Tamu Kianggeh
Tamu Kianggeh
3.5
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Open Air Market, 100m Away From Water Village
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3.5
301 reviews
Excellent
56
Very good
109
Average
119
Poor
11
Terrible
6
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yoshih171
Kumamoto, Japan1,009 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
It was just a short walk from the Brunei Hotel where I was staying, so I visited around 8am on a Saturday morning. Since it's a local morning market, not for tourists, the selection was mainly vegetables and fruits, with some dried fish. I was looking around for something to have for breakfast, and found only one store selling containers of rice noodles similar to Vietnamese pho, so I asked them to prepare some soup and spices for me, and ate it at a table in front of the store. The portions were small, but it was a convenient breakfast at $1.50.
Written 18 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nafis A
Australia2,676 contributions
June 2015 • Couples
Located at one edge of the city center, this wet (kitchen) market hugs the bank of the River (Sungai) Kianggeh just before it joins up with the larger River Brunei (the river front downtown). Officially known as Tamu (friend of) Kianggeh, this market seems to be the only outlet for fresh produce in Bandar Seri Begawan. Activity starts here at dawn as the vendors start arriving in cars, vans and boats with their produce and set up shop for the day. There are more permanent stalls too. Although mostly catering to kitchen items, there are a few stalls selling household items and even locally (hand) made souvenirs. The whole gamut of food is on offer; (live) poultry, fish (fresh and dry), vegetables, fruit, herbs (including traditional medicinal plants) and spices. Occasionally, and disturbingly, some wildlife (birds mainly) are also on display. Since Brunei has pretty stringent wildlife protection laws, one wonders how these poor birds end up in the market so openly. Activity dwindles past midday, and the market is mostly dead by four pm (in sync with the ebb tide affecting Kianggeh River?).
There are a number of eateries towards the River Brunei end of the market that offer cooked to order, rudimentary (therefore authentic) local fare like nasi goreng and mei goreng, and of course the favorite local drink, ‘teh tarik’. In addition to the commercial aspect, it seems that Tamu Kianggeh is also a popular meeting place for the surrounding populace, and is dominated by ladies, both vendors and buyers in their colorful attires. It is very small in size compared to similar markets in regional (bigger) countries, and would have little to offer to the more seasoned visitors. However, Kianggeh Market is a pleasant distraction, and does offer a colorful introduction to the traditional side of life in and around Bandar Seri Begawan.
There are a number of eateries towards the River Brunei end of the market that offer cooked to order, rudimentary (therefore authentic) local fare like nasi goreng and mei goreng, and of course the favorite local drink, ‘teh tarik’. In addition to the commercial aspect, it seems that Tamu Kianggeh is also a popular meeting place for the surrounding populace, and is dominated by ladies, both vendors and buyers in their colorful attires. It is very small in size compared to similar markets in regional (bigger) countries, and would have little to offer to the more seasoned visitors. However, Kianggeh Market is a pleasant distraction, and does offer a colorful introduction to the traditional side of life in and around Bandar Seri Begawan.
Written 16 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Halinah J
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam6 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
Kianggeh is an open air wet market where traditional handy craft, ornaments, herbs spices, driedfood as well as fresh veggies, fish and fruits are sold. You can stay at Brunei Hotel which is a walk distance to Kianggeh. From there you can enjoy the early Friday morning busy market, water taxiing passengers across the river. You can ride the taxi boat for $10 per person to enjoy cruising along Brunei river seeing the traditional water village houses or even live proboscis monkey and alligator for about 45 minutes tour. Not only that nearby you can also visit the Royal Regallia or hop a ferry to Temburong for nature jungle tracking. There is also a nearby taxi/bus station to connect to other places. It takes only 10-15 minutes to airport from Kianggeh.
Written 27 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thangam M
Chennai1,460 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
The vibrant Kg Kianggeh Open Air Market better known locally as Tamu Kianggeh, has been around since the 1960s. Located on the banks of the Kianggeh River, it is easy to get to - apart from getting here by road and walking across quaint arched bridges spanning the river, customers and peddlers also travel to this market on their sampans, stopping along the riverbank to make their purchases or sales for the day.
