two part question. Some people say shopping is "great " in vietnam. Is it ho chi minh city or hanoi they are referring to? What kind of shopping are people referring to?

Hanoi is a good place to purchase locally produced paintings, silks and handicrafts. I have not been to HCMC.

Another hit is the tailor town in Hoi An, where there are 200 tailor shops lined up side by side and you can get measured and fitted for cheap new suits, dresses, shirts, pants, shoes even! Quality is not great, but the prices are (I got copies of my favorite work pants for $10 USD, button up shirts for $7, light wool fall/winter coat for $35, leather boots for $35...)!

thanks. Possibly each place has something different to offer. Would like to see what people think of HCMC

VN is not a shopping Mecca like Bangkok. You can get some lovely local textiles and crafts. Local artwork is also a good deal.

Tailoring is cheap and of commensurate quality.

There are lots of poor-quality knock-offs of expensive watches and such which some people think are just wonderful, but frankly are junk.

I read someone's report that said to buy as you see things, because you may not see them again. She had found an item in Saigon and waited, thinking she'd buy at the end of the trip in Hanoi and it was not to be found.

last time we were in hanoi we purchased a number of large tablecloths with white on white embroidery for a pittance...

some of the laquereware is very high quality, but not all

we bought a group of stacking hand crafted baskets for $5. i think the biggest is about 9"...

this is helpful

I have lots of shopping information in my trip report from 2008. Both cities have good shopping but I would probably give Hanoi the edge. Hanoi also has a good gallery scene--take a look at my report for a bit of info. Quality has declined quite a bit on lacquer in the last 10 years or so. Ceramics are a good buy if you care to lug them home (I did!) There is lots of silk but the quality of tailoring is not always the best.

One thing that is fun to do is to bring a photo of a painting that you like and have it copied by a local artist. The results are often conversation starters. If you want more info, ask away.


http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm

I was in Northern Vietnam a year ago and bought some fantastic modern art,( Hanoi) which if you buy on canvas ie. oil or acrylic paintings you can roll up to bring home.
I also bought gorgeous cotton and linen sheets which are sooo cheap, although the quality does vary so you have to shop around. Ninh Binh, south of Hanoi is good for cotton and linen sheets , tablecloths etc.
We often travel light and then buy a suitcase (cheap in Vietnam), to bring home the surplus.

I bought handmade embroidered art (silk) in Dalat for 2,000,000VND ($115. at Nov '09 exchange rates), had it unframed and boxed, and then reframed at home. This company has branches all over Vietnam, but their home base and museum is in Dalat:

http://www.xqhandembroidery.com/index.htm

(the reframing at home cost more than twice the original price, but I have a beautiful silk landscape now on my wall)

I would say that Hanoi and Hoi An have the best shopping in Vietnam

In Fall 2008, I bought quite a bit of artwork in Hanoi, ALL of it at the shop at the Fine Art museum. I did not care for the work I saw in the galleries around town. But I bought a really beautiful enamelwork mother/infant "portrait" (my framer was stunned when I told him what it cost and he displayed it in his shop before I came to pick it up). I also bought a lovely embroidered scene of a woman paddling down the Mekong. The selection is much nicer than what is available in other shops. Also some small prints....lots of very good quality work there. I bought two blouses at Marie-Something. There are two stores in the old quarter and I wished I had bought a few more things there. Not cheap but very nicely styled.I wasn't too thrilled with the rest of the stuff in Hanoi as far as price/quality. But I did buy lacquerware to give away as gifts.

I was also impressed by the quality of what was available at the shop in Fine Art Museum in Hanoi.

Back from Vietnam 2 weeks ago.Some of the places to shop in HCMC are:
1. An Dong Market
2. Ben Thanh Market
3. Binh Tay Market
4. Diamond Plaza 5.
5. Dong Khoi shopping street
6.Khai Silk Shop
7. Lacquerware Tay Son
8. Miss Ao Dai
9. Paragon Shopping Centre
10. Parkson Saigon
11. Saigon Centre
12. Saigon Co-opt Mart
13. Saigon Square
14. Tax Department Store
15. XQ Embroidery Shop

Great bargains on clothes,footwear,eyewear,lacquer ware,wood craft,not much in electronics...one would probably wear out shopping.
Some of the international brand on display were...Estee Lauder, Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, Guerlain, Jurligue, CK perfume, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Aramis, Lancel, Timberland, Ecco and Kipling.Many did have great deal.Got myself a pair of Oakleys sunglasses for $225,after a 30% off.

We lived in Hanoi and before coming home my husband got 7 tailored shirts made and a couple of suits, we thought that we'd be saving alot of money and hey they are tailored. We went with a well known tailor and sadly the shirts just have not done as well as I would have thought. They pilled and are now pretty much unusable. The suits are still in great shape. We left a year ago. FYI

Dear,
Yes it is true.Hanoi is very best place to shop. You can try to shop at some shopping mall like Trang tien plaza, Vincom tower, or visit Dong xuan market, night market -longest market in Hanoi. But remember whenever you buy anything, you should bargain it