What are you looking forward to when shopping in Vietnam?
One of the joys of visiting Vietnam's cities is shopping.
From modern shopping malls to lively traditional markets to tasteful goods shops, a diverse shopping experience awaits. Major cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hoi An each have distinctive shopping spots dotted about, where you can encounter memorable souvenirs and hidden finds.
In this article, we introduce 12 curated shopping spots in Vietnam's major cities. We deliver practical information — malls lined with luxury brands, markets where haggling is fun, encounters with brands not yet in Japan, and tips for efficient shopping.
5 popular shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest city, has a concentration of modern shopping malls.
旧1区エリア（ドンコイ通り周辺）に多くのモールが集まっているため、観光の合間に立ち寄りやすいのが魅力です。クーラーが効いた快適な空間で、清潔なトイレも無料で利用できます。価格交渉の心配もなく、適正価格でショッピングを楽しめるのも大きなメリットです。
Vincom Center Đồng Khởi
The blue twin towers facing Dong Khoi Street are the landmark.
With more than 250 brands, it's characterized by a well-balanced tenant lineup centered on apparel. Brands familiar to Japanese people too — ZARA, H&M, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Daiso — are there. Local cafés and restaurants line the basement, and there's a supermarket called Vinmart, so it's recommended for those who want to buy souvenirs cheaply.
営業時間は平日10:00~22:00、土曜日9:30~22:00、日曜日9:30~22:00。日本人街レタントン通りから徒歩10分の好立地で、夜間はライトアップされた外観が旧1区エリア（ドンコイ通り周辺）で非常に目立ちます。
Saigon Centre (Takashimaya)
One of the most prestigious shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh City.
Luxury fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry are tenants, and in the refined food court you can enjoy both Asian and Western cuisine. The mall's design is modern and chic, and the spacious corridors and elegant lighting create a classy atmosphere.
Located at 65 Le Loi Street, with hours from 9:30 to 21:30. There's a high-end supermarket too, making it an ideal spot for both shopping and dining.
PARKSON
A Malaysian shopping mall across from Vincom Center.
2019年（12月6日オープン）にユニクロが初上陸してから、ベトナム人を中心ににぎわっています。無印良品もオープンしており、パークソン内は日本といった雰囲気。ユニクロではベトナム限定デザインのTシャツが販売され、無印良品も日本では見かけない商品があり、お土産にもおすすめです。
It used to be quiet, but with the entry of Japanese brands it has regained its liveliness.
Diamond Plaza
A Korean high-end shopping mall near the Saigon Cathedral.
Centered on overseas brands, it sells cosmetics, perfumes, and more, recommended for those interested in beauty. There are plenty of cafés too, making it perfect to visit between sightseeing. Inside, luxury fashion stores and Vietnamese retailers line up, with a wide range from elegant clothing to high-end accessories.
Union Square
A shopping mall that gathers some of Ho Chi Minh City's finest high-end brands.
Few people may buy top-tier brands in Vietnam, but since various overseas brands gather here, you won't get bored just looking. Recommended for women is its rich selection of aroma lines. It also carries France's Durance, Thailand's Thann Sanctuary, and more.
The exterior is a white-based building founded on colonial architecture, letting you feel a little-Paris mood. It's also famous as a photo spot.
Notable shopping areas in Hanoi
In Hanoi, the center of politics and culture, calm-atmosphere shopping areas spread out.
Walk the Old Quarter and commerce and daily life are condensed into narrow streets, with livelihoods continuing across many generations. Many shops have staff who speak Japanese and make efforts to attract Japanese customers, so beyond quality, they put effort into design too.
Goods shops on Nha Tho Street
An area in Hanoi with many shops that have Japanese-speaking staff on hand.
This kind of shop makes efforts to attract Japanese customers, so beyond quality, they put effort into design too. Products lined up to suit Japanese fashion sense are on the shelves, making it perfect for finding stylish goods. Since the quality of the coloring on ceramics differs greatly by shop, comparing several shops is recommended.
Traditional shopping streets of the Old Quarter
Around the lake, you'll see people doing morning exercises and locals quietly enjoying a walk.
Though it's a tourist spot, there's a strong sense of daily life laid open as is, and just walking the streets you feel the accumulation of history. Specialty shops line the narrow streets, each with its own character. Shops gather by product — Silk Street, silversmith street, and so on.
Shopping experiences in Da Nang and Hoi An
Central Vietnam's Da Nang and Hoi An are shopping spots each with a different appeal.
Da Nang is a beach resort that has developed rapidly in recent years; the city itself is compact and easy to get around, suiting a first stay in the central region. It's characterized by the coexistence of urban convenience and the closeness of nature.
Da Nang's modern malls
Near the long white-sand beaches represented by My Khe Beach, modern shopping facilities are dotted about.
They're a place of relaxation not just for tourists but for locals too, where you can enjoy shopping while savoring a resort mood. Beachside cafés and restaurants are well-stocked too, so you can rest gazing at the sea between purchases — an appealing point.