Apart from the commerce, Tamu Kianggeh with its range and local colour, serves up a slice of daily life irresistible for tourists and travel photographers. Brunei may be one of the world's richest nations by per capita income, but Tamu Kianggeh is proof that everything traditional has not been dumped in favor of the modern life!
Tamu Kianggeh is also known to the locals as the Amah's Market, and for good reason. Everyday before the crack of dawn, this community market on the banks of the Kianggeh River opposite the Chinese Temple, is filled with local fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and handicraft - just the kind of things an amah (housemaid) would want to pick up for the kitchen!
Visiting this market in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan is a truly unique experience - a must-do for sure. The atmosphere is great, the locals warm and friendly - this is the classic South East Asian open or wet market. Tamu is bustling even before daybreak - the stalls continue to be abuzz with activity through the day (particularly until noon). Tamu Kianggeh is at its best early morning, because many of the stalls close by 2 or 3pm.
Stall owners sheltering from the sun under multi-coloured tarpaulins and umbrellas, sell fruit, vegetables and jungle produce as well as take-away food which includes Malay, Chinese, and Indian specialties. There are hundreds of stalls here, owned mostly by Bruneian Malays and a few Chinese.
Tamu Kianggeh sells an unimaginably large range of commodities including various local vegetables - edible ferns like pakis, lamiding, pucuk piai and langkubok, bamboo shoots and even medicinal plants and herbs from the forest, spices, traditional oils and medicines, as also musk-limes and chillies used in Bruneian cuisine.
If you want fresh catch of the day, that's here too - fish, crabs, prawns, squid, octopus, clams and other shellfish. Dried food items such as dried anchovies, dried shrimps, salted fish, and balacan (a paste made from fermented ground shrimp) is available at many stalls. Don’t leave here without trying local delights like the chicken bun. And do make sure not to trip over the many well fed cats who walk around as if they own the place - actually, perhaps they do!
If ready-to-eat is what you're looking for, you have a choice here - Malay kuihs (sweet cakes) and a range of snacks all made using ingredients found locally, like santan (coconut cream), palm sugar, tapioca and sago.
One of the most amazing things about this market is the fruits - a few steps into the market and you are surrounded by trays of the most exotic-looking tropical fruits - such as "kembayau" that looks like oversized black grapes at the end of sturdy twigs. The stall owner selling it explains how locals use a pen knife to scrape the hard skin off, put it in a cup with freshly boiled water, throw in a spoonful of sugar and let it sit for a couple minutes before drinking the plum flavoured "tea"! "Kembayau" grows only in Borneo - the same is true of "terap" (a strong smelling fruit that's halfway between jackfruit and durian)
Local traditional handicrafts like tudung dulang (a decorative food cover), parang (a knife similar to a machete), hand-woven baskets and trays, pots and vases can also be found at Tamu.
If you're one of those intrepid shoppers, Tamu Kianggeh is a real treat. You can pick up stuff like a do-it-yourself Ambuyat set (Ambuyat is a starchy bland substance, similar to tapioca obtained from inside the trunk of the sago palm - more to the point, Ambuyat is a national dish of Brunei!).
You can also find an amiable seller of amulets, secret potions, herbal cures and rare woods for anything that ails you. There is also an Indonesian guy who's into selling rare gecko body parts!
However most of the stalls here are not into selling such "exciting" ware - they trade in the mundane requirements of daily life. However, they certainly offer the best prices in town - that we know, because we ran into quite a few fellow Indians while we were here - and we Indians certainly are amongst the best value shoppers in the world!
Apart from the commerce, Tamu Kianggeh with its range and local colour, serves up a slice of daily life irresistible for tourists and travel photographers. Brunei may be one of the world's richest nations by per capita income, but Tamu Kianggeh is proof that everything traditional has not been dumped in favor of the modern life!
