0.6 km from the centre
Paramaribo’s Chinese Sunday market (there are two)
Paramaribo has two Chinese Sunday markets: the covered market of the Kong Ngie Tong Sang association on Grote Combeweg beside the Palm Garden (on this spot since 2011) and the open-air Soeng Ngie street market in northern Paramaribo. Both run Sunday morning only and start emptying around 10:00.
Check this Opening hours and entry prices in Suriname change without notice. Call or message ahead if you are coming specifically for this.
When people in Paramaribo say "the Chinese market" they usually mean the Kong Ngie Tong Sang Sunday market, on the corner of Grote Combeweg and Van Sommelsdijckstraat, five minutes on foot from the Torarica hotels and right beside the Palm Garden. It is a covered market run by the Chinese association of the same name, held here since 2011, with stalls from Chinese-Surinamese growers and cooks.
You come to eat and to stock up, not for souvenirs: dim sum, bapao and roast duck from the hot stalls, fresh tofu and soy milk, home-grown vegetables including purple long beans, fish, meat and herbs. Arrive hungry and early: the best window is 7:00 to 9:00, and several sources report the first stalls packing up around 10:00. No official opening time is published anywhere; one source says 6:00, unconfirmed.
The second Chinese Sunday market is Soeng Ngie’s: an open-air street market around the sauce and spice firm of that name along Ming Doelmanstraat, Wilhelminastraat and David Simonsstraat in northern Paramaribo. Same morning rhythm, similar goods, rougher atmosphere. For a first visit Kong Ngie Tong Sang is the obvious choice; if you want more, do Soeng Ngie the following Sunday.
Bring cash in small notes and expect Sunday crowds of families who drift on to the Palm Garden afterwards. It pairs well with our Sunday morning tour, which starts at the songbird contest on Independence Square, ten minutes away on foot.
Frequently asked questions
What time should you get to the Chinese Sunday market?
Between 7:00 and 9:00 the market is at its best; several sources report the first stalls leaving around 10:00. No official opening time is published (one unconfirmed source says 6:00), so early is the safe choice.
What should you eat at the Chinese Sunday market in Paramaribo?
The hot stalls are the reason to come: dim sum, bapao and roast duck, alongside fresh tofu, soy milk and home-grown vegetables such as purple long beans. Bring cash in small notes.
Which of the two Chinese markets should you choose?
For a first visit: the covered Kong Ngie Tong Sang market on Grote Combeweg, five minutes from the Torarica hotels and beside the Palm Garden. The Soeng Ngie street market in northern Paramaribo is rougher and further out; save it for a second Sunday.