39 Best Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam's best-known contemporary art gallery showcases art from drawing and painting to video and installation over four spacious levels. Established in 2003 by Quynh Pham, who fled Vietnam for the United States at the end of the war, Galerie Quynh is known for its consistently focused programming and educational initiatives.

The founder of Gallery Vivekkevin presents his own luxurious contemporary jewelry, as well as collections from artists from around Asia, in ways that elevate the jewelers from craftspeople to artists. Even if you'd rather not splurge for jewelry while on holidays, this stark white gallery and retail outlet is worth popping in for a quick peek. The intricate creations on display are mind-blowing.

A tiny little T-shirt shop that opened in 2007 has grown into a chain of stores featuring its own Ginkgo-branded clothing and backpacks. Their graphic T-shirts are especially popular souvenirs as many of them highlight whimsical aspects of Vietnamese culture. There is also a store at 10 Le Loi.

This chic, capacious boutique stocks luxe gifts from an array of international brands like Rifle stationery, Izipizi sunglasses, and home accessories from design companies like Fritz Hansen and Hay. International travelers might be more drawn to the selection of stylish, made-in-Vietnam products from brands including Cochine, Avana, and Woo Cares. There are two larger locations at 24 Thao Dien (District 2) and in Crescent Mall (District 7).

Set up by an NGO to assist women in remote villages in Vietnam and Cambodia, Mekong Quilts stocks beautifully handcrafted items made from papier mâché, silk, bamboo (including seven models of bamboo bicycles), and water hyacinth as well as beautifully handmade quilts and cushions.

The vendors in this short street crammed with shops might claim their wares are genuine, but the truth is they're mostly replicas—interesting and beautiful, but definitely not worth the first price quoted. It's a great street for browsing, especially if you're into old photographs, but it will test your negotiating skills.

High-end bespoke menswear at this boutique features handmade shoes, suits, and shirts, as well as bags and sunglasses. If you can't make it to the District 3 store, you can arrange a consultation in your hotel room and be measured for gorgeous tailored clothing.

Beautifully soft handmade leather handbags, resort wear, and accessories (including jewelry using semiprecious stones) here are all one-of-a-kind, often featuring intricate details, such as fish leather and tourmaline. Items are ethically produced, made in Vietnam from sustainable materials.

Authentique Home sells a range of beautifully crafted products made from wood, ceramic, and cloth from three workshops: Cam Kim carpentry, Cam Ha potteries, and Cam Giang textiles.

This is a great example of a local wet market selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, and housewares. The aisles are narrow and crowded and full of locals doing their daily (sometimes second- or third-daily) market runs. Food, coffee, and other drinks are available if you need a recharge. It's all done by 4 pm.

Built in 1914 and renovated in 1985, the sprawling Ben Thanh Market has 3,000 booths. The outlets at the front are tourist-oriented, selling clothing, shoes, bags, and lacquerware; in the middle there's food and at the back fresh produce. The vendors can be incredibly pushy and pickpockets often roam the narrow aisles. There are better places to pick up souvenirs and much better places to eat. Once a must-see in Ho Chi Minh City, now it's a place best avoided, although it's a handy landmark, lying as it does between the central business district and the backpacker's area.

French fashion editor-turned-designer Catherine Denoual creates soft and luxurious hand-embroidered bed and table linens in elegant neutral colors, many with a dragonfly motif. The linen and other home wares in her flagship store have been described as contemporary heirlooms for their elegance and attention to detail.

This is a permanent gallery featuring the work of French photographer Réhahn, who has been based in Hoi An since 2011. His award-winning photographs are mainly portraits, many featuring Vietnam's ethnic minorities.

This gallery regularly hosts exhibitions of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by emerging and mid-career Vietnamese artists.

One of Ho Chi Minh City's newest shopping complexes, Crescent Mall, in the Phu My Hung expat area, has just about everything you could want in one shopping experience: a supermarket, an eight-screen movie theater, fashion boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants and cafés, furniture and housewares, electronics, and a children's entertainment area.

One of the first modern department stores in town, Diamond Plaza has several floors of shopping as well as restaurants, a spa, and a mini-supermarket. The original building houses the department store, while two high-rise towers contain offices and serviced apartments.

Quality handmade leather shoes and accessories combining Italian leather, European techniques, and Vietnamese craftsmanship make this boutique worth the drive out to the suburbs. While there is a selection of ready-to-wear shoes in more than 20 styles (mostly for men but with some for women), the real value is in having a pair custom-made in the color of your choice, with some accents inspired by Vietnam. Shoes start at around $200 a pair and can be pre-ordered online or measured in person and shipped to your home.

Ho Chi Minh City's flower market is a vibrant and colorful affair. Busiest early in the morning when the bulk of the wholesale trade is conducted, the market continues to trade until midafternoon. The area is also home to a Khmer community, so break up your wandering with some Cambodian specialties like soup laced with the pungent prahok (fermented fish paste).

A haven for tea lovers seeking the best Vietnamese brews, Hatvala offers tastings showcasing poetically named teas such as Mountain Mist White Tea, Fish Hook Green Tea, and Autumn Jade Jasmine Tea, which are available for purchase. All the teas are grown in Vietnam's misty and mountainous north, mostly by hill tribes who process the leaves using traditional methods.

Finely crafted Vietnamese lacquerware in traditional and modern designs, as well as a range of wooden products, are all made at Nga's factory in District 9.

The beautifully embellished handbags here, which are sold at high-end boutiques around the world, are considered by some to be the ultimate style souvenir from Vietnam.

Lucky Plaza spans an entire city block, with entrances in Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi Streets, and is stuffed full of stalls selling clothing, shoes, handbags, lacquerware, watches, DVDs, jewelry, sunglasses, and souvenirs.

Antique replicas here include prints of old colonial Saigon and Dong Ho folk woodcut paintings. There's also a treasure trove of clothing, fabrics, and craft items.

The flagship store of a small local chain sells cute-as-a-button linen and cotton baby and kids; clothing and embroidered home wares. The fish-shaped baby sleeping bags are likely to make you squeal.

Old Market, or Cho Cu, is a little glimpse of Old Saigon. It sells everything from fish to plastic toys, and some hit the market at 3 am to get the freshest of the fresh.

The first and most central of the Parkson chain of shopping centers, Parkson Plaza has a wide range of fashion, cosmetics, homewares, appliances, and kitchenware, as well as a small supermarket on the top floor.

Just as the name implies, Saigon Kitsch offers a treasure trove of entertaining knickknacks—mugs, badges, stickers, coasters, laptop bags, shot glasses, ashtrays—all emblazoned with Socialist period slogans or quirky Vietnam-themed motifs. It's the perfect place to grab a sack full of souvenirs for friends and family back home.

A huge conglomeration of tiny stalls hawking all kinds of clothing, footwear, accessories, and electronics, Saigon Square is a great place to restock on beachwear: shorts, T-shirts, swimsuits, flip-flops, children's clothing, sunglasses, hats, and whatever else you may have worn out while on vacation. There are also lots of knockoffs on offer here, many claiming to use genuine materials. Some haggling is required, even when an item has a price tag attached. Generally, the more you buy, the bigger the discount. Note that all transactions are cash-only.