Tamu Kianggeh is also known to the locals as the Amah's Market, and for good reason. Everyday before the crack of dawn, this community market on the banks of the Kianggeh River opposite the Chinese Temple, is filled with local fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and handicraft - just the kind of things an amah (housemaid) would want to pick up for the kitchen!
Visiting this market in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan is a truly unique experience - a must-do for sure. The atmosphere is great, the locals warm and friendly - this is the classic South East Asian open or wet market. Tamu is bustling even before daybreak - the stalls continue to be abuzz with activity through the day (particularly until noon). Tamu Kianggeh is at its best early morning, because many of the stalls close by 2 or 3pm.
Stall owners sheltering from the sun under multi-coloured tarpaulins and umbrellas, sell fruit, vegetables and jungle produce as well as take-away food which includes Malay, Chinese, and Indian specialties. There are hundreds of stalls here, owned mostly by Bruneian Malays and a few Chinese.
Tamu Kianggeh sells an unimaginably large range of commodities including various local vegetables - edible ferns like pakis, lamiding, pucuk piai and langkubok, bamboo shoots and even medicinal plants and herbs from the forest, spices, traditional oils and medicines, as also musk-limes and chillies used in Bruneian cuisine.
If you want fresh catch of the day, that's here too - fish, crabs, prawns, squid, octopus, clams and other shellfish. Dried food items such as dried anchovies, dried shrimps, salted fish, and balacan (a paste made from fermented ground shrimp) is available at many stalls. Don’t leave here without trying local delights like the chicken bun. And do make sure not to trip over the many well fed cats who walk around as if they own the place - actually, perhaps they do!
If ready-to-eat is what you're looking for, you have a choice here - Malay kuihs (sweet cakes) and a range of snacks all made using ingredients found locally, like santan (coconut cream), palm sugar, tapioca and sago.
One of the most amazing things about this market is the fruits - a few steps into the market and you are surrounded by trays of the most exotic-looking tropical fruits - such as "kembayau" that looks like oversized black grapes at the end of sturdy twigs. The stall owner selling it explains how locals use a pen knife to scrape the hard skin off, put it in a cup with freshly boiled water, throw in a spoonful of sugar and let it sit for a couple minutes before drinking the plum flavoured "tea"! "Kembayau" grows only in Borneo - the same is true of "terap" (a strong smelling fruit that's halfway between jackfruit and durian)
Local traditional handicrafts like tudung dulang (a decorative food cover), parang (a knife similar to a machete), hand-woven baskets and trays, pots and vases can also be found at Tamu.
If you're one of those intrepid shoppers, Tamu Kianggeh is a real treat. You can pick up stuff like a do-it-yourself Ambuyat set (Ambuyat is a starchy bland substance, similar to tapioca obtained from inside the trunk of the sago palm - more to the point, Ambuyat is a national dish of Brunei!).
You can also find an amiable seller of amulets, secret potions, herbal cures and rare woods for anything that ails you. There is also an Indonesian guy who's into selling rare gecko body parts!
However most of the stalls here are not into selling such "exciting" ware - they trade in the mundane requirements of daily life. However, they certainly offer the best prices in town - that we know, because we ran into quite a few fellow Indians while we were here - and we Indians certainly are amongst the best value shoppers in the world!
Written 15 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ajpatt
Louth, UK117 contributions
May 2013 • Couples
We were staying at the Jubilee hotel which is a few minutes walk away from this market. We visited it a couple of times and were made to feel very welcomed by the stall holders and the locals.
The market, although small, is very colourful and sells lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It is situated next to a river and there are plenty of friendly boatmen calling across to see if you want to take a boat trip - if you do remember to haggle over the price.
We'd read in our guide book about the monkeys on the waste ground behind the stalls, so that was our main reason for visiting. They're usually there first thing in the morning and again mid-afternoon as the stalls are packing up. We saw quite a few scampering about - some with babies.
However it wasn't the most photogenic setting where the monkeys were - there was a smouldering fire and lots of rubbish around. We saw several of the stall holders throw the monkeys some of the fruit that had been left over and this caused plenty of fun amongst the monkeys.
