Dam Market is the largest and oldest market in Nha Trang. Its name comes from the lagoon that once occupied the site before it was filled in.
The ground floor handles fresh produce and seafood, while the dried goods — one-sun squid, anchovies, dried shrimp, bottled fish sauce — occupy the easiest aisles to find and account for most of what visitors carry home. Scattered between the stalls are small kitchens serving fish noodle soup, banh canh cha ca and nem nuong.
The market sits centrally, about a kilometre north-west of the Tran Phu strip — walkable from most hotels in town.
It is busiest and freshest early in the morning. Come after midday and the fresh stalls have thinned to the dried goods and the food counters. If you are here to eat rather than shop, morning is still the better call.
Prices are rarely posted, so haggling is normal and expected — asking at several stalls before buying is the simplest way to learn the going rate. For the two most counterfeited products, bird’s nest and one-sun squid, choose a stall that issues a receipt rather than buying in a hurry.
This is also the sensible place to buy gifts on your last day, since most of the dried specialities travel well.
