We finally got around to checking out the Asian Night Market (Chợ Đêm) in south Jacksonville, Florida. The Night Market takes place twice a month in two different locations: Asian Square Supermarket at Normandy (at the end of the month) and RD International Market And Food Court on Beach Blvd (at the middle of the month).

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. In my mind, I thought it would be like the lively night market in Asian countries, where you can walk down a dark alley and see vendors selling all sorts of goods as you walk through the street. In order to attract customers, the event organizers would employ live music and/or amusement-park style attractions.

Unfortunately, the night we attended, on May 30th, it was a little disappointing. There was no live music, despite the fact that they promised “live performances” on their social. I am assuming the live performance was a DJ, who was not seen. He, or she, was who was pumping New Wave music through the speakers (think “Brother Louie” by Modern Talking and you get the idea of the music).

As for the goods you can buy, they were all food and drinks-related. There were maybe five or six food vendors… so if you were hungry, you can get food at the Night Market. Prices are what you would expect from these events, like $6 banh mi (small size – half a loaf), $12 pho (small) and $6 fresh mia (sugar cane) or $8 boba drinks. To me, you can go to Zen Noodles, right next door, and spend a little more to get a giant bowl of pho (with the benefit of your own private table and a waiter).

One Year Anniversary of Night Market (May 30, 2025)

Again, because there was no live music or any entertainment at the Night Market on May 30th, I just felt like we overpaid for food and drinks, for nothing in exchange. This was a shame, because the May 30th date, according to the organizers, this was their one-year anniversary of the Night Market. To be fair, there were threat of rain, so perhaps any live music scheduled were cancelled due to weather (there weren’t any formal announcements). I think, if I had known that this Night Market was really nothing more than a Food Truck event… but with only Asian food, I probably wouldn’t have gone out.

Despite my negative review, the Night Market drew in a very good crowd. We couldn’t find parking in the small parking lot. It never got too crowded, because people were constantly coming and going… but, still, there was a very good size. Lots of young people, just meeting up on a Friday night. There were a lot of family out too… mostly Asian, but surprisingly a fair number of non-Asians. See crowd photo below to get an idea.

The Night Market ends at Normandy tonight (May 31), but will resume at RD International location on June 14-15. If I’m in the area and it happens to fall in the middle or end of the month, who knows, I might poke in again, but as of this writing, I have no plans on attending future Night Markets.

The only bright side is that I got to quickly check out Ollie’s nearby. This discount store is currently my favorite place in Jacksonville. We don’t have them in Minneapolis, and I love their deals!