The market itself, especially in the morning, is photogenic. If you're not interested in seeing the monkeys and aren't staying nearby its maybe not worth visiting, but if you're in the area then its worth a 15 minute stroll around.
The market, although small, is very colourful and sells lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It is situated next to a river and there are plenty of friendly boatmen calling across to see if you want to take a boat trip - if you do remember to haggle over the price.
We'd read in our guide book about the monkeys on the waste ground behind the stalls, so that was our main reason for visiting. They're usually there first thing in the morning and again mid-afternoon as the stalls are packing up. We saw quite a few scampering about - some with babies.
However it wasn't the most photogenic setting where the monkeys were - there was a smouldering fire and lots of rubbish around. We saw several of the stall holders throw the monkeys some of the fruit that had been left over and this caused plenty of fun amongst the monkeys.
The market itself, especially in the morning, is photogenic. If you're not interested in seeing the monkeys and aren't staying nearby its maybe not worth visiting, but if you're in the area then its worth a 15 minute stroll around.
Written 27 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
born2travelit
Cesena, Italy17,182 contributions
Mar 2012 • Couples
nothing special. i was expecting something more...probably too much. there is nothing particularly interesting unless the location. born2travel.it
Written 1 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SpahkeeTrav
Minneapolis, MN810 contributions
It's a glimpse of every day life in Brunei but nothing that a tourist would be purchasing to take back home. At dusk, as the shops close up, you can see the wild monkeys come down from the hills to sort through the garbage and open up containers. Not worth a special visit but it's worth a walk through. Further down across the bridge is a small open area where there are about 5-6 restaurants and open air satay stalls where you can get a bite to eat whilst watching the water taxis go through Kamong Ayer.
Written 27 April 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PacePace
NYC329 contributions
Oct 2019
An authentic market full of local vendors selling products meant for residents. Isn't that what we want to see when we travel??
Visited in the morning and bought several things -- gigantic garlic, pencils printed with the Brunei flag, and a hand woven tote bag. Went about the day sightseeing and couldn't get the market out of my mind. So, went back in the afternoon and bought several more things, including a wooden stick that turns into soap/shampoo when you cut up and soak the bark. I don't know about you, but finding and learning about things that are so different from my home culture is what I love about traveling.
Visited in the morning and bought several things -- gigantic garlic, pencils printed with the Brunei flag, and a hand woven tote bag. Went about the day sightseeing and couldn't get the market out of my mind. So, went back in the afternoon and bought several more things, including a wooden stick that turns into soap/shampoo when you cut up and soak the bark. I don't know about you, but finding and learning about things that are so different from my home culture is what I love about traveling.
Written 9 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zainin A
Gadong, Brunei Darussalam848 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Spent Friday morning exploring the local market
The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed
Prices are reasonable starting at 50cents and $1 for most things
The market is in the heart of town and the water village is located across Brunei River
A great place for souvenirs and fruits n veggies
The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed
Prices are reasonable starting at 50cents and $1 for most things
The market is in the heart of town and the water village is located across Brunei River
A great place for souvenirs and fruits n veggies
Written 4 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kiu K (⚡🛫 Blitz Trips Lover!🛬⚡)
Palma de Mallorca, Spain416 contributions
May 2018 • Solo
Lively place in the mornings -even during Ramadhan. I like markets, they reflect the folk's soul. And in this sense Tamu Kianggeh is genuine. Lots of groceries, people chatting. Fantastic. It is worth the visit.
Written 20 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is this still closed? When will it reopen?
Written 8 June 2016
hi all, what's diff with Kianggeh market which opposite with Brunei Hotel? i can't find this market in google map but kianggeh market instead but location is a bit diff. can anyone tell? tks.
Written 13 May 2015
Hi iamface,
In fact, Kianggeh Market and Kg Kianggeh Open Market are the same. It is more commonly known as Tamu Kianggeh among the local.
and it is located right in the city centre, beside Brunei Hotel
Thank You
Written 15 May 2015
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