One of the most attractive destinations for tourists visiting Hai Phong is the Cho Sat. Long, this commercial center is a familiar address to not only local residents, but also foreign tourists who are coming to both shop and learn about a famous and unique place of the port city.
The market was built in the late 19th century, under the French colonial time. Its materials were mainly steel to be erected on a concrete ground with a water tower, and "Iron Market" was so called. It is located on the T junction of Cam and Tam Bac rivers and the Hai Phong City's largest market. It used to be the busiest shopping center of An Bien area.
Cho Sat is such popular as other most famous markets nationally like Dong Xuan (Hanoi), Dong Ba (Hue), or Ben Thanh (Ho Chi Minh City). In the past, especially in the 80's of the 20th century, Cho Sat is a wholesale center in the North in which all kinds of goods were traded to retailers from neighboring provinces. In the time, Cho Sat with all sorts of goods, including items that can not be bought anywhere else, used to be a shopping center in "dream". Cho Sat used to be really a business center with thousands of merchants who made their fortune and were proud to own stores there. Cho Sat has been also a local resident’s pride. In present, Cho Sat is not as crowded as it used to Visitors can find here a space surrounded with charming view of water and rivers while enjoying local food specials or drinks in the restaurants on 3rd and 4th floors. On the top floor, visitors can relax and enjoy romantic scenes of spacious nature of such beautiful rivers as Tam Bac, Song Lap, Song Cam, running along multi- storey buildings, as well as experience the bustle of local traffics. Otherwise, tourists may go shopping to collect electronic items, household gadgets at modest prices.
Cho Sat can be an exciting start, but also the last destination of travelers as it is an end of a journey to explore the city center along with other local attractions of Tam Bac Lake, City Exhibition House, Statue of Female Minister Le Chan, flower shops, Opera House Square and Hai Phong port etc.
Source: haiphong.gov.vn/Image: baomoi.com
