Culinary delights at night

As the shutters come down on the Ben Thanh Market, the talls outside seem to be closing as well. But that is just a fleeting impression because they are actually setting up for the evening.
In short order, the night market is open, and its lights never fail to lure tourists and residents, many of whom are just passing by when the sight and scent of food catches their attention.
There are clothes, footwear, handicrafts and other items that are sold in the night market, but the key attraction is the food court that seems to take on a different ambience after sunset.
Set up on the Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh streets surrounding Ho Chi Minh City’s famous District 1 market, the small and big stalls offer a wide choice of dishes from all parts of the country. Regulars home in on their favorite dish and stall or decide to try something different.
Open from about 6 p.m. until midnight, the food market also offers Chinese food.
From the central region, the specialties on offer include banh bot loc (the batter is made from tapioca flour and the filling is shrimp and/or sliced pork), banh beo (steamed cake), banh loc (tapioca shrimp pies), banh nam (wrapped shrimp pie), and banh it tran (sticky rice ball). Then there is the cao lau (a type of noodle soup with square and soft rice noodles made from rice flour served with shrimp or pork, ground roasted peanuts, ricepaper, fresh vegetables and soy sauce with five different spices; the mi Quang (Quang Nam-style noodles), and the com hen (rice and mussels).
Vermicelli dishes from the north prized by night market customers include mien ga (chicken vermicelli), mien luon (eel and cassava vermicelli), mien xao thit (stir-fried vermicelli), and the famous pho (noodle soup served with beef or chicken).
The southern region is represented at the night market by chao (rice porridge) with fish or shrimp or pork; goi (made with raw fish and vegetables), banh trang Trang Bang (made from high- quality white and soft rice, and thicker than any other rice paper made around the country), served with shrimp, meat, salad, coriander, herbs, chili, dill and fish or soy sauce, cha gio (spring roll filled with shrimp, crab, green bean and sweet potato), and oc (edible snails).
Popular Chinese dishes at the night market include xoi chien phong (fried steamed glutinous rice ball), lau (hot pot), com chien Duong Chau (Yangzhou-style fried rice), and com chien hai san (seafood fried rice).
Seafood lovers never fail to find what they want at the specialty restaurants on Phan Chu Trinh Street, west of the Ben Thanh Market.