In general, the price here is not fixed except in big shops and department stores where you see price labeled on the item. Have fun bargaining! This is not only the way to get a good deal but art of conversation.

Shopping in Vietnam is something a fantastic experience. With wide range of products in different places the country offers some really good shopping opportunity.
You can find here stuffs from contemporary art paintings, silks, wood and bronze handicrafts to war souvenirs along with other commodities of all kind. It’s never been difficult to find in the cities and places you travel to.
Some most popular shopping places when traveling in the country include Hanoi, Saigon, Hoian and Hue.
When shopping here, please bear in mind that local made stuffs is normally cheaper or much cheaper than you get at home but imported products of big international brands might be the same or even higher price because of import tax.

In general, the price here is not fixed except in big shops and department stores where you see price labeled on the item. Have fun bargaining! This is not only the way to get a good deal but art of conversation. Bargaining is applied for both locals and tourist without exception. So, the better you bargain, the better price you have. Do not get upset if you find some one else can get better price. It is just they bargain better than you did. Here, with lots of competitions, vendors normally do not set up certain profit rate and just take any single chance they can have though sometime very tiny. You can start from 50% of the offer then gradually go up until you think it is reasonable. If the vendor still insists more, then just walk away. They may call you back or you can find the same stuff somewhere else.
Keep smiling and do not get angry or argue. Once the money is accepted, the deal is done. Remember that in Asia, “saving face” is very important. In some cases you will be able to get up to 50% discount, at other times this may only be 10%.

If you plan to make some deal during your travel here then depending on your starting point, you should sort the list out for place and it will help you to save space in your bag and energy to carry stuff along.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Large commercial centre with lots of markets and shops around. You can find here ready made clothes, T-shirt and shorts, wooden box or lacquer, painting, silk embroideries and other petty souvenir stuffs.
Most popular shopping area is Benthanh Market and shops in surrounding streets. For up market stuffs, then Diamond Plaza or along Dong Khoi street is good idea.

Nhatrang – Though not a hotspot but a visit to Dam market in centre of the city would be a nice experience.

Hoian – Hoian is really a paradise for shoppers especially those who like fashion. Here you can have suits, dress and clothes of all types tailor made with quick service and good quality. You can pick styles available from catalogues or ask them to copy any mode you have. Along with fashion, there are also many shops in town offer pretty souvenirs ranges from silk embroideries, woods carving, paintings and other local handicrafts.

Danang – Just close to Hoian. Shopping items here is stone carving in Ngu Hanh Son village at the bottom of Marble Mountains. This is one of the most famous stone carving villages in the country. Here you can find a wide range of stone art carving from huge statues or home decoration sets to tiny carving objects and precious stone.

Hue – Home of Hue style conical hats. If you like one of those, why not? Painting and other petty souvenirs also available here. A visit to Dong Ba Market on the bank of Perfume River would be a nice experience.

Hanoi – the whole Old quarter of Hanoi offers you a fantastic opportunity for shopping.
There are many shops here with different type of product from wood, bronze, silk, ceramic to clothes, bags, watches, books, movie discs, jewelry and more…
It is quite convenient since each street here seems to have the same specific product or type of shop. Set aside a half or one day to wander around to satisfy your hobby and dispense your Vietnam dong. Stay calm! Have fun bargaining and get good deals.

There will be lots of things you want to shop when you are in Vietnam. Just plan it well and remember 3W: What; Where; When. What you want to buy, Where you can get it and; When it is the best time. This will certainly help you to save your bag’s space and you won’t have to carry them along on the whole trip.
If you want to send something home then post office in any city is a place to send your parcel but the most convenient place to do this is Hoian where offers quick, cheap and good service.

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