Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association (VCBIA) Society Review

Festive, Dirty and crowded, a sight to see and experience.

Is a popular and biggest Chinatown in west. But I thought why is old and mass in here... There are many Chinese restaurant in here, popular and crowded.

Awesome place to walk around. Good restaurants and mall. Many other stores to shop. Hair cut shops. Nice scenery for photos

Some of the stores are very interesting! Not as good as it use to be, but still a interesting place to go once in a while or visit if you are not from Vancouver! 3 stars and a half!

Disappointing visit in the pouring rain probably more pleasant otherwise. I had the impression of seeing the same shops in all the streets with the same storefronts and the same products. Chinese architecture certainly surprising in the heart of Vancouver but without more interest

A China Town bakery is my favorite smell of all time. MMMMM!

Chinatown is a must see. The many Chinese characters, the exotic range of food, the delicious smell of Chinese specialties and of course the people let you quickly immerse yourself in another world.
It was created in 1858 after the first gold rush and is the third largest Chinatown on the North American continent after San Francisco and New York.

A lot of free entertainment around like music, ping pong and Chinese chess. Very easily accessible on feet

If you dive deeper into this district, really great. There are guided walking tours that are highly recommended

Very delicious food, and nice services. Strongly recommended

A lots of Western mixe with the eastern cultures you can found in here

When I went to Vancouver I visited Chinatown. Tried some Chinese Herbal back pain remedies, ate some delicious couisine and mooched through loads of unique gift stores. Had a really great day. If you appreciate my review please hit the like button and thanks

I was there...
It was like 120 people linning up per stand waiting for food.

I see only 3 food stands!!??

Was 33 degrees bright sun...2000 people gathered within 1.5 blocks

For sure bad stampede in case of fire

People gets dehydrated not getting on time to buy drinks ( 2 hrs wait)

Kids under 10 gets dehydrated.
Elderly over 80's few fainted.

No public movable toilets

BIG BIG CHAOS.....I NEVER SEEN

SUCH POORLY ORGANIZED, UNSAFE GATHERING

Next year...
1)there should be at least 20-25 food stand...for this 3000++ people, THE hungry bunch..comes ONLY to taste, and for food

2)please have, and invite Many more stands 10-20 only selling ice cream. & Drinks Only
For hydration.

3) must extend their territory...to 15 more blocks...10x the area..or go to Swangard stadium..or Nat Bailey..stadium

4) put movable public toilets x 20 there

5) put side walk seats = 200 for people to sit and rest

Otherwise the I can see a stampeded injury like the recent incident....
I also antecipated 6000 visit there per day..next yr.

It ABSOLUTELY POOR, UNSAFE ORGANIZATION ....Never seen it so inconsiderate...and messy, overcrowded meeting...where people can get hurt...like..

Dehydrated, sun stroke, starved, colllaped, exhaustion...

If you have kids under 12..

DO NOT BRING THEM THERE
As 4 feet above ground has most flu germs...& Dirty dust

The organization should think of moving it to Swangard stadium.

They have Korean festival there

-Lots of shaded seats, 2000..to watch performance
-Lots of grass...for 100 food stands
-Lots of huge space for commercial stands....samsung, Telus etc..

Lots of tree shades close by for younger kids to play...in Central Park...

Charge an admission fee..$2

Chinatown is one of Vancouvers oldest areas I love walking down pender st checking out the different shops when the festival is on the area is filled with smiling faces and poeple injoying the festivities it's really something to see Vancouvers Chinatown is one of the more popular attractions in BC its something that cant be missed so check it out next time your downtown Vancouver.

Very animated place with a lot of options for eating and going out

A bt disjointed as a festival with a bit of a sprawl due to how it was laid out. Organizers and volunteers have alot on their plate. Zones such as the kids and vendor zones needed to be better marked out and directed to as well rally and organization points should have been made and formalized in a better fashion.

Otherwise a family friendly event that's fun for all ages and has a wide selection of events and activities for all

Vancouver China Town is a pretty good place to visit and is also very close to gas town & Dr. Sun Yet-San park.

One or two streets you can walk and shop, rest it's not a pleasant experience, very smelly, dirty, lots of homeless people.

I mean, yes there are some cool venues and restaurants and whatnot - but it's very quickly turning into a gentrified hipster heaven.

A family friendly festival with something for everyone.

