# Dam Market, Nha Trang > Dam Market (Chợ Đầm) is Nha Trang's oldest and biggest market, about 2 km north of the Tran Phu beachfront. Entry is free and it runs daily from roughly 5 am to 6:30 pm, though many stalls pack up after 3 pm. Allow about an hour. One thing the photos won't tell you: the famous round lotus building has been closed since 2021 — trading now happens in the three-storey block next to it. Web page: https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/dam-market - City: [Nha Trang](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang), Vietnam - YesGo score: 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Daily, roughly 5:00–18:30; busiest from 6:00 to 15:00 - Round building: Closed to trade since 2021; the market runs in the newer three-storey block next door - Payment: Mostly cash in VND; a few shops in the new block take foreign cards - Haggling: Expected for clothes, souvenirs and dried goods - Address: Ben Cho and Phan Boi Chau streets, old northern part of Nha Trang - From the beach: 5–7 minutes by Grab or taxi, about 30 minutes on foot from Tram Huong Tower - Coordinates: 12.25533, 109.19166 - Facts checked: 06.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — to walk in; you only pay for what you buy and eat (source: Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal; localvietnam.com) - **≈ 5:00–18:30** — daily hours; many stalls wind down by mid-afternoon (source: localvietnam.com; vietnamspot.ru; vietnamnomad.com — unofficial) - **Since 2021** — the round building has been closed and trade moved next door (source: SGGP newspaper; Tạp chí Tòa án; vietnamspot.ru) - **3 floors** — in the newer market block where the stalls are now (source: SGGP newspaper; vietnamspot.ru) - **1908** — the year a large central market was set up on the old lagoon (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal) - **"Đầm" = lagoon** — the market takes its name from the lagoon it was built over (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal) - **66.5 m** — diameter of the round, lotus-shaped market hall (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal) - **5,270 m²** — floor area of the round hall's two levels (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal) - **3,000+** — shoppers the round hall could hold at once (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal) - **1970s** — the decade the round hall was built (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; Tạp chí Tòa án) - **≈ 1.7 km** — in a straight line from Tram Huong Tower on the beachfront (source: OpenStreetMap, our measurement) > **The round lotus hall is closed — the market moved next door** Most photos and older guides show the round, lotus-roofed hall. You can't go inside it any more: it was closed in 2021 after being judged unsafe, and the province hasn't decided what to do with it. The market itself is still here, in a newer three-storey block beside it and in the street rows around. You can only see the round hall from outside. ## What is Dam Market? Dam Market (**Chợ Đầm** in Vietnamese) is the working market of old Nha Trang. Locals come for fish, rice paper and fabric; visitors come for dried squid, coffee and cheap souvenirs. It sits in the older northern part of town, away from the hotel strip, and it doesn't feel like a resort at all — which is the point. The name is literal: *đầm* means lagoon. The site was once a marshy lagoon by the mouth of the Nha Trang river, traders set up along its edge, and in **1908** it became the town's central market. The lagoon was later filled in, and in the **1970s** the city built a circular hall **66.5 metres** across whose roof, seen from above, looks like an opening lotus. That hall is still the market's symbol, but no one trades in it now. Since 2021 the stalls have been in the **new three-storey block** right next to it, with fresh produce, fruit and fish sold in the rows outside. Expect it to look different from the pictures. ## Dam Market opening hours The market is open **every day**, with no entry fee. Guides agree on roughly **5 am to 6:30 pm**, but that's unofficial — the operating company doesn't publish visitor hours. In practice the real action runs from about 6 am to lunchtime, and **after 3 pm** many vendors are already packing up. The fish and produce rows start first: boats and wholesalers arrive at dawn, and 5–7 am is when the catch is freshest. Souvenir and fabric stalls in the new block open a little later, around 7–8 am. There's nothing here in the evening — for after-dinner browsing, Nha Trang's night market near the beachfront is a different place. ## How to get to Dam Market 1. **By Grab or taxi from the beachfront** — the easy option: 5–7 minutes from the Tran Phu hotels, unofficially around 40,000–60,000 VND. Grab takes cash or a linked foreign card. Set the pin to **Chợ Đầm Nha Trang**. 