Anne-Charlotte PasseraIf you’re traveling to Vietnam, you’re probably wondering what to bring back from your trip. Personally, I always bring back a magnet for my fridge. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t take up space in my bag.
When I traveled to Vietnam, I already knew what I wanted to bring home. However, I probably brought back twice as much. Luckily, I had packed light!
Of course, you don’t need to bring back anything from Vietnam if you don’t want to, but you wouldn’t be reading this article if such was the case.
Without further ado, here is my Souvenir Guide of what to bring back from Vietnam and the best place to get it.
VIETNAM SOUVENIR FOR YOU
When you travel to Vietnam, you can easily change your look at a relatively low cost.
T-Shirts
They are easy to find and the best places to buy them are in Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. In Hoi An, we found some great quality ones made from bamboo (so soft) at around 200 000VND.
Pants
The best places to get what I call ‘I shit my pants’ look is in Hoi An and for 150 000VND. Believe it or not, they are really comfortable and keep you relatively cool when it’s hot and humid outside. Also, I wore mine on my return flights and it was the best thing ever. In Hoi An, they can make some for you for the very next day at the same price as if they had it in store. These pants are a 1 size fits all.
Another pant option is the one that has openings on the sides. Once again, we found the best ones in Hoi An in terms of fabric quality and stitching. In price, they vary between 100 000VND and 300 000VND. However, it’s best to try them on to make sure that the fabric covers your skin well enough. These pants are also very comfortable to wear in hot and humid weather.
Ao Dai
The Ao Dai is a traditional Vietnamese dress. It consists of two parts: a pair of pants and a long top that looks like a dress but with slits on either side. The two parts are usually of contrasting colors except when young girls graduate and wear all white. They are made from silk or cotton. The Ao Dai can be worn with heels to complement the silhouette.
Although the younger generation of Vietnamese women doesn’t really wear them anymore, they still do during special events. They are very comfortable to wear and elegant.
In order to achieve the complete look, it’s best to have it tailored made so as to fit your silhouette.
However, good quality ones don’t come cheap. I got mine made in Hanoi at Curve on Gai Street (Silk Street) for 1 500 000VND and 900 000VND for the pants. My Ao Dais were ready the very next day at the end of the day. They can also be made in Hoi An but I wanted to be able to wear mine during the beginning of my trip.
Little tip
Just keep in mind that pending on the material used (cotton or silk) they can keep you a little too hot at times. They are best to be worn when it’s less than 30 degrees Celsius.
Finally, don’t be afraid nor embarrassed to wear one while in Vietnam. On the contrary, you should be proud to wear one and the Vietnamese (up North) will for sure appreciate your look. They are also the perfect outfit to wear when you visit temples and the Emperor’s tombs.
Conical Hat
Unlike the French beret, the conical hat is something the Vietnamese actually wear and throughout the country. It provides a great amount of shade and can be used as a basket when need be. You’ll notice people wearing it while working in the fields or selling market goods. It’s not a tourist gimmick even if you’ll see a lot of tourists wearing one.
The best place to get a conical hat is in Hué. The price varies between 100 000VND and 300 000VND depending on the finishing details and size. A real conical hat from Hué, when put into the light will show landmarks of the city. It takes 1 day to make.
Leather
Although I actually didn’t buy any (hard to believe), if you are looking for leather goods, Hoi An is the place to buy them. There are plenty of stores selling handbags to travel bags with everything else in between.
Essential Oils
Personally, I love essential oils, but they can really get expensive. Obviously, for example, lavender oil is best bought in a country where they have lavender fields such as France. I found a great store of a botanist in Hoi An where she makes her own with ingredients from Vietnam, ESSENSIAN.
SOUVENIRS FOR THE HOME
Being an eclectic person, I like to mix and match things in my home. During my travels, if I find something useful for my home that I can’t find in my country or at a lesser price, you bet that I will bring it home. The craziest thing I ever brought back from traveling was not 1 but 2 sinks from our trip to Fès, Morocco.
