The market, organised by District 5 authorities and a local Cao Dai religious group, is inspired by the traditional markets of Caodaists in the southern province of Tay Ninh.
A representative from the organiser, Nguyen Ngoc Cam, said that the market aims to connect people from different religions and help disadvantaged people. "We prepared 5,000 leaves this year and each visitor was given five leaves to buy five items which were mostly food, drinks, and other necessities," Cam said. "The market has 60 stalls this year and the sellers receive leaves as a blessing in exchange for goods."
This was the second year the market was held in HCM City and attracted many visitors.
A local student, Ha Duy, said she came with friends and had to wait two hours to receive five leaves each. "This is the first time I have attended this market and I was surprised to see so many people here," Duy said.
Pham Thi Mien at a stall selling noodles at the market said her family prepared 200 bowls of noodles to offer to visitors here. "As the market attracted many visitors today, some people couldn't get a leaf," Mien said. "But we're still offering noodles for everyone who came to our stall. We want everyone to understand the beautiful meaning of this market event."
The market lasted for three hours. A representative of HCM City Caodaism said the market is held once a year.