2. **On foot from Tram Huong Tower** — about 30 minutes north along Tran Phu, then inland through the old town to Phan Boi Chau street. It's a hot walk by mid-morning, so walk there early and ride back. 3. **By city bus** — the **Chợ Đầm** stop is on Phan Boi Chau street, and route 03 (Chợ Đầm – Sông Lô) starts here. There's no handy direct bus from the beach hotels, though, and route numbers in guides don't agree, so treat the bus as a backup. 4. **From Cam Ranh airport (CXR)** — about 35 km; 40–60 minutes by taxi or Grab, or the airport bus into town and a short taxi ride. Drop your bags at the hotel first. 5. **By motorbike** — there's paid parking for bikes and cars at the market. To ride legally you need a home licence with a motorcycle category plus an International Driving Permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention. ## What to buy at Dam Market - **Dried seafood** — squid, shrimp and fish, often vacuum-packed. This is the market's signature buy and usually cheaper than in beachfront shops or at the airport. - **Fish sauce and local condiments** — nuoc mam, fish paste and green chili salt. Only fly with factory-sealed bottles, and put them in checked luggage. - **Mango rice paper** — a Nha Trang sweet made of thin sheets of mango and rice flour. Also coconut candy, sesame brittle, dried mango and cashews. - **Coffee and tea** — ground or whole bean, coconut coffee and the little metal phin filters. Compare with a supermarket before you pay. - **Fabric and clothes** — upstairs in the new block: silk, cotton, linen, knitwear and bedding. Tailors nearby can turn fabric into a shirt or dress in a day or two. - **Souvenirs** — shell and mother-of-pearl pieces, imitation pearls, lacquer bowls and chopsticks, conical hats, rattan bags. Quality varies a lot, and the same stock repeats on dozens of stalls. - **Skip** — electronics and "designer" goods: they're fakes with no warranty. ## Haggling and paying Apart from the food stalls, almost nothing has a fixed price. On clothes and souvenirs the first number quoted to a foreigner can be well above what the seller will accept. Unofficial figures for after a bit of bargaining: a fridge magnet around 15,000–25,000 VND, a printed T-shirt 80,000–100,000 VND, half a kilo of coffee 70,000–100,000 VND. How to do it: browse a few stalls selling the same thing, offer about **half** the opening price and meet somewhere in the middle. If you can't agree, smile and walk away — you'll often be called back. Buying several things from one seller gets a better deal, and early-morning first sales tend to be the easiest. Bring **Vietnamese dong in small notes**. A few shops in the new block accept foreign Visa or Mastercard, but most of the market, the food stalls and the parking are cash only. There are ATMs in the malls on Tran Phu; avoid paying in US dollars at stalls, as the rate you'll get is poor. ## What to eat at Dam Market - **Bún chả cá** — rice-noodle soup with fish cakes, Nha Trang's signature breakfast. Unofficially about 25,000–35,000 VND a bowl. - **Bánh căn** — small rice-batter cakes with egg or seafood, cooked in clay moulds. Around 20,000–30,000 VND a serving. - **Nem nướng** — grilled pork sausage you roll in rice paper with herbs. Around 30,000–50,000 VND. - **Bún sứa** — noodle soup with jellyfish, a local dish most visitors haven't tried. - **Grilled rice paper, chè and smoothies** — snacks and sweets to keep you going between the rows. ## Is Dam Market worth visiting? Yes, if you want to see everyday Nha Trang rather than just the beach. This is where residents shop: wet fish rows, the smell of dried squid, a bowl of noodles for a couple of dollars. It's also the best single stop in town for edible souvenirs — dried seafood, coffee and mango rice paper. Be realistic about the downsides. You won't get inside the round lotus hall, and the new block looks like an ordinary market building full of stalls. It's hot and cramped by midday, touts at the entrances are persistent, and the fish section is wet and smelly. If you want a photogenic market, this isn't it any more; if you want shopping and local food, go. Go **between 6 and 10 am**: cooler, best choice, freshest fish. Noon to 2 pm is hot and sleepy, and after 3 pm the place empties out. An hour covers a walk through; give it 1.5–2 hours with shopping and lunch. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Small-denomination dong in cash - [ ] Leave early, before 9 am - [ ] Closed shoes — the fish rows are wet - [ ] Phone and wallet in a front pocket or cross-body bag - [ ] A tote or backpack for shopping - [ ] Sealed packaging for fish sauce and dried goods, in checked bags ## Markets in Nha Trang Nha Trang markets rated by YesGo. - [Dam Market](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/dam-market) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry ## Old Nha Trang in half a day: cathedral, pagoda, market and Po Nagar Start with the cathedral and Long Son Pagoda with its big white Buddha, hit Dam Market before it winds down, then cross the river to the Po Nagar towers and the Hon Chong rocks. Add them to your route and YesGo will sort out timings and walks. 