Hanoi Shopping

Where to Shop and What to Buy in Hanoi

If you're particularly enthusiastic about quality textiles, clothes and handicrafts, shopping in Hanoi will not disappoint.

The city also has a good range of day and night markets, both indoors and outdoors and you'll find that night markets are more of a social than shopping occasion but that doesn't preclude finding bargains at night.

There's a good arts scene alive in Hanoi and let's face it; in a city this size with a shopaholic population you're going to find a lot to buy but under less stressful conditions than frenetic Ho Chi Minh City.

Bartering Tricks

Try to master key Vietnamese words such as "Bao nhiêu tian"? (How much is this? – pronounced: bow nyu thien) and "Dat quá". (Too expensive! – daht quah). When you are given an initial price try a few "Oi Gioi Oi’s" (Oh my God! – pronounced: oi zoy oi) and you'll find things will go a lot better. Remember – keep things lighthearted.

Markets

Hanoi's Dong Xuan Market

You'll find everything under the sky for sale at Dong Xuan Market. If you've ever been to Ben Tanh Market in Saigon, this is Hanoi's equivilent. There are silk bags here for less than US$10 here. A three-storey market located in the Old Quarter, 900m north of the Hoan Kiem Lake.

Weekend Night Market

There are around Dong Xuan Market morphs into a night bazaar at the weekend. This is much more a social occasion than a shopping one and if you are seriously looking after bargains with little time to spare perhaps this is not the best destination. Be wary of pickpockets.

Hang Da Market

Smaller than Dong Xuan, Hang Da offers imported food, wines, flowers with upstairs stalls selling fabrics and off-the-hangar clothing and even watches. Located at the intersection of Yen Thai and Hang Da Street, Hang Da Market is a three-story indoor market, attractive with its white and multi-perforated façade.

Souvenirs

T-shirts, bandanas, wall hangings, tribal handicrafts and weavings – they're all to be had downtown old quarter Hanoi.

You'll have to be willing to use your bargaining skills in most of these shops and stalls to get prices down.

Air-conditioned Hanoi Moment (101 Hang Gai Street) comes highly recommended above the sometimes grimy street markets.

Designer Boutiques

There are a good number of these in Hanoi, often dealing in silk creations catering to Hanoi's Beautiful people. However, tourists also buy ao dai's (Vietnamese traditional long dresses) to fit their size. Many young local designers cleverly mix Vietnamese and western styles which make the Vietnamese fashion industry even more attractive.

A couple of good designer boutiques are: Khai Silk, 96 Pho Hang Gai Tel: +844 825 4237; La Boutique and the Silk 6 Pho Nha Tho. Tel: +844 928 5368.

Galleries

If there's one thing Hanoi has no shortage of it is art galleries and most are conveniently located in the old quarter. Young hopeful artists make full use of Hanoi's many private art galleries – most situated on Pho Trang Tien, between Hoan Kiem Lake and the Opera House.

Typically the galleries are open until 21:00 and bargaining is expected.

Wooden Products

There are so many natural woods that this results in a broad range of handicraft products in Hanoi. These are transformed into carvings, statuettes, chopsticks and boxes.

Look out too for water puppet figurines, hand-carved for centuries in traditional artisan villages. All these are available in countless souvenir shops in the Old Quarter.

Rice Paper

Hanoi's ethnic greetings cards, watercolor and folk paintings, bamboo-bound notebooks and vogue table lamps are all made with 'Do' paper (rice paper) made from the bark of the Do Tree.

Rice paper cards with embroidered squares cost around $2, bamboo bound notebooks $1.50 and hemp covered notebooks, from $2. Shops along Hang Gai and Hang Bac Street sell rice-paper products.

Ethnic Minority Products

Vietnam has more ethnic minority groups than any other Asian country (about 54). Most of them hail from mountain villages in the north.

Each has their own style and colours of clothing, with distinctive embroidery and weaving patterns.

With the surge of tourism, many of their handicrafts and clothes are now sold in craft shops, especially in Hanoi.

Silk

Hang Gai, or Silk Street, is the best place to shop for silk in Hanoi. Located on the edge of the Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake, Hang Gai consists of two or three blocks of small shops that all specialize in silk and embroidery. The merchandise at the various stores is similar but the prices, selection and service vary.

What to Shop in Vietnam

Thanks to the dexterity and creativity of its people, Vietnam is a country rich in handicrafts. This has long been a source of cultural pride and income for local people for centuries, with the skills being handed down through countless generations. It should be noted that the export of Vietnamese antiques is forbidden.

Hanoi Shopping Related Information

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