Fresh markets are the throbbing heart of traditional Asian communities, and here in Phu Quoc it’s very much the same. All roads, it seems, lead to the central fresh market that feeds the whole town.

Hardly surprising for an old fishing port, the market is right on the riverside where the fishing craft can unload their catch directly. And fish are a critical product here, with one of the best displays of really fresh fish and other marine life that one can find around Vietnam. Much of Phu Quoc’s fishing catch is shipped north to other Vietnamese cities, but Duong Dong market gets it first and freshest.

Just about everything else that we could expect of a Vietnamese market is here too: vegetables in all of their variety and colour; dried condiments that defy the English language for names; tropical fruit from around the country; fresh pork, beef and chicken; and household goods in a hundred varieties. Of course there is a cheap clothing section, and shoes for a dollar or three.

It might be a fresh market, but some of the smells are a quite a lot older than that. For some people reared in spotless shopping malls their noses might prove too sensitive for the odours. Phu Quoc is, after all, just a small district in a rather backward, developing country. The market structure and floor is rough and ready and the hygiene standards are lacking.

Perhaps the new boom in tourism will give the local government the means with which to upgrade in the coming years. Meantime, those who are not upset by the sights and smells of third world realities should enjoy a visit to this, the island’s main market.

by John Everingham