Ho Chi Minh City Shopping Tips by bpacker Top 5 Page for this destination

Any Tailor Shops in Pham Ngu Lao/Pasteur St: Fancy an ao-dai? Clothes Review

There are many tailor shops in HCMC, especially in areas like Dong Khoi and De Tham Street that will tailor an ao-dai in 24 hours or less. Yes, at first I was a bit sceptical but how could I resist tailoring an ao-dai for a lot less than what I would pay at home for a blouse?

What to buy: Get a lovely , tailor -made Vietnamese ao-dai ( say ow-yai ) for USD20 or less. These lovely dresses go for USD10 at Ben Tanh Market but they won't fit you properly as they are catered for the local sizes. I had my Ao Dai tailored at a small shop in De Tham St and it fitted me like a glove. Naturally, I choose Vietnamese Silk as they have a very lovely sheen. Needless to say, drive a hard bargain. I got mine at a US20 or so after I agreed to make 2 suits. Just walk away if you feel that the price is not right. But take this advice with a pinch of salt, afterall, some of my friends have commented that I'm the customer from hell.

Tip update: Though there are a number of good tailors in De Tham St, you can go to "Nha May Cuong" owned by Mr Cuong. He has shops at 59 Ly Tu Truong and at 247 Le Thanh Ton. Best of all, this tailor will escort you to Ben Thanh Market to help you select the fabric first. Another fine choice is Albert Thanh, whose shop is at 22 Vo Van Tan Street District 3.

Note:I'm tempted to remove this tip. Honestly, after I posted this, I received more than a thousand emails asking me how much a tailor-made suit or dress would cost. To be honest, I don't know since I'm pretty much a pret a porter girl when it comes to western dress. I've only tailored traditional dresses like the ao-dai, cheong sum and the kebaya since these dresses need to fit like a glove and will not be available in your average calvin klein store.

What to pay: Do expect to pay about USD 30- 40 per ao-dai. cp

Directions: See tip above

Theme: Women's Clothes

Galleries in Vietnam: Fancy a Renoir but too poor to afford one? Stores & Markets Review

Have one renoir specially painted for you at about USD 30 or less by one of these copy artists in HCMC. I spotted one such gallery in Dong Khoi area, not too far from the Opera house. I didn't buy a copy but I was so very tempted to get Van Gough's Starry Night. There's also a 'proper' gallery in the same vincinity but they carry original works by local artists. Don't ask those folks to do a copy for you, trust me, they know how to say "omigawwd" in English. The website is attached below.

Theme: Art

Website: http://www.apricot-artvietnam.com/

Ben Tanh Market: Making Vietnamese Rolls At Home? Asian Food Review

One of my best buys in HCMC was delicate rice paper sold in Ben Tanh Market. The ones that are sold in Singapore was hard and thick..

What to buy: The rice paper cost a fraction than what I would pay for at home and they can keep for up to 6 months if they're stored properly!
Almost every sundry store in Ben Tanh sells those things, so just point to one of your preferred circumference!

Just click here for the Spring Roll Recipe

What to pay: Pay less than $1 for a packet.

Theme: Food and Drink