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Long Hoa Market Tay Ninh is the largest market in Tay Ninh province. Situated in Hoa Thanh district, it is about 1 km away from the Tay Ninh Holy See of the Cao Dai religion. If you want to have travel experiences to understand the cultural and religious life typical of the Southern region, Long Hoa Market is truly an intriguing destination.
The religious significance of Long Hoa Market Tay Ninh
Long Hoa Market comprises a square-shaped cage house (+) located on a square plot of land, surrounded by 8 doors, facing 8 streets. This layout symbolizes the birth of Taiji Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang giving birth to Four Symbols; Four Symbols giving birth to Eight Trigrams; Eight Trigrams giving birth to the Universe, encompassing all living beings, humanity, and animals.
Long Hoa denotes the period of the Long Hoa Assembly, overseen by King Đức Di Lạc, serving as the final judgment session during the Hạ Ngươn Period for the selection of enlightened Buddhist leaders. The primary entrances of Long Hoa Market in Tây Ninh include: Door One to the North leading towards the Holy See, Door Three to the West towards Gò Kén Pagoda – Tây Ninh River, Door Five to the South towards the Giang Tân area heading to Saigon, and Door Seven to the East leading to Trí Huệ Palace. The eight entrances symbolize the Eight Diagrams of Heaven.
Experience the culinary delights of Long Hoa Market.
This vibrant market stands as the busiest in Tây Ninh province, renowned for its array of Tây Ninh specialties including sun-dried rice paper, sesame rice paper, and notably, various locally processed salts (despite Tây Ninh being landlocked).
Notably, the market was constructed in 1952 based on the design by the legal expert Phạm Công Tắc (Cao Đài), primarily catering to followers of Cao Đài in Tây Ninh, hence offering a wide array of vegetarian food. According to locals, the food sold here is relatively inexpensive compared to other provincial markets. Residents note that historically, the market exclusively sold vegetarian food for 10 days each month, specifically on the 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. In months with fewer than 30 days, it would extend to the 27th. Aside from various vegetables, roots, and beans, the most popular vegetarian dishes include tofu, vegetarian ham, fermented bean curd, tofu skin, and fresh bean sprouts which are products of soybeans.
Long Hoa Market is renowned for its vegetarian delicacies such as spring rolls, fresh rolls, vermicelli with shredded pork skin, shredded pork skin salad, vegetarian shrimp paste skewers, vegetarian spring rolls, vegetarian beef rolls, porridge, rice noodle soup, and much more. The vegetarian version of rice noodle soup is incomparable in taste.
Local specialties prominently displayed at Long Hoa Market include various types of beans and sesame seeds such as peanuts, soybeans, red beans, black beans, white sesame seeds, and black sesame seeds, as they thrive in sandy soil. With limited rice fields but abundant gardens and orchards, the market offers plenty of sweet potatoes, corn, squash, pumpkin, luffa, okra, corn on the cob, various types of eggplant, various types of leafy greens, etc. Long Hoa Market in Tây Ninh also sells plenty of bamboo shoots and bamboo sprouts as every household grows bamboo for fences. Stir-fried or boiled bamboo shoots dipped in vegetarian sauce are delicious, while those who prefer savory dishes use bamboo shoots in pork bone stew without hesitation.
Long Hoa market specializes in dried seafood such as dried catfish, snakehead fish, steamed fish, and various dried fishes imported from Lake Hồ (Cambodia) through the Gò Dầu intersection, like dried basa fish, snakehead fish, and barred snakehead fish.
Various types of dried fish displayed at Long Hoa market (Photo by ST)
Additionally, there are stalls selling tea, liquor, coffee, and accompanied by Tây Ninh shrimp salt. A kilogram of premium shrimp salt costs around 120,000 - 150,000 VND, while the regular type is 100,000 VND, and the vegetarian shrimp chili salt ranges from 80,000 - 100,000 VND. According to the vendors, Tây Ninh spicy shrimp salt tastes excellent with sour fruits. Skilled individuals can also mimic making it at home, but it requires effort, and the price difference is negligible.
Tây Ninh shrimp salt, nationally renowned (Photo by ST)
Many tourists have remarked, 'The people of Tây Ninh are incredibly intelligent. Despite lacking a coastline and salt production, Tây Ninh's spicy shrimp salt is renowned throughout Vietnam.'
Whether you're shopping, exploring local specialties, or delving into the culture and religion, Long Hoa market in Tây Ninh is the perfect stop on your Tây Ninh travel journey!