Goods shops in the Hoi An Ancient Town
In the Old Quarter of Hoi An, registered as a World Heritage site, lantern lights wrap the town at night.
It's maintained as a tourist spot, but without excessive flashiness, and even your walking pace naturally slows. Strolling along the river, gazing at old houses and trading halls, memories of the port town that once flourished on trade overlap. That its face changes greatly between day and night is another charm of this town.
There are many shops for made-to-order clothes, shoes, and leather goods, with tailoring-in-a-short-time services popular. There are also many shops of traditional embroidery and weaving, where you can feel the warmth of handwork.
Shopping at markets: tips for haggling
At Vietnam's markets, haggling is a must.
Lately many shops attach labels with a set price to products, but this is a trick aimed at travelers. Recognize it as a price set with the thought "if you buy at this price, it's a windfall." On the other hand, when haggling isn't possible, it's marked in large letters "FIX PRICE."
Basic rules of haggling
The other party has a livelihood on the line too, so unreasonable haggling may end up angering them.
If they won't budge in negotiation even after two or three tries, it's better to understand that's the regular price. Recommended goods at markets are so-called cheap goods under 1 dollar (100 yen). They're plenty as souvenirs to scatter among close friends, family, and relatives.
Points to note at markets
It's important not to expect quality at markets.
Products are left exposed to the elements, so goods are faded, ceramics may be cracked, and embroidery may be frayed. You can't very well hand such goods to someone important as a souvenir. Feel the Vietnamese flavor at a market and shop while haggling. Do come experience the real thrill of a Vietnam trip.
Also, markets are a hotspot for pickpockets. There are two moments when pickpockets strike. One is while walking the crowded market aisles, the other is during shopping. Always keep your wallet where it touches your skin or hand.
Recommended Vietnamese souvenirs and where to buy them
Vietnam is also called a goods paradise.
Among Japanese people, a huge boom came in the 1990s, to the point that goods streets lined with wares even sprang up in cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where many Japanese travelers gather. You buy souvenirs not only at Vietnam's classic market goods shops but in varied formats — shopping centers, supermarkets, and markets.
Souvenirs you can buy at supermarkets
Dried goods you can buy at markets can also be bought at city supermarkets.
If you're bringing them home as souvenirs, a supermarket is recommended. Buy at a market and they won't pack them into a case for you — you just get them in a plastic bag. When buying dried fruit at a market, always ask to taste it. However, food sold at markets is poorly preserved, so the flavor has faded.
If you're after high-quality goods
Stylish goods are found mostly at shops with Japanese-speaking staff on hand.
In Hanoi it's Nha Tho Street, and in Ho Chi Minh City it's Dong Khoi Street and Pasteur Street, where there are many shops with Japanese-speaking staff. This kind of shop makes efforts to attract Japanese customers, so beyond quality, they put effort into design too.
Since many foreigners have fallen victim to rip-offs in recent years, the government and local authorities alike are promoting FIX PRICE, and are even considering some kind of penalty on shops for egregious rip-offs. At goods shops, you can probably haggle only about 20 to 30%.
How to build an efficient shopping plan
To make the most of shopping in Vietnam, planning is important.
ホーチミンのショッピングモールは旧1区エリア（ドンコイ通り周辺）に集結しているため、観光の合間に立ち寄ることも可能。年中暑いホーチミンでは、意外にもクーラーの効いている場所は少ないですが、ショッピングモールはクーラーが効いているので快適に過ごせます。
Recommendations by time of day
The morning is when markets come alive.
You can browse fresh ingredients and goods while feeling local life. In the afternoon, spending time leisurely at a shopping mall, enjoying shopping in an air-conditioned, comfortable space, is recommended. From evening into night, you can have an atmospheric shopping experience while strolling an illuminated Old Quarter, as in Hoi An.
How to get around by area
ホーチミンでは旧1区エリア（ドンコイ通り周辺）を中心に、徒歩圏内で複数のモールを回れます。
Vincom Center and Parkson face each other, so you can visit both efficiently. In Hanoi, centered on the Old Quarter, specialty shops gather by street, so choosing streets by purpose is efficient. Da Nang is a compact town, so it's easy to build a one-day plan combining beach and shopping.
Summary: To enjoy shopping in Vietnam
Vietnam's cities each have distinctive shopping spots.
For liveliness, Ho Chi Minh City's modern malls; to feel history and daily life, Hanoi's Old Quarter; for a balance of nature and city, Da Nang; to savor atmosphere, Hoi An's goods shops. Each town shows you Vietnam from a different angle.
At markets you enjoy haggling, and at shopping malls you can shop with peace of mind in a comfortable space. At shops with Japanese-speaking staff you can encounter high-quality goods, and at supermarkets you can buy souvenirs at affordable prices. The appeal of Vietnam's tourist spots lies not in the famous sights themselves but in the daily life spreading around them.
The bustle of the market, a cup of coffee drunk at the roadside, the flow of people growing toward evening. The form differs by city, but in every town, life is right next to tourism. That closeness is the reason a trip stays in memory as an experience, not mere movement.
Why not find your own favorite shopping spot in a Vietnamese city too?
