Lessons · Level 2
2-1. Shopping 2: haggling at the wet market — buying fruit and vegetables
Đi chợ & trả giá
🎯 Goal Ask the price per kg at the market, haggle and buy the amount you want · about 35 min
The market (chợ) is where you haggle
Supermarkets and convenience stores have fixed prices, but at neighborhood wet markets (chợ) and street fruit stalls, haggling (trả giá) is normal. Fruit and vegetables are mostly priced per kilo (một ký).
In Ho Chi Minh City a kilo is ký ('kee') (North: cân). One piece of fruit is trái ('chai'), and a bunch of vegetables is bó ('baw').
The key haggling word is bớt (to knock off). Just knowing 'Bớt chút đi chị!' (Knock a little off, please!) makes the market much more fun.
Fruit (Southern names)
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| trái cây | fruit North: hoa quả | chai kuhy |
| xoài | mango | swai |
| chuối | banana | choo-oy |
| dưa hấu | watermelon In the South, d sounds like y — 'y + ưa' | yew-uh huh-oo |
| thanh long | dragon fruit | tan lawng |
| măng cụt | mangosteen | mang kook |
| sầu riêng | durian | suh-oo ree-uhng |
| bơ | avocado bơ also means butter | buh |
| dừa | coconut | yew-uh |
Vegetables · units
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| rau | vegetables | rao |
| cà chua | tomato | ka choo-uh |
| hành | onion, scallion hành tây = onion, hành lá = green onion | han |
| tỏi | garlic | toy |
| khoai tây | potato | khwai tuhy |
| một ký | one kilogram South: ký / North: cân | mohk kee |
| nửa ký | half a kilo | new-uh kee |
| bó | bunch | baw |
| trả giá | to bargain | cha ya |
Haggling sentences
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Xoài bao nhiêu một ký? | How much is a kilo of mangoes? | swai bao nyee-oo mohk kee? |
| Mắc quá chị ơi! | That's too expensive! | mak wa chee uhy! |
| Bớt chút đi chị. | Please give me a little discount. | buhk chook dee chee. |
| Bốn chục được không? | How about 40,000? At markets, people drop the 'thousand' and count in chục (tens). bốn chục = 40,000 VND | bohng chook dew-uhk khohng? |
| Em mua nhiều, bớt cho em đi. | I'm buying a lot, so give me a discount. | em moo-uh nyee-oo, buhk chaw em dee. |
| Cho em hai ký. | Two kilos, please. | chaw em hai kee. |
| Ngọt không chị? | Is it sweet? | ngawk khohng chee? |
| Lựa giùm em mấy trái ngon nha. | Please pick some good ones for me. lựa = to choose (Southern) | lew-uh yoom em muhy chai ngawng nya. |
| Chị cân lại giùm em. | Please weigh it again. | chee kuhng lai yoom em. |
| Thôi, để em đi coi chỗ khác. | Okay, I'll look somewhere else. What to say when haggling isn't working. Often the price comes down after this | toy, day em dee koy choh khak. |
Real conversation — at a fruit stall in the local market
Minsu buys mangoes at a fruit stall in a neighborhood market in District 2. The vendor is a woman older than him.
| Minsu | Chị ơi, xoài bao nhiêu một ký? | How much is a kilo of mangoes? |
| Vendor | Năm chục một ký em. Xoài cát ngọt lắm. | 50,000 a kilo. These cat mangoes are very sweet. |
| Minsu | Mắc quá chị. Bốn chục được không? | That's too expensive. How about 40,000? |
| Vendor | Không được đâu em. Bốn lăm đi. | I can't do that. Let's say 45,000. |
| Minsu | Em lấy hai ký, bốn chục nha chị. | I'll take two kilos at 40,000, okay? |
| Vendor | Thôi được, bán mở hàng cho em. | Alright, since you're my first customer. |
| Minsu | Chị lựa giùm em mấy trái ngon nha. | Please pick some good ones for me. |
| Vendor | Ừ, đây, hai ký hơn chút. Tám chục nha. | Here you go, a bit over two kilos. 80,000. |
| Minsu | Dạ, em gửi chị một trăm. | Here's 100,000. |
| Vendor | Thối em hai chục. Lần sau ghé nha. | Here's 20,000 change. Come again. |
| Minsu | Dạ, cảm ơn chị. | Thank you. |
How to haggle well
- At markets, money is shortened to chục (tens). năm chục = 50,000 VND, hai chục = 20,000 VND, một trăm = 100,000 VND. 'Thousand' (ngàn) is almost always dropped.
- Knocking about 10–20% off the first price is normal. Pushing too hard can offend. Big markets full of tourists start with higher prices.
- Buying several (mua nhiều), being the first customer (mở hàng) and being a regular (mối quen) are good reasons for a discount.
- Get a feel for prices from supermarket price tags (Bách Hóa Xanh etc.). If you know the supermarket price of a fruit, you'll know right away if the market price is high. (Prices vary a lot with season and quality.)
- Smile and keep it light. Haggling is a conversation, not a fight.
Things to watch out for
- When your produce is weighed, look at the scale yourself. If in doubt: 'Chị cân lại giùm em' (Could you weigh it again?).
- When you hear a price, check whether it's per piece or per kg. Some vendors blur '50k each' and '50k per kg'.
- Pre-cut fruit and pre-packed bags may weigh less than they should.
- Once you've haggled and agreed on a price, buy it. Agreeing and then walking away is considered very rude.
- Durian is banned in many hotels, apartments and Grab cars.