It's
impossible to provide a complete list of Asian and Vietnamese markets
in America so I've concentrated on big chains and markets in California,
where the majority of Vietnamese people live. If you have information
on other markets and or other states, let me know and I'll post
them! Also check searchable databases and online vendors (see left
hand column on this page).
99 Ranch:www.99ranch.com
Started by Roger H. Chen in 1984, the first store (called "TAWA"
market) was located in Westminster, CA (Little Saigon). It has since
grown into a pan-Asian market chain that services key states where there
are large Asian communities. All the stores are clean and modern. They
claim to be "America's largest Asian supermarket chain"! Though
99 Ranches cater mostly to Chinese shoppers, you can find ingredients
for preparing all kinds of Asian cuisines. Live seafood tanks and you
buy, we fry service. While most of their markets are in California,
you'll also find them in Honolulu (HI), Kent (WA), Las Vegas (NV), Doraville
(GA), Phoenix (AZ), and internationally in Jakarta, Indonesia.
H Mart:www.hmart.com (click on English
in the upper right-hand corner)
Korean-owned pan-Asian market chain on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
Lots of Korean goods but the shelves are well stocked with Chinese and
Southeast Asian staples.
Mitsuwa:
www.mitsuwa.com
A Japanese grocery chain that took over when Yaohan went out of business.
No Vietnamese ingredients, but you can get good prices on Japanese rice
vinegars. Mitsuwa has locations in California, Illinois and New Jersey.
Uwajimaya:www.uwajimaya.com
A pan-Asian chain of markets in Washington and Oregon. Has an online
catalog that offers flours and soy sauces but not much in terms of Viet
ingredients.
Asian
Food Market/Center:www.asianfoodcenter.com
In New Jersey for now, this growing chain of pan-Asian markets was started
in 1992 by W.K. Chan.
Little
Saigon (Westminster and Garden Grove, CA)
The markets are mainly located on Bolsa between Brookhurst and Magnolia.
Westminster, which runs parallel to Bolsa, also offers several good
markets; again, the cross streets are Brookhurst and Magnolia. Some
of my favorites are:
Bolsa
Supermarket
9550 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683
Nice
market near the heart of the Little Saigon area.
Little
Saigon Supermarket
9822 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683
One of the first to claim pure Viet ownership (versus markets owned
by Chinese-Vietnamese people). This market is always friendly. Parking
is nightmarish on weekends.
T
& K Food Warehouse Inc.
9681 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683
Pretty bare bones but good prices. They recently upgraded the entire
shopping center.
Vien Dong Superfood Warehouse
At Brookhurst and Westminster in Target shopping center
Huge and fun, with murals depicting traditional life in Vietnam.
Thai
Town (East Hollywood in Los Angeles)
There's a Thai enclave in East Hollywood that's runs mainly along Hollywood
Boulevard. Bangkok and Bangluck are the most established. Find a Thai
Wat (temple) and you can score on great food; they usually have weekly
mini food faires.
Bangkok
Market
4757 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029
(213) 662-7990
Bangluck
Market (3 locations)
5170
Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
(323) 660-8000
12980
Sherman Way, North Hollywood
(818) 765-1088
7235
Reseda Blvd., Reseda
(818) 708-0333
Silom
Market
5321 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
(323) 993-9000
In or
near Chinatown, Los Angeles
There are lots of small markets in Chinatown. The big 99 Ranch, like
lots of Asian immigrants, moved to the suburb of Monterey Park. My favorites
are:
Ai
Hoa
860 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 629-8121
One of the first markets in Chinatown catering to Vietnamese shoppers.
A
Grocery Food Warehouse
1487 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 482-4803
"A" used to be called "A1". Somewhere along the
line, it lost the "1" in its name. The tiny parking lot
is terrible but inside is a great selection of Southeast Asian ingredients.
They always have good deals. Located on the edge of Echo Park.
Vien
Dong II Superfood Warehouse (yes, there are 4 of these!)
2650 Rosemead Blvd
South El Monte, CA 91733
(626) 444-1555
San
Diego: For a complete listing of Vietnamese markets, go to the Viet San
Diego website's business directory and access the Supermarket (Sieu
Thi) listing at www.vietsandiego.com/biz
Vien
Dong Market III
6935 Linda Vista Road, San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-7176
Vien
Dong Supermarket 4
5382 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 583-3838
Northern
California
Oakland
(Chinatown) Located around Ninth Street between Broadway and Harrisson, Oakland's
Chinatown doesn't have the tourism of San Francisco's Chinatown and
the parking is somewhat easier. Despite the name, it's actually a pan-Asian
shopping and business district. Lots of opportunities to browse, eat,
and shop. I particularly like the fresh Chinese noodles and dumpling
wrappers at Yuen Hop Noodle company at 824 Webster Street, (510)
451-2699. There are many Chinese Vietnamese-owned markets to load up
on supplies:
