Useful experience for shopping in Vietnam

Shopping in Vietnam is a fantastic experience. With a wide range of products in different places the country offers some really good shopping opportunities.

You can find here stuffs from contemporary art paintings, silks, wood, and bronze handicrafts to war souvenirs along with other commodities of all kinds. 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 locally made stuff 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 the price labeled on the item. Have fun bargaining! This is not only the way to get a good deal but the art of conversation. Bargaining is applied for both locals and tourists without exception. So, the better you bargain, the better price you have. It is just the bargain better than you did. Here, with lots of competitions, vendors normally do not set up certain profit rates and just take any single chance they can have though sometimes 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. Then they may call you back otherwise, there many places that you can find the same items.
Keep smiling and do not get angry or argue. Once the money is accepted, the deal is done. Then with your smile, you can get a big deal from 10% to 50% discount.
If you plan to make some deal during your travel here then depending on your starting point, you should sort the list out for the place and it will help you to save space in your bag and energy to carry stuff along.
Saigon – Large commercial center with lots of markets and shops around. You can find here ready-made clothes, T-shirts and shorts, wooden boxes or lacquer, painting, silk embroideries, and other petty souvenir stuff.
The most popular shopping area is Ben Thanh Market and shops in surrounding streets. For up-market kinds of stuff, then Diamond Plaza or along Dong Khoi Street is a good idea.

shopping

Nha Trang – Though not a hotspot but a visit to Dam market in the center of the city would be a nice experience.
Hoian - Hoian is a paradise for shoppers especially those who like fashion. Here you can have suits, dresses, and clothes of all types tailor-made with quick service and good quality. You can pick styles available from catalogs or ask them to copy any mode you have. Along with fashion, there are also many shops in town that offer pretty souvenirs ranges from silk embroideries, wood 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, where you can buy the most unique and exquisite carved stone in Viet Nam. Here you can find a wide range of stone art carving from huge statues or home decoration sets to tiny carving objects and precious stones.
Hue – Home of Hue-style conical hats. If you like one of those, why not? Painting and other petty souvenirs are also available here. A visit to Dong Ba Market on the bank of the 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 types of products 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 are many lovely kinds of stuff you would love to take to your home when traveling around Vietnam. Just plan it well and remember 3W: What; Where; When. What you want to buy, where you can get it and; When 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 the 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.