Hung Vuong Market

This market is comparable to ones in the Twin Cities but I don’t like it as much.
First off: Parking is limited. I’ve seen people park front ways and side ways. However that they are parked that day, park your vehicle that way.
Head to the back to find porcelain dishes and other cooking tools. The vegetables and fruits are in huge freezers, which looks like a storage garage. The time I went, the produce are rotting so please double check before you purchase.
They have a little area where bubble tea is made to order. There are also cases of soy, guava, and coconut drinks. You will find beef cuts for bulgogi and stir-​fry. The women that stand behind the fish freezers are always chatting so if you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.
Toward the check out, there will be fresh pork buns and other pre-​made goodies. The cashiers are friendly and are willing to answer questions if you had any about the foods.
Of the Asian markets in the area, this is my go to one.

Interesting market in KC. The fruits and vegetables are in giant fridges.

This friendly family-​run market is where «my family» picks up much of their asian goods. The produce section has a wide selection of asian veggies (kabocha squash, bitter melon, bean sprouts, long bean, okra, etc) in two very packed cooler rooms. Note that they usually receive and stock new produce before the weekend when they get the bigger crowd in the river market. I would suggest coming on a Thursday evening to get freshly stocked produce. All the fish sauces and soy sauces that we usually use are there as well. This is also one of the only places where we can find a certain brand of Bihon noodles that we love and they have decent prices on 50 lb bags of jasmine rice (three ladies is our favorite). I also occasionally find a kitchen item that I can’t find anywhere else like a cast iron sizzle plate in the shape of a cow (just like the plate they serve bulgogi on at Korean restaurants). If I could change one thing about this place it would be for the meat case and fish section to be more organized and prices more clearly marked.

When I’m running low on my essential Asian items I always come to this supermarket. It’s huge and cleaner than some of the other supermarkets in the river market. I believe there are two sisters who run the place, and always say hello to you as you walk in.
They have these huge refrigerators that you walk into and pick up any produce. The selection is ginormous. There’s a butcher in he back of the shop, but honestly I never have gotten any meat from there. I turn to the American markets for that stuff.
However the main reason why I come here is to load up on picked fruit. Be it goose berries or mangos, I need my fix. It’s an asian thing.

I love this place! And what a selection– I find something new every time I go in there.
This last visit, I decided to buy a bubble tea to drink while I shopped. It is not a traditional bubble-​tea stand (you have to go inside the store towards the meat department and pay at the front) but I would say that it tastes better! Excellent.
They also have a very large produce section. The items are often not labeled or priced but if you know what you are looking for, you’ll get a good deal (or of course, ask the lady who works the front cash register– very helpful).
As it should be, there is basically an entire aisle of sauses, rices, and utensils. I don’t often walk out with empty arms… I usually find just «one more thing» that I’d like to try.
*Avacado Bubble Tea
*Rice paper for homemade spring rolls
*Passion Fruit concentrate for homemade bubbletea
*Fish sauce /​curry paste
*Fresh tofu
*Etc!
Enjoy!

Delicious pork and egg bun! Produce coolers are great and more old school pork in but her cases. In case you ever need a huge fresh lobster or jog head they have them both here

As a former western Kansas white boy I’m not about to pretend I know everything about a Vietnamese grocer, but dammit, I’ve been around the block. I like this place! How is it I’ve been driving by and missing it all this time? Because they have little signage, it’s between two busy streets you’ll likely be on instead of the cross-​street on which it’s located. I pulled into the lot by mistake doing a U-​turn, took one look and went, what??? I’m going in, wallet be damned! Came out which a huge sack of groceries. Drive by purchasing.
— Score: no home should be without a big red bottle of Huy Fong sriracha sauce (bottled in that exotic location… California), and one has been persistent in our home longer than I can recall. However…
— What I found: Hung Vuong has several alternatives. I purchased a brand bottled in Bangkok (see photo upload). Less garlicky than the former, more tomato taste, not quite as hot, a bit sweeter, has the essence of a difference pepper. Wonderful, sweet, mild burn. Damn delicious. Welcome to your new permanent home.
Well, there’s so much to a store like this. First, it’s huge, and I immediately found more to my liking than the big store down a block or two that everyone knows (which I no longer frequent). YMMV (your mileage may vary). Worth checking into. I’m really glad I found this. Gotta say it, the River Market area just keeps on giving.