Khanh
Phong Supermarket
429 Ninth St.
Oakland, CA 94067
(510) 839-9094
New
Saigon Supermarket
441 Ninth St.
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-4149
Oakland
Market
401 9th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 835-4919
Cho
Lon Moi
378 Eighth St.
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 451-5808
Sam
Yick's Oriental Market
362 Eighth St.
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 832-0662
Old
Oakland Farmer's Market
9th Street, below Broadway, Friday mornings only
Also check
out East Oakland along International Boulevard (East 12th Street)
for Southeast Asian markets.
San
Jose/Santa Clara County Home to the second largest community of Vietnamese people in America,
San Jose doesn't really have a true Little Saigon. Things are more interspersed
and mainstreamed in Northern California, so you don't get the immersion
sort of experience that going to Bolsa Avenue offers. Nonetheless, the
community is strong and concentrated around Tully, King, Senter and
McLaughlin streets. Access the area off the 280 or 101 freeways. Here
are some Viet and Chinese markets that I frequent:
Thien
Thanh Supermarket
455 Keyes St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 295-1043
Tiny market but chock full of fresh herbs. There are often Viet herbs
and other plant starters for sale outside the door.
Hai
Thanh Market
955 McLaughlin Avenue, San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 295-6877
A little
sleepy market in an Asian shopping center. It's bigger than Tully
Seafood so there's more variety in their inventory.
Lion
Supermarket
1710 Tully Road, San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 238-4451
Lots of Vietnamese groceries for a Chinese mini-chain. The aisles
are packed with inventory, which makes for a pretty frenetic pace
when shopping. This store anchors a whole shopping center that serves
as a nerve center for the Vietnamese community in San Jose. Lots of
other stores and restaurants are located here.
Lion
Supermarket - Warehouse
2242 Quimby Road, San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 238-8369
Lion
Food Center
471 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 554-9398
The newest store in the Lion Foods chain. Very nice and clean. The
store is pan-Asian, which means you can select from long-grain, short-grain,
brown, black, broken and basmati rice.
San
Francisco (Richmond/Sunset area)
I rarely shop in Chinatown, San Francisco anymore. Rather, I head for
Clement in the Richmond/Sunset area located on the westside of the city.
Who can resist all the fabulous ethnic markets and stores there? This
area is considered the "new" Chinatown. The streets are wider,
parking is not too bad, and you can buy and eat great Asian food—Vietnamese,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Burmese, Cambodian, and Indian. There are
several Irish pubs and the Green Apple bookstore too. May Wah, listed
below, is the major grocery store on Clement. If you're in the Richmond
area, there are Asian markets in numerous locations, on Irving and Geary
streets, for example:
May
Wah Supermarket
525-547 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-2583
Also check
these other markets:
KTL
Market (in the tenderloin)
724 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94100
(415) 776-7151
Hwa
Lei Market
2970A 16th Street (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-863-1618
San
Bruno Supermarket
2480 San Bruno Avenue (between
Silliman St & Silver Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94134
(415) 468-5788
Owned by a Vietnamese family and caters to both Chinese and Vietnamese
as well as the pan-east Asian customer base. Has plenty of Asian staples
such as herbs and vegetables as well as dry goods, groceries, and
meat. (From Dennis in SF)
Seaside
(near Monterey, CA)
Asian immigrants who've settled in the Monterey Bay have set up shops
along a sleepy stretch of Fremont Boulevard in Seaside, CA. The area
may seem spotty to some, but it's bustling with ethnic markets and restaurants
of all kinds. I can't think of any other place in the world where you
can pick up soul food, eat pho noodle soup, and shop for Thai, Chinese,
Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese and Mexican groceries. The Japanese restaurant
is owned by a Vietnamese man.
Bangkok
Grocery
1482 Fremont Boulevard, Seaside, CA 93955
(831) 394-4161
Tiny but the owner drives to San Jose weekly to pick up her inventory.
Indian-Filipino
Market
1914 Fremont Boulevard, Seaside, CA 93955
(831) 393-9175
Fine selection of basic groceries for cooking all kinds of Asian foods.
Magat
Oriental Store
1760 Fremont Boulevard, Seaside, CA 93955
(831) 393-1383
Filipino Market that carries basic Vietnamese ingredients (rice, fish
sauce, noodles, rice paper). A fresh fish counter in the back also
offers takeout Filipino food.
North
of San Francisco
Asia
Mart
2481 Guerneville Rd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-542-3513
