subject: Shopping in Vietnam? What Should You Buy? [print this page] Shopping in Vietnam? What Should You Buy?
Vietnam is a warm and beautiful country, a land where everything seems just so much more vibrant, more compelling, more exotic. It is also a country where you can get so much more for your money, making Vietnam an ever increasing popular destination for shopping. On arrival you will find yourself surrounded by a wide range of designer clothing, handicrafts, paintings, folk crafts, lacquerware and ceramics, all at the best prices imaginable. You may also need to go shopping for a second or even third suitcase to bring home all your new goodies.It can be a little confusing at first for some tourists to understand what they should buy and what to avoid. The locally produced items are generally a bit shoddy-looking, although they do make novel gifts for family and friends back home. Handicrafts and folk crafts are some of the best items to buy in Vietnam, along with the traditional woven fabrics. No matter where you go in Vietnam you will find that tailors and dressmakers come are quite inexpensive and can produce some wonderful items for you, especially if you have a design or photograph that you want copied.One thing to remember though is that the overall quality will vary depending on the tailor. For ladies, a word of caution, if you insist of buying a ao dai you must be prepared for it to look unusual on you. It only looks exquisite on girls of slender frames, totally unsuited to the Western builds. Antiques are much valued souvenirs of your time in Vietnam and although the prices for them can be very reasonable, the country has a strict ban on antique exports. If you find yourself unable to leave without your newly bought antique, you must acquire a license from the customs department, but this can be a wearisome and time-consuming process.Lacquerware is a product that has been created in Asia for centuries and in Vietnam it is both cheap and plentiful. Designs can be both simple and elegant, complex and exotic, making for wonderful gifts. Lacquer pictures make for compelling centrepieces but can be heavy to carry about, so it is recommended that they are purchased near the end of your trip. If you are travelling up in the north of the country ethnic crafts, jewellery and fabrics are a good purchase choice. Not only are they much cheaper, but most minority objects are not found in the lowlands or the major cities of Saigon and Hanoi. Vietnam is a country that will spoil the person who loves to shop. Designer boutiques are scattered all around the key cities with unique items at fabulous prices; the markets are filled with the squeals of delighted shopping is the excitement of discovering something unusual; and the traditional villages around the country hold a treasure-chest of ethnic goods which cannot be found anywhere else. If you are someone who loves to shop, you will not be disappointed with what Vietnam has to offer.
