Eating in Hue after Dong Ba Market Closes: Evening Food, Gifts and Packing Specialities for the Car

Many first-time visitors to Hue call the busy evening trade along Tran Hung Dao Street the “Dong Ba night market”. As a rough guide, the fabric and dried-goods stalls inside the Dong Ba market hall usually start packing up around 18:00. After that hour, the food scene on the north bank moves out to the forecourt in front of the market and continues along Mai Thuc Loan Street, which leads straight to the Dong Ba Gate of the Hue Citadel.

The difference between the market hall’s closing time and the evening food area outside

If you want to buy an ao dai fabric or a longstanding dried-goods stall inside the hall, do not arrive after dark expecting it to be open. The two areas run on two consecutive timetables:

• Inside the market hall and the bell tower (as a guide, about 06:00 – 18:00): Hundreds of stalls sell sesame sweets (me xung), dried lotus seeds, court tea, tom chua (sour fermented shrimp), shrimp paste, conical hats and fabrics. As a guide, from about 17:30 to 18:00 the traders inside the hall start closing their counters, so check on the spot. If your main goal is to choose gifts, aim to be at the market between about 15:30 and 17:00.
• The evening food area in front of the market on Tran Hung Dao Street (as a guide, 16:30 – 21:30): As the hall closes, dozens of street-food carts are set out along the forecourt beside the bell tower and on the pavement of Tran Hung Dao Street. Diners sit on low plastic stools around the hot carts to eat fried rice noodles with pork offal, grilled pork noodles, nem lui (grilled pork skewers), banh beo – nam – loc (steamed rice cakes) and seasonal Hue sweet soups.

Walking route from Dong Ba market to Mai Thuc Loan food street

From the main gate of Dong Ba market on Tran Hung Dao Street, it is a short walk north to reach Mai Thuc Loan Street. This old commercial street runs through the Dong Ba Gate (Chinh Dong Mon) into the inner city.

Compared with the pavement carts in front of the market, Mai Thuc Loan Street and nearby side streets such as Dinh Tien Hoang and Doan Thi Diem have fixed shopfronts with wider tables, and, as a guide, many stay open until about 22:00:

• Hot fried and grilled dishes: Along Mai Thuc Loan Street you will find several places serving crisp banh khoai (pan-fried crepes) cooked in cast-iron moulds, served with fresh herbs, thinly sliced green fig and a thick, rich liver-and-sesame dipping sauce, alongside chewy banh ep rice cakes and nem lui grilled over charcoal.
• Sweet soups and evening snacks: After a savoury meal, you can stroll along the street for loc (tapioca dumplings) with roast pork, dau ngu (Hue mung bean) sweet soup, lotus seed and longan sweet soup, or banh mi with meatballs. To plan your budget and choose dishes that suit your group, see the guide to Hue food costs and culinary tours.

How to pack tom chua, shrimp paste and dried specialities into a private car

One advantage of combining a market visit with the evening is that you can buy all your gifts from Hue in one trip. Fermented products such as tom chua, shrimp paste, mam ro and Hue nem chua, however, need careful packing so the smell does not leak into the car or cause problems at airport check-in:

• Pack in several layers at the stall: When you buy tom chua or shrimp paste, ask the seller for a thick plastic jar with a tight screw-on lid. Wrap tape firmly around the neck of the lid, add two or three layers of food wrap, then place the jar in a foam box or cardboard carton taped shut at every seam.
• Arrange it in the car boot: Drivers of private cars with 4, 7 or 16 seats usually place foam boxes of specialities in a flat corner of the boot, kept apart from bags of fabric or clothing. For a detailed list of gifts that keep well on longer trips, see the tips for buying central Vietnam specialities as gifts.

Pick-up points near Dong Ba market and linking the evening to a trip to Quang Tri

As a guide, during the evening rush hour (about 17:00 to 18:30), the stretch of Tran Hung Dao Street in front of Dong Ba market carries very heavy traffic, and cars that stop for long periods cause congestion. To get into the car quickly with your bags of specialities, choose one of these two pick-up points:

1. The tourist car park beside Dong Ba market (on the Perfume River side, near the foot of Truong Tien Bridge): It may have a stopping lane for cars with 4 to 16 seats and is close to the food area in front of the hall. Check the stopping spot on site or ask before you book.
2. The start of Doan Thi Diem or Dang Thai Than Street (inside Dong Ba Gate): If your group has walked along Mai Thuc Loan Street through the citadel gate to eat dinner, arranging the car inside the citadel is much more relaxed than walking back out to Tran Hung Dao Street.

Many families plan an evening at Dong Ba market for gifts and dinner on Mai Thuc Loan Street, then leave early the next morning on the private car from Hue to the Quang Tri heritage sites to visit the Quang Tri Citadel, the Hien Luong Bridge and Ben Hai River, and the Vinh Moc Tunnels. The evening at the market then has no bearing on the morning departure, so there is no need to rush against the market’s closing time.

Frequently asked questions about evening visits to Dong Ba market and Mai Thuc Loan Street

What are the starting private car rates for dong ba market Hue evening food? +

For dong ba market Hue evening food, the reference route Full-day tour: Hue City Tour (8:00–17:00) starts from US$55 for a 4-seat car, US$63 for a 7-seat car, and US$87 for a 16-seat van (including fuel, road tolls and parking on the standard route). Sun Travel quotes the final fare based on your pickup and drop-off points, itinerary and departure time.

If I want to buy packaged specialities as gifts and also try evening street food at Dong Ba market, what time should I arrive? +

Aim to be at Dong Ba market between about 15:30 and 17:00. This window lets you reach the market hall in time to buy me xung, court tea, tom chua and dried lotus seeds before the stalls close, then step out to the forecourt to eat at the evening food carts as they are set up.

What are the standout dishes in the evening food area in front of Dong Ba market and on Mai Thuc Loan Street? +

The area in front of Dong Ba market is known for fried rice noodles with pork offal, grilled pork noodles, nem lui, banh beo – nam – loc and Hue sweet soups. Mai Thuc Loan Street has more fixed shops serving banh khoai, banh ep, Hue snails and family-run restaurants, some of which, as a guide, stay open until about 22:00.

How should I pack tom chua or shrimp paste bought at Dong Ba market for a car or a flight? +

Ask the seller for a jar with a tight screw-on lid, wrap the lid with tape, add several layers of food wrap and place the jar in a foam box or carton taped shut. Packed this way, the smell is less likely to spread in a private car's boot. Whether the parcel meets checked-baggage rules depends on the airline, so check its rules before you fly.

Where should a car pick us up near Dong Ba market during the evening rush hour? +

As a guide, during the evening rush hour (about 17:00 to 18:30), Tran Hung Dao Street in front of the bell tower is very busy. Pick-up points that are usually easy to use are the tourist car park beside the market on the Perfume River side, near Truong Tien Bridge, or the start of Doan Thi Diem Street inside Dong Ba Gate. Check the stopping spot on site or ask before you book.