<p> The objective of this study was to determine the influence of market type and sampling time on <i>Salmonella</i> and <i>Listeria </i> prevalence and microbiological quality of 540 beef, pork, and whole chicken samples collected in 6 supermarkets (SM), 6 indoor markets (IM), and 6 open markets (OM) at opening (T0) and 4 h after the opening (T4) in Vietnam. <i> Salmonella</i> and <i>Listeria</i> prevalence ranged from 30.4 to 71.0% and 56.6 to 99.9 %, respectively, in beef, pork, and chicken in Vietnam. Aerobic bacteria counts ranged from 10.5 to 11.6 log CFU/g, whereas, <i> E. coli</i> and coliform counts ranged from 7.2 to 11.4 log CFU/g in beef, pork, and chicken in Vietnam. <i>E. coli</i> counts were influenced by the interaction of market type and sampling time in beef and pork. Market characteristic data that were considered relevant to microbiological safety of fresh meat and poultry products were collected for individual samples. </p>