From a reed swamp to the largest commercial area in the country Binh Dien Agricultural Products Wholesale Market (Binh Dien Market) was formed from a reed swamp 20 years ago. With the city’s policy of forming wholesale markets to concentrate agricultural and aquatic resources from the Mekong Delta, Eastern and Central provinces and relocating some wholesale markets in the inner city to reduce pressure on security and order, environmental sanitation in the inner city, Saigon Trading Corporation (SATRA) has been assigned by the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to form a wholesale market in the south of the city. From empty land, reeds, specialized rice cultivation, SATRA has continuously worked with authorities to implement pre-project work such as: Master planning; compensation; clearance, leveling… In 2003, Binh Dien Market was built in a strategic location, near roads and waterways, convenient for goods circulation. This is not only a key project of SATRA but also a project that Ho Chi Minh City is very interested in. Three years later, Binh Dien Market officially opened, creating a centralized, civilized and modern wholesale environment. Currently, with 7 specialized cage houses, a warehouse system and supporting services, and increasingly perfect facilities on an area of more than 35 hectares, Binh Dien Market has become the largest wholesale market in the country. , multi-industry business, is a place to trade goods from the Western provinces, Southeast, Central Highlands and some Northern provinces.

Miniature “city” at night, providing quality food to consumers When night falls, Binh Dien market is like a miniature city, bright and bustling. Means of transport move in and out continuously; goods quality inspection and control activities; preliminary processing and classification; Loading, unloading, trading and distributing goods… continuously without stopping. Currently, the transaction output at the market reaches about 2,500 tons/night. The number of traders is more than 1,500 people, creating jobs for more than 20,000 workers. The peak number of customers, partners, and workers reaches 30,000 people/night. Seafood – the main industry of Binh Dien Market – accounts for about 70% of the market share of Ho Chi Minh City’s seafood supply. In particular, one of the prides of Binh Dien Market is the area specializing in high-end seafood. This place provides a variety and abundance of fresh premium seafood in domestic and foreign markets such as lobster, Alaskan shrimp, king crab, Beluga sturgeon, grouper goby, crispy carp, and snails. elephant trunk… There are products that are difficult to find elsewhere if you don’t buy them at Binh Dien Market.

One of the other highlights at Binh Dien Market is the specialized pork area in cage H. Since 2019, Binh Dien Market has received a grant of 2 million USD from the World Bank to upgrade the area. cage house sector under the Lifsap Project – Project to improve competitiveness of the livestock industry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Accordingly, this area was renovated from an open business area to a closed area with an air conditioning system that always reaches 18 – 25°C. All old counters and food containers were replaced with new ones. The floor, ceiling, electricity – water – lighting systems are decorated. The by-products business area was moved outside the cage house to avoid cross-contamination. This project not only improves food hygiene and safety conditions at the market but also contributes to raising awareness and gradually forming good habits for traders about protecting the business environment to ensure product quality. supplying goods to consumers. Breakthrough with self-trading activities and information technology Binh Dien Market is not only a food business location, but also a reputable and quality supplier of goods for consumers. many large and small partners. The market has launched self-trading activities on a number of fruit and vegetable items. Binh Dien Market’s customers are very diverse, from high-end hotels to schools, joint venture companies… Self-trading activities help Binh Dien Market be able to supply a large quantity of goods, meeting basic needs. processed according to customer’s request. The market also sets safety and quality standards for raw material suppliers, raising their awareness about the products.

A typical example of Binh Dien Market’s self-trading activities is the import of Japanese Aomori apples – apples grown in the Aomori region near Hokkaido that are famous for their high quality. The market management board came to the place to sign a contract to buy the entire apple orchard, requiring each fruit to be wrapped. When harvested, apples are immediately put into air-absorbed coolers and shipped to Vietnam. This type of apple has a quite high price and is considered a special gift for Tet, bearing the mark of SATRA’s own brand – Binh Dien Market. Binh Dien Market not only focuses on business, but also cares about health. consumer health. The market has coordinated with the City Food Safety Management Board to inspect and control the quality of goods and food traded at the market. Regularly organize training classes and confirm food safety knowledge for business traders. Binh Dien Market also affirms itself by becoming a pioneer in applying information technology to management and business. market, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. The market focuses on investing, perfecting and upgrading current information technology applications such as: Human resource management software, toll collection software system, access control with magnetic cards at restrooms. public, smart parking system, market entry fee control system, financial accounting software, camera system throughout the cages and yards to monitor security throughout the market,… Binh Dien Market has also been Contributing to SATRA’s internal linkage program, having a synergistic impact with SATRA member units such as Satrafoods, SATRA Cold Storage, SATRA Distribution Center… through joint investment and exploitation of infrastructure , business cooperation, stabilizing the supply of raw materials and goods and contributing to increasing the efficiency of SATRA’s supply chain. Aiming to become the most modern market in the region and an attractive tourist destination With a vision Open, SATRA will renovate Binh Dien Commercial Area phase 1 in a modern direction, meeting environmental hygiene requirements, while improving the value of food quality for the seafood and fruit industries. plants, agricultural products, chicken meat and offal, fresh and processed flowers… For Binh Dien Commercial Area phase 2, SATRA will continue to coordinate with departments and branches to carry out related procedures for transportation. , renting land to build a modern commercial area of the city and the region, fully meeting the functions of trade, service, and logistics. Binh Dien Market also aims to become one of the most modern markets. area, is one of the tourist destinations for city residents and international tourists. “We are researching service industries and products to serve tourists. Building a restaurant to serve on-site processing or take-out, a souvenir shop, a store specializing in selling Binh Dien’s specialties – those are the plans that we will implement as soon as possible. ” – shared Mr. Phan Thanh Tan, Director of Binh Dien Market Company.

To realize the above plans, SATRA and Binh Dien Market have organized trips to visit markets in advanced countries, recently Toyoshi market (Japan) – one of the largest markets in the world. world, attracting millions of international visitors every year.

Twenty years of building and developing Binh Dien Market is a harmony full of ups and downs, still full of difficulties but also full of pride. Binh Dien Market has been and will be an important contributor to the development of SATRA in particular and the agricultural and food trade industry in Ho Chi Minh City in general.