Cho Saigon Supermarket

Has all your typical items you’d normally see or need from an Asian market. Wide selection of items and at competitive prices.
Thank you for reading my review. This is based off of my personal experience and opinion.

Every time I’ve been here, the staff has been so rude! They literally throw your change back at you. Their attitude makes it feel like they’re doing you a favor. Everything here is basically overpriced and you can get everything somewhere else for cheaper. I’ve only been here on rare occasions only because I was already at Eden Center. I figure they’ll probably have to close up shop once the new grocery store opens up.

This supermarket was rather small and cramped. We wandered through to check out their selection. We bought a little teapot with a strainer in the center, a foot brush, and some twine. Yes, they were weird, random things, I know. A lot of their produce and other products seemed to not have a price sticker or even label. I do not like buying things and letting the cashier charge what she felt like, which she did do with one of the things we had. They were priced a little higher than other stores I’ve been. The store seemed to have the basic essentials.

One of the first things I noticed when walking by this weekend is the assortment of plants for sale outside the supermarket. Once inside, you’ll see ducks and chickens hanging and they smelled great.
There are also a bunch of fruits typically only found at Asian grocery stores. Everything from rambutan to longan to jackfruit were on sale these two days.
Like other typical grocery stores, there were housewares (tea pots, bowls, kitchen utensils, plastic step stools, woks, pots, brooms, dustpans, etc.) and food (produce, frozen goods, canned products, bottle condiments, noodles, etc.). In the back, there is a place for meat and fish (I think).
I am not a fan of not knowing how much things cost and here, the produce wasn’t labeled. However, one of the items I purchased (chicken and sausage links) was labeled and priced at $ 4.79. I also purchases two packages of Vietnamese meat balls for $ 4.99 each.
There were a few lines at the store, and all moved pretty quickly. Our cashier spoke English and Vietnamese and probably understood Chinese too.

My recent visit here consisted of very unusual purchases, but I will get to that later. This super market has a wide variety of cookware, dishes, glasses, and even some bathroom stuff! (Like all asian supermarkets, I know – ) I love that there is a butcher available. Btw, the meats /​bones are pretty decently priced. The next time I’m making broth, I will definitely stop by to pick up groceries. Okay, so we ended up leaving with shot glasses, a plunger (not my idea), and Vietnamese beef jerky. Weird combination of items purchased, but very useful. The beef jerky was SO damn good. That is all.

This market has very few items that the larger Asian supermarkets do not carry. The price to the items here are always about 10% higher. The service ranges from non-​existent to rude. In one incident, I questioned the listed price and the actual charged price on the register. The man (partner?) responds, «If you don’t like it, then go buy it elsewhere.» Sure thing! I haven’t been back since.

I think the owner should wash his mouth before talk to the customer .he use a lot of not nice because I just buy a little vegetable take it out from the bag .to bad he never get my business again

I can’t say I know if this is the best Asian/​Vietnamese market around. I do know that DC has next-​to-​nothing, so I was so happy to get my shopping on here.
I came here the weekend before Tet (Vietnamese New Year), so of course it was packed with red envelopes, incense sticks, watermelon seeds, and candied goodness left and right.
Unfortunately being a small shop, quantities were limited, and I watched 3 Viet women fight over the last of the bouquets of yellow flowers for their Tet celebration.
Overall, this shop has your basic essentials to make all your favorite vietnamese dishes. I picked up some phở noodles, rice, some cooking sauces, herbs/​veggies, and a few other things.
Prices are unforgiving as a can of imitation meat I usually buy for $ 1.50 in CA sells for $ 2.50 here. I also couldn’t find 3 Ladies Brand rice (boooo!), or my favorite brand of broth or ramen.
But price and brands aside (I can be picky), I was able to find ingredients to cook what I wanted, and that made me happy.
And if anyone cares, YES! I also was able to pick up some supplies to successfully celebrate Tet 3000 miles away from home!

This place is cramped and tiny, but they have a butcher that lives in the front window and they cook up a mean pig. A whole baby pig. For a small tip, they’ll chop the whole thing up for you and place it on a platter along with the head, ensuring that you capture the heart (and stomach) of any damsel you choose to woo. Next time I need a whole pig for a celebration, I’ll be giving these guys a call, and then handing the phone to someone who speaks Vietnamese.