Vietnam's wooden sandals, 'gu\u1ed1c m\u1ed9c,' carry a strong image as old footwear that mothers and grandmothers once wore. Now that craft is drawing younger people and travelers at a Ho Chi Minh City market as an experience where 'your own pair is carved right in front of you.' Some customers even make the trip from a city about 1,000 km away. We followed the scene that caught fire on social media.<\/p>\n
The Vietnamese paper Dan Tri reported on July 23, 2026, that making wooden sandals is trending at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Dinh Market (Cho Tan Dinh). The market, on Hai Ba Trung Street in the Tan Dinh area, opened in 1926 and holds about 400 shops across roughly 7,000 square meters. In one corner, a customer picks the wooden-sole design, the strap style, and the heel height, and an artisan assembles the sandals on the spot. Heels range from 1 to 15 centimeters, and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Rather than picking a ready-made pair off a shelf, you watch a pair built for your own feet - selling this 'time in the making' is what sets it apart from a conventional souvenir shop.<\/p>\n
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The starting point of the boom is clear. In late 2025, videos of customers choosing materials and watching clogs assembled before their eyes spread on social media and caught fire. The first to gather were mostly foreign tourists, but over the past two or three months visits by Vietnamese have jumped sharply. According to the owner, sales have risen 30\u201340% since the boom began. The sequence of \"foreigners find it, and locals follow\" is often seen in Vietnam's experience-based tourism. The 15\u201320 minutes of shaving the wooden sole, fitting the strap and setting the heel height also happen to make good footage, fitting neatly into a single video. Lift a craft from \"watch and buy\" to \"make and take home\" and you get shareable footage, which in turn draws more customers. Near Hanoi,Try printing Dong Ho, Vietnam's answer to ukiyo-e<\/a>follows the same path by which it took hold as a half-day sightseeing draw. The idea of opening the process to customers is becoming a survival strategy separate from subsidies or preservation campaigns.<\/p>\n This phenomenon is changing the very role of a place like Tan Dinh Market. The market was originally where you bought ingredients and daily goods cheaply. Add the experience of \"watching the making process,\" and the market turns into a destination where tourists linger, take photos, and spend time. In Can Tho,Touring the night market and the morning floating market<\/a>This clog-making sits on the extension of trips that enjoy the market itself as an experience. Known as a photo spot for its pink exterior, Tan Dinh Market is also close to the center of District 1.<\/p>\n If wooden sandals are your goal, keep in mind that on busy days more than 20 pairs sell, so it's safest to visit in the morning and avoid the crowded afternoon. Heels range from 1 to 15 cm, so it's easier to decide before you arrive\u2014lower for everyday wear, higher if you want photogenic flair or a special feel. Since you'll stay at the market for the 15\u201320 minutes it takes to finish, plan to browse the nearby grocery and dried-goods shops in that time to enjoy the whole market without waste. For about 250,000 dong you get not just a pair of sandals but the 15 minutes an artisan spent shaving wood just for you. Before you reach for a ready-made souvenir, it's worth setting aside a slot in your itinerary for this \"time being made.\"<\/p>\nA market that was a \"place to buy\" becomes a destination where you linger and take photos<\/h2>\n
Visit in the morning to avoid the busy afternoon, and browse nearby dried-goods shops during the wait<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h2>\n