Berlin-Lichtenberg: Dong Xuan Center: Little Hanoi | nd-aktuell.de

Every Berliner has them on their agenda: places they’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t been able to go to yet. For me, one of these places was the Dong Xuan Center in Lichtenberg, this wet dream of all “stinginess is cool” and “one euro off everything” lovers in the world. It is a wholesale market where you can buy all kinds of Asian food as well as electronic devices. There are also a few Vietnamese restaurants there.

The Dong Xuan Center is a mythical place, similar to Camelot or Atlantis. Many of my friends say that the center no longer exists. It burned down. Recently or years ago. In fact, the center has repeatedly been in the headlines in recent years because of fires that were said to have something to do with a lack of security or criminal activity. But it still stands. When I read in the newspaper that the Asian market was celebrating its 20th birthday one weekend this year, I was very happy. Finally an excuse to spend Sunday afternoon differently than usual. So I drive to the “Landsberger Allee” station and join a group of around 1,000 other visitors there; many speak Vietnamese or other Asian languages.

Half an hour later I get out in an industrial area and stand in front of Hall 1. I find myself in the middle of a crowd of Berliners who want to use this afternoon, when most of the shops are closed, for an unusual shopping experience. Shortly afterwards I’m standing in a narrow hallway. There are shops to the left and right, it looks like a bazaar, this “Little Hanoi,” as it is also called. But “spring meadow,” which is the actual meaning of Dong Xuan, sounds even better.

I’m not available to buy knick-knacks of any kind. I’m looking for this popcorn flavored Vietnamese coffee that I’ve been loving for quite some time. There must be plenty of that in the Dong Xuan Center, I suspect. After about two hours of wandering around, I can determine that this coffee with a hint of popcorn does exist, although not in abundance. On the other hand, what there is in abundance are hairdressers. I have never seen so many hairdressers in one place and I doubt that they all make a living because I hardly spotted any customers that Sunday afternoon. Visitors without experience of large Asian markets in particular probably didn’t expect that they would be able to get their hair cut here on Sundays, and most people probably won’t be up for a spontaneous cut. Many people have their favorite shop, and the sensational price of six euros for a haircut shouldn’t change that.

What is also often available are protective covers for passports of all kinds. Regardless of whether it is a clothing store, toy store or hairdresser, protective covers for passports are available everywhere. Of course also the obligatory waving cat in all sizes and colors. Maybe I’ll go there again – when the coffee runs out.

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