An afternoon market in Gia Lai, saw people selling wild vegetables, river shrimp, stream fish everywhere, at surprisingly cheap prices.

Phu Tuc afternoon market was originally an impromptu market on the sidewalks of streets surrounding Phu Tuc market, such as Hai Ba Trung and Nguyen Van Troi streets.

The market starts around 3 PM every day and continues until late at night. It has more than 30 stalls selling goods from local farmers.

Fresh, vibrant vegetables attract buyers at the Phu Tuc afternoon market in Phu Tuc town (Krong Pa district, Gia Lai province). Photo: Van Ngoc.

Returning from her fields, Ms. Ksor H'Vơt (Kết hamlet, Phú Túc town) carried a basket containing more than a dozen bundles of tiang liang to the market to sell. After the rains, the tiang liang plants in the forest sprouted fresh, tender leaves.

During her lunch break, she picked tender young leaves and tied them neatly into bundles with grass string, placing them in her basket. She sold each bundle for 5,000 dong. Diligently searching through the reed bushes, Ms. H'Vơt also managed to pick more than a dozen fresh bamboo shoots.

A bunch of tender, fresh tiang liang wild vegetables sells for only 5,000 dong at Phu Tuc afternoon market, Phu Tuc town (Krong Pa district, Gia Lai province). Photo: Van Ngoc.

And those are the goods that Ms. H'Vơt takes to the afternoon market hoping to earn some extra money to make ends meet.

With three children of school age, the couple works hard cultivating over 5 acres of cassava, yet life remains very difficult.

However, since she started gathering forest products around her fields, she earns an extra 50-100 thousand dong each day to buy more rice, get the children some extra biscuits, or save up for a new set of clothes. More importantly, each evening meal for the family includes a fish or a piece of meat.

"This season, the tiang liang leaves are tender and delicious, so I'm picking them to sell. Many people love eating these leaves; they're great as a side dish with grilled food, or you can grind them into a dipping sauce or mix them with dried fish – they're delicious either way. Some people even buy them as gifts to send far away."

"During other seasons, I sometimes go to pick wild betel leaves, fragrant herbs, or catch ants to sell. I spend about an hour picking leaves and bamboo shoots at noon, then sell them around 2 pm before going home to cook dinner. Although it's not much, it's a little extra money to buy food and clothes for my children," H'Vơt confided.

A plastic bag containing all the ingredients for stir-fried rice noodles costs only 10,000 VND. Photo: Van Ngoc

Next to her, Mrs. Ksor H'Rin (from Du hamlet, Phu Tuc town) was busily tying up bags of cassava leaves, making them look very appealing for customers to choose from. Perhaps few markets sell stir-fried cassava leaves with bitter eggplant as readily available as at Phu Tuc afternoon market. In the plastic bag are finely crushed cassava leaves with a "combo" of wild eggplant, bitter eggplant, chili peppers, bamboo shoots, male papaya flowers, and are sold for… 10,000 dong.

Fresh, unprocessed ants and ant eggs are also sold at Phu Tuc afternoon market, Phu Tuc town (Krong Pa district, Gia Lai province). Photo: Van Ngoc

Ms. H'Rin said: "Each bag of pork belly can comfortably feed 3-4 people. You just need to add fish sauce and salt; if you like steamed fish or pork belly, just add it and stir-fry it a little, and it's ready to eat."

Many people here enjoy eating cassava leaves, but they don't have time to prepare them because crushing them takes a lot of time. I'm old now, and I'm not as strong as the younger generation when it comes to farming, so I make this extra dish and sell it at the market to help my children and grandchildren. I sell it all before going home; I can't keep it until the next day."

Freshly caught freshwater shrimp and fish, including river shrimp and stream fish from the Ba River, are being sold at the Phu Tuc afternoon market in Phu Tuc town (Krong Pa district, Gia Lai province). Photo: Van Ngoc.

In the land situated on the banks of the Ba River, the afternoon market is incomplete without the abundance of fish and shrimp that this river provides. From fresh, jumping shrimp to catfish, gobies, and whitefish, all can easily be found at the Phu Tuc afternoon market.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien (Binh Minh village, Phu Can commune) shared: “Early in the morning, my husband and I go out to remove the nets and bring whatever we catch to the morning market, then we continue to cast nets for the afternoon, so the shrimp and fish are very fresh. Buyers really like fresh produce just caught from the river, so I only need about an hour to sell everything.”

The market also features local products such as fresh ants and ant eggs, termite mushrooms, bitter eggplant, cantaloupe, chili peppers, male papaya flowers, etc., which can whet the appetite of any visitor.

No one remembers exactly when Phu Tuc afternoon market originated, but it has become ingrained in the memories of countless people here, especially those who have left their hometown.

Male papaya flowers, termite mushrooms, and sword-shaped mushrooms are characteristic Jrai cuisine items that bring a unique touch to Phu Tuc afternoon market. Photo: Van Ngoc.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son ( Ho Chi Minh City) reminisced: "Because of my job, I have to work far away, but I always miss the taste of the simple, rustic dishes from my hometown."

Therefore, every time I come back, I go to the afternoon market to find that unique flavor that can't be found anywhere else. My wife isn't from Krông Pa, but she also loves going to the afternoon market; everything looks fresh and delicious, and she wants to buy everything.

I often ask my family to buy things and park the car for me, but the most enjoyable part is strolling through the market like this. I think the afternoon market could be a very attractive tourist destination because I believe many people who like to explore will be captivated.”

Source: https://danviet.vn/mot-cai-cho-chieu-o-gia-lai-thay-dan-ban-la-liet-rau-rung-tom-song-ca-suoi-gia-re-bat-ngo-20240924170240437.htm