Buzz
Long Hoa Market Tây Ninh stands as the largest market in Tây Ninh province. Situated in Hòa Thành district, approximately 1 km away from the Holy See of Cao Đài, this market offers an intriguing destination for travelers seeking insights into the distinctive religious and cultural life of the Southern region.
The Religious Significance of Long Hoa Market Tây Ninh
Long Hoa Market comprises a central square building shaped like a cross (+) situated on a square plot of land. It features 8 gates, facing 8 different streets, symbolizing the birth of the Universe from the interaction of Yin and Yang, leading to the creation of the Cosmos, encompassing all beings, humanity, and animals.
Aerial view of Long Hoa Market Tây Ninh in an old photo (Photo by ST)
The term Long Hoa signifies the era of the Long Hoa Assembly, chaired by Duke Di Lạc Vương, serving as the final judgment in the Lower Ngươn Period to select Buddha candidates. The main entrances of Long Hoa Market in Tây Ninh include: the Northern Gate leading towards the Holy See, the Western Gate towards Gò Kén Pagoda and Tây Ninh River, the Southern Gate towards Giang Tân area facing Sài Gòn, and the Eastern Gate leading to Trí Huệ Palace. Eight gates symbolize the Eight Trigrams of the Universe.
Experience the culinary delights of Long Hoa Market
This is the busiest market in Tây Ninh province and the most popular items sold here are Tây Ninh specialties such as dew-dried rice paper, sesame rice paper, and especially various types of processed salt (even though Tây Ninh is landlocked).
Especially, the market was built in 1952 according to the blueprint of Đức hộ pháp Phạm Công Tắc (Cao Đài), mainly serving the followers of Cao Đài in Tây Ninh, so here, many vegetarian foods are sold. According to the locals, the food sold at the market is quite cheap compared to other provincial markets. Locals reveal that in the past, the market used to sell only vegetarian food for 10 days each month, on the 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, and 30th days. In months lacking a 30th day, it was replaced by the 27th. Besides various vegetables, roots, and beans, the most popular vegetarian dishes include tofu, soybean curd, fermented bean curd, porridge, and fresh bean sprouts which are products of soybeans.
Stall selling vegetarian food at Long Hoa Market (Photo by ST)
Long Hoa Market is famous for its vegetarian dishes such as: Spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, rice vermicelli with shredded pork skin, shredded pork skin rolls, vegetarian shrimp paste skewers, vegetarian spring rolls, vegetarian beef rolls, porridge, noodle soup, etc. The vegetarian noodle soup is incomparable in taste.
Local specialties most commonly sold at Long Hoa Market include various types of beans and sesame seeds such as peanuts, soybeans, red beans, black beans, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, as they are well-suited to sandy soil. Due to the scarcity of rice fields and the abundance of gardens in Tây Ninh, the market sells plenty of sweet potatoes, corn, bottle gourds, squash, ash gourds, luffa, pigeon peas, various types of eggplants, various types of vegetables,... Long Hoa Market in Tây Ninh also sells a lot of bamboo shoots and bamboo sprouts because every household grows bamboo for making fences. Stir-fried or boiled bamboo shoots with vegetarian dipping sauce are delicious, while those who prefer meat can use bamboo shoots to cook pork bone stew without argument.
Unlike the abundance of seafood found in markets in Bến Tre and Vĩnh Long, Long Hoa primarily sells dried fish, with the most common being dried mullet, dried snakehead fish, steamed fish, and various dried fish imported from Biển Hồ (Cambodia) through Gò Dầu intersection, such as dried catfish, snakehead fish, and snakehead fish.
Various types of dried fish displayed at Long Hoa Market (Photo by ST)
In addition, there are many stalls selling tea, liquor, coffee, along with Tây Ninh shrimp salt. A kilogram of premium chili shrimp salt costs around 120,000 - 150,000 VND, while the regular type is priced at 100,000 VND, and vegetarian chili salt ranges from 80,000 - 100,000 VND. According to the vendors, Tây Ninh spicy shrimp salt pairs excellently with sour fruits. Skilled individuals at home can also try making it themselves, but it requires effort and the price difference is not significant.
Tây Ninh shrimp salt is nationally renowned (Photo by ST)
