Shopping in Vietnam: Hanoi Vs Ho Chi Minh City?

Question

anyone been there? where can i find good bargains? i'm after embroidered lingerie bags, childrens' clothes, pillow cases, jewellery boxes etc. any suggestions?

Answer 1

in saigon go to binh tay market in district 5 instead of the tourist trap of bin thanh.  binh tay is much bigger, sells everything your looking for, but without the tourist mark-ups

Answer 2

you can get all that in both places at very good prices .i usually waite till i'm at the city[ sometimes ha noi sometimes sai gon] of my deperture before i buy the bulk of my souveniers. Forget the jewery boxes.. iv'e bought many all kinds all qualities. THEY ALL Break , Warp, or come apart completely when i get home.. ALL. stick to the embroidered stuff... actually the best bargans i've got there have been in "hoi an".. and if you want "montangnard stuff" [ and it is very nice] get it from the montangards... the cities realy mark that stuff up !

PS. you may want to AVOID NHA TRANG altogether. there has never been any bargan shopping there and now it is becomming very oppressive to the people there.. i'm not sure why??????????

Answer 3

saigon is better

Answer 4

Hello,

I would suggest you made a stop at Hoi an in Central Vietnam before going to An Dong market in Saigon. It is a nice small town but you can find something you want there. Also, when visiting An Dong, you should go with a local person who may help you make a bargain.

Ben Thanh market is good but there are overcharges there, so I wouldn't recommend.

PS. A link for you : http://www.waytovietnam.com/attraction-d...

Answer 5

Hi,

I got your email but didnt have a chance to reply.

To tell you the truth, I would recommend Ho Chi Minh city because you can find pretty much EVERYTHING there. Seriously! Just walk around Le Loi and Dong Khoi street, you'll be surprised. (Although to tell you the truth, most of the stuff are nice, but they are way overcharge, go to the markets, they are much cheaper)

I recommend going to An Đông market rather than Bến Thành market just because they overcharge tourists way too much; especially if you don't speak Vietnamese. But, it happens in every market anyway. Just bring someone along who can speak the language.

Good luck! :)

Answer 6

Definitely Hanoi for the shopping. For a good bargins find a tourist (ex-vietnamese) that understand the northern accent to go shopping (in Hanoi) and be an ears dropper. If you're into that embroidered stuff (clothes, bag, etc) then you should make a pit stop at Hoi An (Ccentral Vietnam). It's a small town with a lot of character (Unesco World Heritage site- Old Town). You can get tailor made within the next day at bargain price (shop around). If you love shopping with a passion then forget Hanoi and HCMC, Hoi An is the place and it not over crowded with tourists and locals (well, I don't know what is like now). Enjoy your trip

Life's like a journey, you never know until you get there.

Answer 7

SaiGon: Ben Thanh Market has most everything; but is more expensive as Annie T has written.  We also agree with her that An Dong market is a little smaller; but a lot cheaper.  Both are fun to visit.

My wife usually goes there to buy materiel to have suits and dresses made.

Hanoi has some nice Markets and shopping too; but they are not as famous as the ones in SaiGon.

Answer 8

yup I was born there, take my advice :D lmao. Ok so.. first of all, just call HMC city Saigon ok? :D cuz i fuking hate communism, I prefer Saigon as the name. First of all, Saigon is the largest city in the nation, with the highest population, economic prosperity/importance as well as political status. You should go to Cho Ben Thanh (it's like near downtown), Cho Lon (chinatown in Vietnam, chinese folks live there), Cho Binh Trieu, those are a few largest markets, where you could find almost everything there. Recommendation from Taxi drivers are pretty good, they'll drive you there, wherever you want. I know the "Cho Ben Thanh" has great great selection of CHEAP! jewelleries and lingerie stuff. While "Cho Binh Trieu" has great varieties on food.

Answer 9

Better buy in Hochiminh City. there have alot of thing there. it is cheap but you must carefull. seller always said 2x or 3x expensiver than regular price than local customer :)

better of all is buy it in super market or big comercial center

Answer 10

You would find similar bargains in both cities: Hanoi in its 36-district market and Saigon in its Saigon Market (aka Ben Thanh.)  There are also other markets beside these two places; however, it would be an experience to visit at least these two.

Answer 11

in hanoi go to the french qquater for shopping in saigon go to the central market

Answer 12

U can shopping in Ho Chi Minh city, there are some places that sell with fixed price

Ben Thanh market

Zen plaza.....

Answer 13

Both cities have some great bargains, and as previously said the lesser known  markets have better deals. Another word of advice is to haggle, haggle and haggle, if they look for $10 offer $3 and if you get what you want for $6-$7 you are doing ok as the price normally doubles for a foreigner. Also be careful of using guides as they are normally on cut from their friends so they will tell you you are getting a bargain, when in fact you are not.

Overall the experience is great and the variety of shopping is good, so enjoy.