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Tips 1 - 3 of 3 Ho Chi Minh City Shopping
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Clothes: Fancy an ao-dai?
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Tip Rating:  |
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Name of Shop: Any Tailor Shops in Pham Ngu Lao/Pasteur St
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
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Theme: Women's Clothes
Directions: See tip above
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Name of Shop: Galleries in Vietnam
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.
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Theme: Art
Website: http://www.apricot-artvietnam.com/
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 Comments for bpacker about Ho Chi Minh City | | | | |
abiabipo Tue May 13, 2008 03:32 UTC
My friends and I are visiting Ho Chi Minh in June this year, and I'm so excited... reading your page got me even more psyched, this will definitely be one of the guides I'll be bringing with me on my Vietnam trip. Thanks for the info! | Dabs Wed Mar 19, 2008 18:07 UTC
Thinking about a trip here later this year, will be back to check out the rest if we decide to go :-) | londonbabe Sun Jan 6, 2008 14:07 UTC
Fantastic what to do tips - thank you! Am now going to allow more time in Saigon on our way round. | blue_sky04 Wed Oct 10, 2007 00:28 UTC
Great tips on HCMC! I especially enjoy reading your restaurant tips. I like vietnamese food so I am looking forward to tasting them when I visit the city. Thanks for sharing! |
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