Shopping – a ubiquitous custom of Saigon. Ever since the Vietnam’s policy shifted the nation into a market economy, buying and selling has been as ubiquitous as breathing. You are young and fond of modern stylish fashion, jewelries, etc.? Well, Diamond Plaza and Saigon Square Shopping Center should be your initial stop-over.
If you are looking for toys for your kids, those shopping zones also offer a lot to choose, or you may spend your time in the wooden toy store for special wooden kinds. Or, should you seek some low-priced goods, many street-front shop houses are available everywhere welcoming you to step inside! Yet, it’s ideal that you visit several markets such as Cholon (Big Market) (or China Town) and Ben Thanh market for further choices.
If you are here, I can assure that you will much desire shopping in the city though it is not really a shopping heaven. Why? Because of the mass quantity, the good prices, and last but not least, the hospitality of numerous Vietnamese charming female sellers!
Shopping Guide. No one ever shopping here can deny that the range of merchandise in Saigon is truly fantastic. Should you can’t buy it here, you may not really need it!
Bargaining is considered the most common way to buy things in Saigon. Some often relish bargaining, others hate it. Yet, it is not that much complicated if you think of it as a a harmonious Yin-Yang balance. You want the item, and the seller wants your money. Yin-Yang! The maximum price you are willing to pay is the value of your desire for the item. The minimum price the vendor is willing to accept is the value of their desire for your money. Yin-Yang! Bargaining is simply a search for the Yin-Yang balance between your desire and the seller’s. However, should the items have price labels, there is almost no bargaining.
Normally, you will fill your suitcase when shopping in Saigon. If you get hungry during your shopping spree, stop for some finger food or relax in one of the Saigon Restaurants along the city’s shopping streets.
Where should I go?
As the most active city in Vietnam, Hochiminh city offers an excellent variety of clothing, ceramics, ethnic fabrics and lacquered bamboo. Once you are in Ho Chi Minh City, you will surely get spoilt for choice of shops. Thus, to facilitate your selection, we offer a suggested shopping zone list as follows:
Big shopping centers
- Tax Department Store – Intersection of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi Streets, Dist.1, HCMC
- Ben Thanh market – Dist.1, city center, HCMC
- Binh Tay market – Dist.5, one of the main markets of Cholon
- Diamond Plaza – 37 Le Duan, Dist.1, HCMC
Bags
- Anh Thu – 48 Le Lai Str., Dist.1, HCMC
- Saigon – 2 Nguyen Trai Str., Dist.1, HCMC
Clothing
- Oriental Home – 2A Le Duan, Dist.1, HCMC
- Trends – 23 Dong Du, Dist.1, HCMC
- Bao Nghi – 127 Dong Khoi, Dist.1, HCMC
- Cam Tu – 10-12 Nguyen Thien Thuat, Dist.3, HCMC
Silk
- Emotion – 89 Dong Khoi, Dist.1, HCMC
- Silk Road – 98 Mac Thi Buoi, Dist.1, HCMC
- Toan Thinh Silk – 12-14 Pham Phu Thu, Tan Binh Dist., HCMC
- Khai Silk – 107 Dong Khoi, Dist.1, HCMC
Crafts & Souvenirs
- Cocochine Saigon – 95 Nguyen Hue, Dist.1, HCMC
- Handicraft – Shop 115, Me Linh Point Shopping Center, HCMC
- Indochine House – 27 Dong Du, Dist.1, HCMC
- Ju Ju shops – 58 Dong Du, Dist.1, HCMC
- Unique Viet Art Objects – 11 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, HCMC
Pottery & Ceramics
- Celadon Green – 29 Dong Du, Dist.1, HCMC
- Q Home – 65 Le Loi, Dist.1, HCMC
- Van Hien Pottery Shop – 91A Pasteur, Dist.1, HCMC
Supermarket
- Citimart – 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Dist.1, HCMC
- Co-op Mart – 189C Cong Quynh, Dist.1; or 168 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Dist.3, HCMC