Incense
It’s hard to avoid incense in Vietnam as it’s literally being burned everywhere. If you don’t know what to bring back from Vietnam as a souvenir, incense is a simple option.
The best place to buy some and where you’ll actually have more scent options is in Hué. The ‘village’ we visited where they make them sell a pack for 150 000VND. I don’t know if it was more than it’s worth, but it was the only place we saw them in large quantities.
They are not the same ones that you’ll find on the market stalls. Those ones, the red ones, are used in temples and all bare the same scent.
In the same village in Hué, you can get an incense box to go with your incense. They are made of wood and are practical if you don’t want your incense to get all over the place.
We paid 300 000VND for 1 but I found the same one at the Da Nang airport for 170 000 VND.
The village mentioned above is located right next to Emperor Tu Duc’s tomb in Hué.
Ceramics
If you are looking for ceramics and cutlery, the best place where we saw some was in Hoi An. As I had no interest in it or should I say that I already have plenty of it at home, I didn’t look at prices.
Personally, I didn’t find any original chopsticks and decided I was quite content with the ones I brought back from our trip to Hawaii.
Magnets
The nicest and cheapest magnets can be found in Hanoi close to Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, North of Lake Hoan Kiem. With a price range between 10 000 VND to 40 000 VND, these prices can’t be beat. You’ll also find the best choices there.
Posters
If you are a movie buff, you can bring back a movie poster printed on rice paper from Hoi An. The price range is between 110 000 VND to 200 000 VND. I got mine for 110 000 VND in a store on Duong Phan Boi Chau close to our Ha An Hotel, but the choices were limited. I can reassure you that these posters aren’t all about movies and can make a nice addition to your home décor.
Pillow Covers
Silk or cotton pillow covers are a tad bit unusual but an attractive item to bring home. I purchased some printed ones at Tan My Design in Hanoi. You can find them in some stores in Hoi An at the same price. Obviously, they are not a typical travel souvenir, but a useful one nonetheless and something different for your home.
Lanterns
Looking for an original idea on what to bring back from Vietnam? How about some lanterns? Made of silk or cotton, you can only find them in Hoi An and they are absolutely exquisite. These were absolutely on my what to bring back from the Vietnam list and I can’t wait to hang mine on my terrace and in my bathroom.
Despite being folded, they do take up space in your luggage. I brought home 4, 2 went in my carry-on bag and 2 in my backpack.
If you want more lantern options, go to the night market. This is where they practice the best prices but where you can’t negotiate as there are way too many tourists. At the night market of Hoi An, the lantern price ranges between 80 000 VND and 150 000 VND.
However, in Old Hoi An, the lantern price will range between 150 000 VND and 250 000 VND. I found a great shop on Tran Phu close to the corner of Hoang Dieu near the Tourist Center. The owner will show you how they are made and explain to you how to open and fold them.
SOUVENIR GIFTS TO BRING BACK FROM VIETNAM
Should you have room to spare in your luggage, you could bring back a gift or 2 for a loved one. Here are some ideas other than the ones mentioned above:
- From Hanoi: silk scarves, bookmarks made from bamboo, bamboo baskets, silk sleeping bag, and fabric from Dong Xuan market in Hanoi for you or your friend that likes to saw. 1 meter of cotton fabric costs about 100 000 VND.
- From Hoi An: silk scarves, bamboo cutlery set.
- From Ho Chi Minh City: coconut candy, snake alcohol, tiger balm, and silk sleeping bag. This is practical if you or someone you know travels a lot and stays in hostels. They are conveniently small when folded.
So, there you have it. There are so many things you can bring back from Vietnam and temptation is everywhere. The worse spot for it is in Hoi An. That town will empty your wallet if you are not careful! Of course, you also don’t need to bring back anything from Vietnam if you don’t want nor need to. However, Vietnam is one of those countries that is hard to resist.
Now that you know what you can bring back from Vietnam, find out what you can see and do in Vietnam with our Once Upon a Time Travel Guide in Vietnam.
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