1. [Nha Trang Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/nha-trang-cathedral) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 2. [Long Son Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/long-son-pagoda) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Dam Market](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/dam-market) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry 4. [Po Nagar Cham Towers](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/po-nagar) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 30,000 VND, children free 5. [Hon Chong Promontory](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/hon-chong) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 30,000 VND, children free ## Don't mix it up Dam Market, Cho Dam and Chợ Đầm are the same place. It's not Xom Moi Market (Chợ Xóm Mới), a different market further into town, and not the Nha Trang night market near the beachfront, which opens in the evening and sells mostly souvenirs. ## Tips - Get there by 6–7 am if you want to see the fish rows at full tilt. - Taste and compare dried squid on two or three stalls first — quality and asking prices vary widely. - For the flight home, pick vacuum-packed goods and check in anything that smells. - Buy fabric early in your trip so a tailor has a day or two to work. - The round hall is best seen from Phan Boi Chau street; the famous lotus shot is only possible from a drone. - From the market, [Long Son Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/nha-trang/long-son-pagoda) is five minutes away by taxi. ## Questions ### What are Dam Market's opening hours? Daily from roughly 5 am to 6:30 pm, with no day off. That's unofficial, and many stalls close after 3 pm. ### Is the round Dam Market building still open? No. The round lotus hall has been closed to trade since 2021; the market runs in the three-storey block next to it and in the street rows around. ### How do I get to Dam Market from the beach? Take a Grab or taxi — 5–7 minutes from the Tran Phu hotels. Walking from Tram Huong Tower takes about 30 minutes. ### What should I buy at Dam Market? Dried squid and shrimp, fish sauce, mango rice paper, coffee, fabric for a tailor and shell souvenirs. Skip the electronics and fake brands. ### Do I need to haggle? Yes, for clothes, souvenirs and dried goods: start at about half the asking price. Food stalls have fixed prices. ### Can I pay by card at Dam Market? Only in a few shops. Bring Vietnamese dong in small notes — food stalls, most vendors and parking are cash only. ### What's the best time to visit? Early morning, 6–10 am: cooler, best choice and the freshest seafood. After 3 pm the market empties. ### How long should I spend at Dam Market? About an hour for a walk round, 1.5–2 hours with shopping and lunch. ### Is Dam Market the same as the Nha Trang night market? No. Dam Market is a daytime market in the old town; the night market is near the beachfront and opens in the evening. ## How we checked Hours of 5:00–18:30 come from localvietnam.com, vietnamspot.ru, vietnamnomad.com and greensm.com; we found no official timetable, so the hours are marked unofficial and we note that trade fades after 15:00. Most guides still describe trading inside the round hall, but SGGP reported the old market's closure in 2021, Tạp chí Tòa án in 2024 described the hall as rated unsafe with trade in the new block, and vietnamspot.ru confirms the move; we found no final decision on the hall's future (experts advised keeping it in 2023). Build date: Vietnamese Wikipedia describes the lagoon being filled in 1969 and a reopening after renovation in 1980, while Tạp chí Tòa án says the hall has been in use since 1974, so we say "1970s". The new block has three floors per SGGP and vietnamspot.ru. On payment, vietnamnomad.com says cards are widely accepted and vietnamspot.ru says cash only; we lead with cash. Buses: vietnamspot.ru lists routes 2 and 4, vinwonders.com and localvietnam.com route 3 (03) starting at the market; we give 03 and the stop location from OpenStreetMap. Food and taxi costs come from one or two guides and are unofficial. The distance to Tram Huong Tower is our own measurement from OpenStreetMap coordinates. ## Sources - Vietnamese Wikipedia: Chợ Đầm — lagoon, 1908 market, round hall, diameter, floor area, capacity; Wikidata Q10748821 - Khanh Hoa provincial tourism portal (dulichso.khanhhoa.gov.vn): history, lotus hall, dimensions, goods, dishes - SGGP newspaper (2021): closure of the old market, new three-storey block - Tạp chí Tòa án (2024): round hall rated unsafe, new block next door - Báo Văn Hóa (2023): debate on the round hall's future - localvietnam.com, vietnamspot.ru, vietnamnomad.com, greensm.com: hours, goods, floors, haggling, food and taxi costs - vinwonders.com (Vietnamese edition): city buses, route 03 - OpenStreetMap: market and bus stop coordinates, distances --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.