First of all, when reading the two reviews from the «Houstonians», keep in mind that Houston has a huge population of Asians in general and Vietnamese in particular. Comparing the Asian markets here to those in Houston is like comparing the night clubs here to those in Miami or New York. Yes, it probably leaves a lot to be desired.
With that being said, this is a fairly nice market with decent variety. It is comparable to Oriental Market, 888 Market, and China Town market. It’s also nice because it is a family-​run store. As Diana stated, the «grandpa» is great. The two daughters usually work the registers and are very nice as well.
As Kev alluded to, Hung Vuong market had humble beginnings with a location originally at the entrance to the River Market. Right across the way was China Town Market. China Town was more diverse as Hung Vuong catered more to the Vietnamese population (thus the name Little Saigon and the nickname The Saigon Market). Rumor has it, both stores moved to their larger locations because they were «pushed out» when the River Market did it’s renovations. So, both stores have some history and roots there in the River Market.
You will find refrigerated, walk in coolers on the one side of the store. The back is the fish and meat market and then their are aisles of various things you tend to find at any Asian market ranging from rice, noodles, plants, to pots and pans. Overall, for the Kansas City area, it’s a good Asian market.

No tofu??! and you call yourself an asian market?
Ok, to be fair, they did sell frozen fried tofu squares that were shipped from Houston, but without any date stamped on it, I don’t trust it. Apparently other people trust the market because there were half a dozen people in the grocery line, but I was not impressed.
I miss my Houston asian market.

This is the first time that I’ve completely disagreed with the Unilocal reviews.
For any perishable items such as frozen dumplings, edamame, tofu, and Asian veggies, I go to Kim Long. If I want a larger selection, I’ll make the trek to 888 International Market once every several months. Otherwise, I’ll bring non-​perishable items back from Houston.
I decided to stray from my routine, and check out Hung Vuong Market after seeing the high ratings. Perhaps I had judged a book by its cover too quickly from the run-​down parking lot, lack of windows, and warehouse appearance. My mission was to find tofu, fresh veggies, and fruit. I walked out with absolutely nothing and thoroughly disturbed.
The vegetables were not fresh at all. Quite the opposite as many were moldy and rotting. The bananas were completely overripe and bruised. I even saw black bananas on sale and an entire moldy package of oyster mushrooms with the fuzzy stuff growing on top.
Hung Vuong does have banh mi, a bubble tea stand, and other prepared food. However, nothing struck me as fresh. There were expired items on the shelves too.
Do yourself a favor and go to the other side of Highway 9 to Kim Long for fresh produce. Or get up early on Saturday mornings and buy Asian vegetables from the local farmers at City Market.

Hung Vuong is very much a «Market-​Style» asian market in terms of its organization, where as most markets are just grocery stores. They have everything from ginger roots and rows and rows of noodles, to a bubble tea stand and selection of huge vases. It’s setup in an easy to navigate long isle format, but you’ve got to go about it very carefully, as you can easily miss something. Take your time at Hung Vuong, get something completely foreign, and go home and make something truly spectacular.

If I lived downtown, this would be my asian market of choice, living down south, it’s Oriental Market. Kev L is right, this place moved to this location at or about the same time China town market did, and they’ve always been kinda in the shadow of them. But it’s cleaner, less stinkier place. Hahah… I think it also is called «little saigon». At least it’s written on the outside of the building.
It’s weird because chinatown looks super big but feels super tight inside. This place has wider isles, maybe taller ceilings. The people there are the ones that work there all the time. I love the grandpa! But they’re all very nice. Sometimes I can find super great deals here. There is a huge variety of rice paper and rice noodles. The butcher/​seafood counter in the back look pretty good. And they made a bubble tea/​vietnamese sandwich counter in the back too. The buns are really good, but get them fresh. They have a lot of ready to eat foods up by the counter in front too.
The vegetables are in walk in coolers. Whatever the building was before, it gave them a great space to utilize. The walk ins contain a couple with fruits and vegetables… one with instant noodles. It’s kinda fun going into them to discover what’s inside.

Hung Vuong has come a long way from it’s humble beginnings. I suppose that when Chinatown Market opened, the idea that «Bigger is better» probably had more people going there and forgetting little Hung Vuong.
That’s no longer the case.
The new location on Grand is probably a good 5 times larger than the older location. Add a Vietnamese Coffee /​Boba stand with a huge fish market and you have the makings for a Asian market war in the City Market.
The veggies and various other perishable items are located in converted coolers with clear plastic blinds. There’s also a variety of Asian garments along with other items. The fish market here is much bigger than it ever could have been but the cleanliness of it compared to other Asian fish markets is a little more suspect.
The staff here is refreshingly much more polite and happier than Chinatown market. Another plus in my book.
If you are a fan of Chinatown Market, it’s a good bet to give this place a quick look.