For locals and expatriates living near Hanoi’s West Lake, a European style market that is open from 9 am to 12.30 pm every Saturday off To Ngoc Van Street is a place to shop and have a chat.
Alain Fiorucci, one of the booth owners is an Italian-French man who has lived in Vietnam for 15 years. Fluent in the local language and humorous, he always manages to attract a crowd to look at and buy the pure honey he buys directly from a factory in Ha Giang.
"All products sold in this market have fixed prices and detailed labels with company's name," he says.
The idea of a weekend market like in many European cities came in 2009 to Frenchman Patrice Gautier, a director at the Asian Veterinary & Livestock Services.
His idea was to gather a group of ethical suppliers who were committed to serving customers the best quality products which were safe, traceable, tasty, and natural.
Two years later the market now has 20 booths selling products from foods like bread, jam, vegetable, honey, and eggs to beverages like wine, tea, and juice. There are also books, cosmetics, old clothes, and handicrafts targeted at tourists.
All the booths are located on a small piece of land belonging to the Naturally Vietnam store run by Gautier and his wife. All the goods sold here are wrapped in paper instead of plastic.
Some of the sellers at this market are French, Canadian, and Australian, who are friendly and eager to answer questions about their products.
Barbara Hart from Australia goes to this market with her husband and two daughters every week. While she buys food, her daughters hang around toy shops.
"My house is close to here and I love this small market. Many foreigners like me come here every week, not only to shop but also meet up, make friends, and talk."
Canadian Michelle Amanuel, a frequent visitor, says: "Our family comes here to relax and establish bonds. It's a very vibrant and familiar atmosphere. However, the scale is still small. I would like to see more products, especially vegetables."
The market also has a charity booth run by a group of women expats selling old clothes and other household items donated by kind-hearted people. The proceeds from the sales go to disabled children and orphanages.
Fiorucci says the market will be enlarged to offer the increasing number of visitors more variety and even better quality.
Source: Tuoitrenews
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