Cholon - literally translated as “big market” might lack imagination as a place name but it’s right on in terms of what this heaving Chinese enclave of Saigon is all about. Said to be the biggest Chinatown in the world with as many as one million ethnic Chinese residents, Cholon has been the city’s big market for decades with a commercial energy surpassing that even of downtown Saigon. The Chinese established a port refuge in Cholon at the end of the 18th century escaping persecution in other parts of the country. As the enclave grew with communities from different parts of China arriving, Cholon’s merchants began to dominate commercial life in their adopted city.
As the French colony developed, so too did Cholon. In the fifties, Cholon’s fame was founded on booming opium dens, gambling halls and an illegal trade in materiel sought by the Viet Minh in an escalating conflict against the French colonials. Cholon was also the centre of intrigue and organised crime where the Binh Xuyen criminal gang operated with the sanction of French authorities until a massive showdown with Ngo Dinh Diem in 1955 broke the back of the criminal gang.
In the 1960s, Cholon was where the huge US Army PX (Post Exchange) was located - the main entry and distribution point of US military and support equipment - everything from weapons to Budweiser. There was a huge amount of leakage - both into the black market and into the hands of the Viet Cong. In the 1968 Tet Offensive, there was heavy fighting and casualties in Cholon.
At the end of the war, Cholon’s commercial life evaporated as hardline communism clamped down on trade. Things got worse for the Chinese of Cholon in the late 70s as relations between China and Vietnam soured. The Chinese invasion of northern Vietnam in 1979 saw hostility to ethnic Chinese grow and thousands fled the country.
All was forgiven in the late 80s and the Vietnam government’s doi moi (new change) reforms freed the Chinese to get back to business. It didn’t take long. Cholon has boomed again and ethnic Chinese business people have been a vital part of Vietnam’s economic revival.
So, what about visiting Cholon these days?
It’s well worth making the trip - about 10 - 15 minutes by taxi.
And once you get there, cyclo is a great way to navigate the motorcycle mayhem. Most of the things you’ll want to see are close by.
Chua Quan Am is one of several spectacular Chinese pagodas in Cholon.
Quan Am was built by Cholon’s Fujian congregation in the 18th century and dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy.
Thien Hau is probably Cholon’s most famous pagoda- it’s certainly the most popular with travellers. Thien Hau is the Goddess of the sea and she has had a special significance for Vietnam’s Chinese community. In centuries past seafaring traders would come here and pay their respects to Thien Hau seeking good fortune in their travels. Ethnic Chinese who fled Cholon by boat in the late 70s and early 80s also sought her blessing here.
Thien Hau Pagoda.
Cha Tam church is the place of worship for Cholon’s catholic population. The church was also the venue for one of the more dramatic episodes in Vietnam’s war history.
President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu took shelter here in 1963 as a coup by rebel South Vietnamese generals brought their regime to its knees. After their surrender, they were duly murdered in cold blood. The coup had the discreet blessing of the Kennedy administration.
The senseless murder of Diem and his brother was a portent of the dysfunction that would characterise America’s allies in South Vietnam and usher ever more US military involvement.
It is said that Diem, a devout Catholic, prayed fervently here before he was captured and murdered.
This is the Binh Tay market - the “cho lon” (big market) of Cholon.
"Banh chuoi nuong" - grilled banana cake is classic southern Vietnamese street food. It's simple and delicious with sticky rice powder, coconut sauce and peanuts on top. A great way to wrap up your Cholon expedition. This stall is at the corner of Bai Say and Go Cong Streets in Cholon.
