Shopping places Ho Chi Minh City

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh is truly one of the highlights of this fascinating city. New shopping malls are springing up all over downtown Saigon, bringing with them international fashion brands to please the most demanding of fashion connoisseurs, but it is the variety of shopping experiences and one-off items that most excite us about shopping in Ho Chi Minh.

Boutique fashion is more prominent here than almost anywhere else in Southeast Asia, where bespoke items can be bought at a fraction of what they cost elsewhere. Markets in Ho Chi Minh are also highly recommended as they still play a central role in the daily lives of locals and visitors – truly a shopping experience you won’t forget quickly.

1 Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is fun at any time of day and well into the night. Ho Chi Minh City’s central market and a must-see when visiting Vietnam’s largest and most boisterous city, early mornings see locals shopping for fresh produce before fashion stalls take centre stage throughout the day, as well as rows of coffee traders, selling a dizzying array of beans. Come nightfall, a night market sets up alongside the main hall, selling clothing, apparel and souvenirs until 24:00, along with interesting pop-up street food stalls.

Opening Hours: Daily 6:00 –24:00
Location: Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City

2 Vincom Center

The luxurious Vincom Center is Ho Chi Minh City’s largest shopping mall with over 250 shops spread out over two separate buildings. Vincom Center A is a charming, low rise colonial building housing many flagship stores for international fashion houses such as Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and Hermes. Vincom Center B occupies the first four floors of a modern glass skyscraper just across the street from the original premises. Here you will find more high street brands, sporting apparel and homeware.

Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 – 22:00
Address: (Vincom Center A) 171 Dong Khoi & (Vincom Center B) 72 Le Thanh Ton Street, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 83 936 9999

3 Binh Tay Market (Cholon Chinatown Market)

Cholon, also known as Binh Tay Market, is located at the edge of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5. Great for experiencing the local Buddhist culture, the market offers a vibrant atmosphere, opulent Chinese architecture, as well as a fascinating assortment of handicrafts, lacquerware, textiles and fresh produce. There’s also an open-air food court at the back of the market where you can enjoy tasty treats such as Vietnamese noodles, banh bao (steamed bun with pork filling), and Chinese sausages.

Opening Hours: Daily 07:00 – 18:00
Address: 57 Thap Muoi, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City

4 Fashion Boutiques

Anyone with an interest in fashion simply must spend some time hitting the boutique fashion stores in Ho Chi Minh, with something for almost any taste and budget. Dong Khoi Street in downtown District 1 is a great place to start, but really there are plenty of other fashion boutiques spread out across Saigon.

Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 22:00
Location: District 1 & District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

5 Saigon Square

Saigon Square is a two-storey wholesale fashion mall that offers some of the best prices in Ho Chi Minh City. Perfect for bargain hunters, there are seemingly endless aisles of small stalls selling t-shirts, men’s and women’s apparel, shoes, handbags, swimwear, luggage, jewellery, and textiles. While the prices on the tags may be slightly inflated, bargaining is expected, so you should never accept the opening bid. As it’s also fairly easy to see stalls selling similar items; just browse around the shopping mall before settling for an asking price that you’re comfortable with.

Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 22:00
Address: 77 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

6 Diamond Plaza

Diamond Plaza is a department store in District 1 that is surrounded by many of Ho Chi Minh’s most popular attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral and April 30th Park. Housed in a converted period building, there are several floors of shopping separated into men’s and women’s fashion, homeware, and sports goods. Once you’ve finished shopping, there are multiple dining and entertainment venues to enjoy. In particular, family friendly activities located in Diamond Plaza include bowling and a cinema.

Opening Hours: Daily 09:30 – 22:30
Address: 34 Le Duan Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 83 825 7750

7 An Dong Market (Craft Market)

An Dong Market is mostly a fashion wholesalers for locals but on the top floor there are many crafts stalls, making this one of the best places in Ho Chi Minh to buy handicrafts from the skilled artisans who practice Vietnam’s proud heritage in lacquer and woodwork. Located outside the city centre, the Craft Market is in District 10, in the west of the city. However, it is easy to grab a taxi. It should take no more than 10 minutes from downtown Saigon.

Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 14:00
Address: An Duong Vuong Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City

8 Khaisilk

Khaisilk is a fashion and homeware boutique creating modern designs from Vietnam’s luscious silk fabrics. Starting with just one shop and growing to be a brand of international repute, Khaisilk is a true success story. Set along the fashionable Dong Khoi Street in District 1, come here to check out their dresses, handbags, scarves and bedsheets.

Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 22:00
Address: 107 Dong Khoi, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 83 822 2856

9 Art Galleries on Dong Khoi Street

Art galleries in Ho Chi Minh range from rough, paint-by-numbers reproductions of famous paintings, up to some of the world’s leading modern art. Obviously the prices are drastically different too. If you are looking for a nice range of art galleries in Saigon, you should walk down Dong Khoi and take your time to look for galleries that have higher quality paintings. Le Xuan Art Gallery and Ben Thanh Art have some cheaper examples of Ho Chi Minh art, while Cua Hang Saigon Crafts and especially Apricot Gallery are higher end galleries with better quality work and prices to match.

Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 22:00
Location: Dong Khoi, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

10 Parkson Plaza Department Store

Parkson Plaza is an international standard department store that is laid out in the tried and tested formula of cosmetics and perfumes on the ground floor, fashion for men and women on the second and third floors, with homeware and restaurants on the fourth. This is a compact shopping experience with mid- to high-range products such as Coach, Calvin Klein and Lacoste.

Opening Hours: Daily 9:30 – 22:00
Address: 45 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 83 827 7636