Don Xuang Center Berlin

Little Hanoi in Lichtenberg: A Market That Has Everything

The Dong Xuan Center emerged from a former factory from GDR times and is today the cultural, culinary, and commercial heart of Berlin’s Vietnamese community. On a 165,000 square meter site, more than 400 entrepreneurs run their businesses. It’s loud and lively. All the typical special features are worth exploring, along with the respective smells and sounds and the constant hustle and bustle of the traders. So, if you’ve never been to Hanoi: imagine that the market halls there look exactly like they do in Berlin. Those who have been there say it’s exactly the same.

Against hangovers, one thing in particular helps here: ginger. More than you think is packed into the small tuber: vitamins, minerals, and essential oils. Ginger is now considered the most important herbal remedy for dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. You can get it fresh and cheap directly at the food stalls.

Dong Xuan Center: Pho Bo as a Hangover Therapist

If you’re not yet cured after the ginger, just sit down and order a soup. Several gastronomic establishments offer authentic Vietnamese cuisine, from classics like Pho Bo, a rice noodle soup with beef, to rarer specialties. The soup is slightly sweet, spicy, and aromatic, lean, and full of good beef broth flavor. You can distinctly, but balanced, taste fresh coriander and ginger. Restaurant Duc Anh in Hall three is considered an insider tip among regulars. It is the preferred restaurant of the Vietnamese community and the one that has been in the hands of the same operators for the longest time.

Also practical: The Dong Xuan Center is open even on New Year’s Day. The only closed day is Tuesday. So it’s closed exactly when you need it least. On all other days, the center is easily accessible: Tram lines M8 and 21 stop directly in front of the Dong Xuan Center on Herzbergstraße in Lichtenberg.