Exploring Taiwan’s Night Markets with Nguyen Thu Hang

“The first time I went to a night market was when I was attending university in Taiwan. My mother, who was then working in Taiwan, brought me to Shilin Night Market, which I found very novel,” says Nguyen Thu Hang with a laugh. Just a poor student back then, she was amazed by the low prices and wide variety of night markets.

An entrée to Taiwanese culture

“Hang TV,” a YouTube channel run by Nguyen and her husband, shares their observations on Taiwanese–­Vietnamese cultural interactions. Recently she brought some Vietnamese friends to Raohe Street Night Market, where they not only visited Ciyou Temple, but also tried foods such as pork ribs stewed in medicinal herbs, and mung bean paste. Nguyen says that whenever she travels abroad, she always brings back souvenir magnets to place on her refrigerator, which remind her of happy memories. When visiting Raohe Street Night Market with friends, she also stopped at a souvenir stand to buy magnets with Taiwanese elements (including Taiwan Beer and traditional Taiwanese tote bags) as gifts for them, in hopes that they will remember the best things from their visit to Taiwan.

Nguyen relates that although Vietnam also has night markets, they are small and mainly sell gifts and souvenirs. In Taiwan, on the other hand, night markets are “culinary museums” with all kinds of foods for sale. Also, every night market has its own distinctive character, and Taiwanese will even make special trips to try local specialties, like curry noodles at Keelung’s Miaokou Night Market or Tainan’s “coffin bread.” These are all unique dishes that developed from special local conditions.

Night markets not only offer fine foods, but also many services, such as the “facial threading” available at Raohe Street Night Market.

There are many vendors of unique Vietnamese foods in the Raohe Night Market. Taiwan’s diverse night markets not only provide edibles to visitors but also are like spiritual harbors for long-term immigrants, that can bring back memories of the cuisine of their homelands.

New blended Taiwan flavor

Nguyen tells us that when she first came to Taiwan 15 years ago, night markets had virtually no stalls selling Vietnamese food. But today there are at least four or five in the Raohe Street Night Market alone, and they sell victuals that can’t be found in ordinary Vietnamese restaurants, such as grilled egg, Vietnamese-style pizza, and spicy–salty cheese bread. She says that this remarkable cultural interaction enables people to try various authentic Vietnamese foods without having to travel to Vietnam. Meanwhile, for long-term immigrants, night markets can serve as spiritual harbors that bring back memories of the cuisine of their homelands.

Nguyen admits that when she first came to Taiwan, she found many Taiwanese deep-fried foods to be too oily, and didn’t understand the Taiwanese fondness for sweet–salty flavors. But now she loves these dishes, especially the combination of peanut powder and coriander, like in gua bao (Taiwanese pork burgers) or peanut rolls with ice cream. She also enjoys bringing home deep-fried “popcorn chicken” and watching a movie as she consumes it along with “Only 18 Days” Taiwan Draft Beer. It’s one of life’s little pleasures in Taiwan.

This year, Nguyen will come out with her own fried chicken brand. She mentions that for the past 15 years she has worked to “set down roots,” and given that deep-fried chicken steak is a representative Taiwanese food, she wants to combine it with Vietnamese deep-fried food and spices to create a “new Taiwanese flavor.” “We’re not trying to bring an authentic Vietnamese dish to Taiwan, but rather to offer our own interpretation of a new Taiwanese flavor that has arisen from this cultural combination.” In her eyes, Taiwan’s night markets are microcosms of the island’s diversity and tolerance.

The special vibe of Taiwan’s night markets can be seen in neatly lined-up pots of colorful oden, in the sight of a vendor concentrating intently while making soup broth, or perhaps in a secluded corner of a small alley…. Each of these scenes is a small, unforgettable glimpse into the heart of the night market, inviting you to find your own experience of “Taiwanese sensibility.” 

Each and every dish served in Taiwanese night markets is infused with hospitality. We hope scenes like these can help create lasting, heartfelt memories of Taiwan for visitors.

Nguyen Thu Hang suggests that Taiwan’s night markets are like “culinary museums” that can serve as entrées to Taiwan’s multicultural society.