Shopping in Hochiminh City

Duc Ba Church, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

View Photos (1) Image © 2008 nguyen trung toan

Shopping Guide. No one can deny that the range of merchandise in Saigon is truly fantastic. What you can't find here, you may not really need!

Bargaining is considered the most common way to buy things in Saigon. Some often relish bargaining, others hate it. Yet, it is not that complicated if you think of it as a a harmonious Yin-Yang balance. You want the item, and the seller wants your money. Yin-Yang! The maximum price you are willing to pay is the value of your desire for the item. The minimum price the vendor is willing to accept is the value of their desire for your money. Yin-Yang! Bargaining is simply a search for the Yin-Yang balance between your desire and the seller's. However, should the items have price labels, there is almost no bargaining.

Normally, you will have no problem filling your suitcase when shopping in Saigon. If you get hungry during your shopping spree, stop for some finger food or relax in one of the Saigon Restaurants along the city's shopping streets.

Where should I go?
As the most active city in Vietnam, Hochiminh city offers an excellent variety of clothing, ceramics, ethnic fabrics and lacquered bamboo. Once you are in Ho Chi Minh City, you will surely get spoilt for choice of shops. Thus, to facilitate your selection, we offer a suggested shopping zone list as follows:

Major shopping centers

• Tax Department Store - Intersection of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi Streets, District 1
• Ben Thanh market - District 1
• Binh Tay market - District 5, one of the main markets of Cholon (Chinatown)
• Diamond Plaza - 37 Le Duan, District 1

Have fun shopping in Ho Chi Minh City.

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Published on 11/16/08