What to buy and bring from Vietnam

Vietnam is a great place for shopping, and will especially appeal to those tourists who do not have a "thing" about originality and branded items. You can bring from here not only the most ordinary souvenirs, but also original gifts and even works of art that cannot be found in other countries. If you have bought enough souvenirs, you can look for counterfeit items made under the brands of world manufacturers, but at very low prices. You can also bring from Vietnam coffee, sticky or regular rice of excellent quality, fish sauces and seasonings, jewelry, pearls, products made of snake and crocodile skin. A useful and very profitable purchase will be counterfeit sportswear and shoes, hiking and trekking equipment of the North Face brand, made in Vietnam. In general, about everything in order:

Where to buy

Trade in Vietnam is carried out at every step, you don't have to go far. In the city center, all the streets along the roads are occupied by shops, stalls, markets, and sometimes it seems that the Vietnamese do nothing but trade. There are also many large shopping centers and hypermarkets in Vietnam, where prices are sometimes even lower than in the markets.

Shopping mall in Hanoi

Prices in shops and markets differ, although not very much. In shops and stalls, it is profitable to look for fakes of branded clothing and footwear, equipment, gold and precious stone products. Markets and bazaars are aimed at a wider range of buyers (including locals), where you can buy everything from clothing, footwear to food. The quality of market goods may not always please, however, the fact that everything here is very cheap, and bargaining is appropriate.

As for original fashionable branded clothes, there may be problems with this. If you can find something like this, then only in serious boutique stores, of which there are not so many here.

Dong Xuan Market Indoor Market in Hanoi

Souvenirs are sold everywhere, including in supermarkets, but prices for small items like magnets, plates, etc. vary greatly depending on the place. But in fact, you can buy them almost everywhere for the same price, if you bargain. Two neighboring shops or sellers at the market can sell the same souvenir at a price that differs by several times, so if you want to save tens of thousands of dongs, go and compare prices, bargain.

In general, as far as bargaining goes, you can bargain everywhere, even in shops and boutiques. You can't bargain only in supermarkets with price tags and at the cash register, in other places you can always ask for a "discount", especially if you are buying several things. In markets, the price of small goods, such as souvenirs, can generally be reduced several times, because in most cases tourists are immediately told it is too high.

What to buy

It is most profitable to pay for purchases in local cash, although in exceptional cases, markets or private shops are ready to accept dollars. But watch the exchange rate at which you are offered to pay, as it is usually less profitable than paying directly in dongs.

Bank cards are also widely accepted in Vietnam, but when it comes to tourist purchases, you can't pay with them everywhere. They won't accept the card at the market, in most souvenir shops, in street clothing stores. You can easily pay with a card for purchases in supermarkets and large shopping centers, in branded souvenir shops and tea and coffee shops.