People shooting up heroin at the park, hookers, rude store owners. Other than that, it was fine.

I respect to see something better ...full of homeless if you go with your family you feel unsafe all the time so i cannot enjoy the place..

Don't Go. Needles everywhere! Smell of good food? Yeah also smell of pee. Don't bring your kids.

Lots of homeless and quite dirty
Good visit

Small in comparison to what it once was, but still a great place to experience a China Town.

People who are used to the hustle and bustle of the Richmond night markets will be disappointed. This is much more laid back, a good chance to wander Keefer street traffic free and see what some of the merchants sell.. Oh did I mention it is free?

Great tastes and scenic views of Vancouvers historic Chinese community.

2nd largest china town! Rich culture beautiful here

It's a LOT worse than Chinatown in Toronto... quite run down with only 1-2 decent shops...

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 40 years, my expectations of what a Chinatown looks like is are rather high. If that is your frame of reference, you will be disappointed. The Vancouver Chinatown is a couple of square blocks of closed store fronts with a few Chinese herb shops and Canadian souvenir stores. The best rated Chinese restaurant (according to yelp) in the area was well short of the rich flavored foods found in San Francisco's Chinatown.

The one gem of the experience was a small little toy import shop located inside the Plaza indoor mall. The store sells an array of imports from China and Japan, including a very large selection of Gundom models amd toys. That being said, the best part of the store was the older woman running it. An immigrant from Hong Kong, she was a joy to talk with as she was filled with lively stories of her travels and the unique challenges her community has faced in Vancouver.

Its changed alot over the last few years with many new business

Horrible place. Nothing to recommend it... parking impossible and filth everywhere. Watch where you step.

Fun fun fun. It got lots of things to entertain your kids.

Not as Chinatown as it used to be, with the influx of Chinese immigrants into Richmond, most of the Chinese businesses have migrated into Richmond of course. There are still a few medicine, knick knack, and grocery stores sprinkled about. It's more of a tourist spot now than anything.

Has some very unique shops and great places for Chinese food especially Kent's Kitchen on Prefer

Chinatown is a different pace than other neighbourhoods in Vancouver. A little older but with plenty of character.

Some good restaurants, but my favourite thing is the shops. Great place to find some cool deals.

Wouldn't call it a must see neighbourhood but it is worth walking around and checking out.

I grew up going to Chinatown every weekend until I was in my 20s. I was there the past week and I feel our Chinatown has lost its identity. There are only a few streets that keep its original Chinatown look and feel. A lot of new stores and restaurant have opened to bring my traffic which is good for economy but not good for the culture.
All that said, it's still a place to go if your a tourist.

I love the living history of the area. I am an admirer of old buildings, and in a city like Vancouver where developers are destroying the city left right and centre, historic buildings abound here. Signs of change and gentrification are beginning to creep in, but much of its original character of the same. It has resisted becoming a lame tourist trap.

Chinatown is not that busy any more .a lot of stores have closed down and moved to Richmond .still you can get fresh fruits and vegetables , herbal remedies and some nik naks .

It was interesting! Breaks off the abundance of homeless people nearby

Historically significant. It also gives a visual representation of the struggle between the rich and the poor which currently engulfes Vancouver as a whole. I would suggest taking one of the hop on hop off bus tours through the area.

Not much left of the old but lots of the new. Places and people evolve, just don't forget the past. Enjoy

Chinatown is definitely a must see. The banners and the dragons on the lamp posts. It's a lively community. Many, many traditional markets you can shop in that are open to the streets and passersby. Lots of gift shops where in can buy trinkets, but also still downtown Vancouver. There is a Starbucks and locals eats. Every sign has Chinese and English writing. There is the classic Chinatown Neon sign and Dr Sat Yun Sen Park with a Traditional Chinese Garden, don't forget to take your Camera with you!

Great festival with plenty of the chinese culture's features.

I used the medical facilities. The multi storey car park was a little confusing along with the access to the shopping areas but no doubt after a visit or two all would become much easier to navigate.

nice place nice people great place 2 visit awesome

Wow..AMAZING..ROMANTIC FOR A STROLL WITH THE PARTNER

Love this part of town and its historical significance. Sure, it could use a bit of revitalization and reimagination, but this is a unique and culturally important neighbourhood of Vancouver.

Walked here througha free waking tour, the guide said it would most likely be gone in about twenty years. It still has a few shops here and there that are good.