Shopping in Hoi An

Visitors: load up on dong, as there are plenty of things that will catch your eyes when it comes to shopping in Hoi An. How can you resist a conical hat or a tailored shiny zoot suit? Hoi An has everything you never knew you wanted.

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Hoi An is known for tailoring but there is enticing ready-made wear as well. Nothing declares that you’ve been to Vietnam more than pun-tastic, inside-joke T-shirts sporting “Pho-king”, “iPho” or “Pho Metal Jacket”. For something a little more stylish, find stretchy cotton T-shirts with graphic prints at Ginkgo. Women can head to Metiseko, which specialises in silk clothing and accessories in soft colours and patterns. In other shops, be wary of claims that scarves, clothes and sleeping bag liners are 100 percent silk and handcrafted. If it’s cheap, it probably isn’t.

You can't wave a chopstick without hitting a smart-arse T-shirt. Photo taken in or around Shopping, Hoi An, Vietnam by Cindy Fan.

You can't wave a chopstick without hitting a smart-arse T-shirt. Photo: Cindy Fan

Like ethnic crafts, hilltribe motifs and natural materials? Check out Villagecraft Planet, east of the market at 37 Phan Boi Chau Street. Here you can find clothes, bags, cushion covers and other decorative items made from Hmong textiles, batik indigo, hemp and natural dyes.

It’ll be hard to resist purchasing one of Hoi An’s signature silk lanterns. Stroll the town at night or browse the night market across the river on An Hoi Islet and the colourful glow will tug at your heart strings. You can buy a few, or try making your own at a workshop offered by Lifestart Foundation, a not-for-profit charity that offers vocational training and assistance to the disadvantaged. The one and a half hour workshop, held at either 10:30-12:00 or 15:30-17:00, costs 330,000 dong per person, with a minimum of two people required to run it. It’s the same price for their Vietnamese painting class (09:00-1:30/14:00-15:30). Register in advance. At their shop you can also buy handmade jewellery, fantastic natural body products, loveable stuffed animals made from socks, cards, tea, Co Tu ethnic handicraft, prints, scarves ... please log in to read the rest of this story.