpham_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Clothing 1st Floor 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_tang1,khuquanao_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Clothing Outdoor 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuquanao,ngoaitroi_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Clothing area 8:00 AM **Observation:** A continuous, moderate-level fabric-handling bed underlies periodic bursts of bargaining, generating a characteristic retail sound signature. <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuquanao_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Food Section Meat Grinder 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_khuthucpham,amthanhmayxaythit,chatthit_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Front Gate 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_amthanhtruoccongchinh_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Tân Bình • Outdoor 2nd Floor 8:00 AM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoTanBinh_8am_amthanhngoaitroi,thututang2_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Morning Tân Bình->Morning Tân Bình]] [[Back to Morning->Morning]]

Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai As the day draws toward its close, **Chợ Phạm Văn Hai** takes on a more measured rhythm. Vendors wind down their activities, customers make final purchases, and the soundscape blends the fading hum of commerce with preparations for closing. This period offers a nuanced portrait of a neighborhood market at the intersection of day’s end routines and evening anticipation. Please select a market area to explore: [[Clothing Area 01->Phạm Văn Hai • Clothing Area 01]] [[Clothing Area 02->Phạm Văn Hai • Clothing Area 02]] [[Outdoor Area – Closing Stalls->Phạm Văn Hai • Outdoor Area – Closing Stalls]] [[Food Court – Low Activity->Phạm Văn Hai • Food Court – Low Activity]] [[Outdoor Area->Phạm Văn Hai • Outdoor Area]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ In the late afternoon, **Hồ Thị Kỷ** presents a layered urban landscape where floral commerce and culinary culture coexist in close proximity. The flower market—renowned as the city’s primary hub for fresh blooms—embodies both the aesthetics of daily life and the seasonal intensities of occasions such as Tết. Alongside it, the surrounding food court operates as a distinct yet complementary sphere, where the preparation and consumption of street food shape a parallel sensory narrative. Together, these spaces illustrate the interplay of visual spectacle, olfactory richness, and auditory texture in Hồ Chí Minh City’s market ecology. Please select an area to explore: [[Flower Market (Pre-Tết Atmosphere)->Hồ Thị Kỷ • Flower Market (Pre-Tết Atmosphere)]] [[Food Court->Hồ Thị Kỷ • Food Court]] [[Bánh Tráng Nướng Stall->Hồ Thị Kỷ • Bánh Tráng Nướng Stall]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Phạm Văn Hai • Clothing area 01 4:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoPhamVanHai_4pm_khuquanao01_Nov2024.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Phạm Văn Hai • Clothing area 02 4:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoPhamVanHai_4pm_khuquanao02_Nov2024.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Phạm Văn Hai • Outdoor Area – Closing Stall 4:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoPhamVanHai_4pm_khungoaitroi,amthanhraohang_Nov2024.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Phạm Văn Hai • Food Court – Low Activity 4:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoPhamVanHai_4pm_khuanuong,vangkhach_Nov2024.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Phạm Văn Hai • Outdoor Area 4:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoPhamVanHai_4pm_khungoaitroi_Nov2024.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai->Late Afternoon Phạm Văn Hai]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Hồ Thị Kỷ • Flower Market (Pre-Tết Atmosphere) 5:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoHoThiKy_5pm_khubanhoa,truocTetAtTy2025_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ->Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Hồ Thị Kỷ • Food court 6:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoHoThiKy_6pm_khuanuong_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ->Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]

Hồ Thị Kỷ • Bánh Tráng Nướng Stall 6:00 PM <audio controls> <source src="audio/ChoHoThiKy_6pm_khuanuong,quaybanhtrangnuong_Jan2025.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> </audio> [[Back to Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ->Late Afternoon Hồ Thị Kỷ]] [[Back to Late Afternoon->Late Afternoon]]