“Unofficial” Toa Payoh Night Vegetable Market to Close From 19 Aug 2023

People may think of Taiwan or Bangkok when the phrase “night market” comes up, but Singapore also has some bustling night markets to its name.

And no, we’re not referring to pasar malams (which translates to “night market” or “night bazaar” in English), where you can get your Ramly burger or kebab fixes.

Did you know that Singapore has an unofficial night vegetable market located in Toa Payoh?

Sadly, it will be closing later in the year, so there are not many chances to visit it if you are into this sort of thing.

“Unofficial” Night Vegetable Market Will Close in August 2023

In an industrial area at Toa Payoh East, a night market sells fresh vegetables at wholesale prices. This hidden local gem has been operating since 1973.

Vegetable sellers set up their stalls in the late evening and sell their goods all the way to the wee hours of the morning.

Lianhe Zaobao interviewed several hawkers at the night vegetable market, one of them being Mr Huang Shun Long (Hanyu pinyin).

Mr Huang is a 68-year-old stall owner who has been selling wholesale vegetables at the market for about 43 years.

According to Mr Huang, most of his customers are members of the public who stay at Toa Payoh, Bishan, Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio and other neighbouring areas. Hawkers and vegetable sellers also visit him to get their suppliers.

Unfortunately, that may cease to be the case once the night market closes later in the year. Stall owners were informed last Monday that 19 August 2023 would be the last day the market operates.

Due to the plans to expand the residential areas in Toa Payoh, the night market vendors are being asked to shift to a different location.

The housing development plans involve building a new estate which spans four hectares and includes an estimated one thousand flats. Land from a golf course reclaimed by the government in 2018 will be used in this new housing development.

The official statement provided jointly by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), National Environment Agency (NEA), Housing Development Board, Land Transport Authority and the People’s Association also stated that support would be provided to the vendors to assist with the shift of the market.

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It Will Be Difficult for Hawkers to Continue Buying Cheap Vegetables

The closure of the night vegetable market is not cheery news for the hawkers located near Toa Payoh.

For Mr Ding Guang Yu (Hanyu pinyin), a 63-year-old man who runs a vegetable stall in a market located in Hougang, the closure of the market will mean that he can no longer conveniently get fresh vegetables for his stall every morning.

Instead of a 20-minute drive to the night vegetable market in Toa Payoh, which has been his practice for the past ten years, Mr Ding will have to double his travelling time to the wholesale market located at Pasir Panjang instead.

Mr Huang shares similar regretful sentiments about the move, lamenting that there is now no choice but to sacrifice his sleep and use more petrol in order to continue his trade.

What SFA Has to Say About the Closure

SFA’s rationale for closing the vegetable night market in Toa Payoh and asking the vendors to shift is a practical one.

It cites that the market is unofficial, and vendors do not pay rent. Also, given the housing development plans, the area would get more crowded, and the increased traffic flow makes the current location unsuitable for housing a vegetable night market.

They had given vendors three options to assist the night market vendors to continue their business operations. The first choice was to move to the Pasir Panjang Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Center.

The second option was to move into market stalls operated by the NEA. The third and last option was for vendors to move into privately-owned vegetable market stalls.

As the last option involves tenants renting a stall from a landlord, the vendors interested in this option would have to approach the landlords directly for more information about stall tenancy.

Given the move, some vendors have chosen to cease operations.

63-year-old Mr Shi Jian Chun (Hanyu pinyin), who has been running a stall at the market for over 40 years, expressed that once the market closes, he will no longer be running a vegetable stall. Instead, he will pivot his business model to deliver the supplies directly to his customers once they are imported from vegetable farms.

If you’re interested in taking a look at this night vegetable market, time to act fast. The clock is ticking.

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Featured Image: zaobao.com.sg