Han Market in Da Nang
A visual guide from the Da Nang travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Chợ Hàn sits at the downtown corner of Trần Phú and Hùng Vương, a block from the river, and it is the market most visitors meet first. Two storeys: dried seafood, coffee, spices and fruit on the ground floor, fabric and tailors upstairs. It is more polished and more tourist-priced than Da Nang's other markets, which is a fair trade if you want an áo dài made in two days and gifts you can actually carry home.
Upstairs: fabric and áo dài
The upper floor is bolts of silk, linen and synthetic blends, with tailors working at the back of most stalls. An áo dài typically runs somewhere between 600,000₫ and 1,500,000₫ depending on the cloth, and a simple shirt, trousers or a dress costs less. Turnaround is usually one to three days, so come on arrival, not the morning you fly out. Bring a photo of what you want, agree the price and the pickup time before any measuring starts, and ask for a fitting. Quality varies stall to stall — judge the finished garments hanging up, not the fabric alone.
Downstairs: what's actually worth buying
The ground floor is the edible half: dried squid (khô mực), dried shrimp and fish, nước mắm, cashews, dried mango, pepper, cinnamon and coffee sold by the kilo. Robusta beans are cheap — figure a couple of hundred thousand đồng a kilo for decent stuff, more for arabica blends. Khô mực is the expensive souvenir; grade and size swing the price enormously, so ask the per-kilo rate first and buy 200–300g rather than a whole bag. Skip the mass-produced magnets and lacquer trays. Vacuum-packed seafood and sealed coffee travel fine; loose dried fish will scent your suitcase for weeks.
Bargaining, hours and the reality check
The market opens early — from around 6am — and thins out by early evening. Souvenirs, fabric and clothing carry a visitor markup and a polite haggle is expected: ask the price, counter at roughly half to two-thirds, settle in the middle, and stay cheerful about it. Walking away is normal and often produces a better number called after you. Food, produce and cooked dishes are not bargained — pay what's asked. Bring small notes, though many stalls now take QR bank transfer. It is hot and tight at midday, so go early, keep your bag in front of you, and don't be talked into a sale.