Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, attracts millions of visitors every year. Tourists coming here would absolutely want to bring something back home as gifts or souvenirs. I am Hanoian and I have some suggestions for people visiting Hanoi. This article will give you some information that may help you choose what and where to buy in Hanoi.
The culture of Vietnam is rich and diverse with exclusive and long-standing traditions. Foreigners visiting Hanoi are especially fascinated by traditional arts such as crafts, pottery, lacquer ware, silk, embroidery, lanterns. The best place to find these items in Hanoi is the Old Quarter. Below are some spots for you to consult:
Traditional handicraft
Vietnamese traditional handicrafts are distinctive, neatly made and eye-catching to foreigners. Traditional items range from silk and embroidery, lacquer ware to lanterns, bamboo products…
For silk and embroidery, you should check out Mavena Hanoi (28 Nha Chung), F Silk (82 Hang Gai Street), or Khai Silk (96 Hang Gai Street), Thanh Ha Silk (114 Hang Gai Street). Here you will find high quality silk of various colours or fashionable silk clothes. You can check the quality by plucking a few strands and burn the fibers. If its smell is like burned hair, it is silk.
Lacquer ware is abundant in Hanoi. Visitors’ most favorite goods are colorful plates, chopsticks, place mats, screens and furniture. To buy good products, you should go to Delta Deco (12 Nha Tho Street) which is a famous lacquer ware dealer. Another place is Mavena Hanoi as mentioned above, they also sell lacquer kitchenware.
Art
Vietnamese art is thriving more than ever. The unique styles of Vietnamese artists are highly evaluated by many experts. You can find photographs and paintings of various materials being sold in many places but galleries are mainly in the Old Quarter and along the shores of central Hoan Kiem. Some art galleries are located along the street. There are some destinations worth visiting if you are looking for high quality and genuine artwork such as Hanoi Art Gallery (35 Trang Tien Street), Maison Des Arts (31 Van Mieu Street, near Temple of Literature), The Bui Gallery (23 Ngo Van So Street), Apricot Gallery (40B Hang Bong Street). Along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, you can purchase fine paintings at reasonable prices, but not all of them are original.
Clothing, Accessories & Décor
– For luxury foreign goods and/or for a glimpse of Vietnam’s burgeoning mall culture, check out Trang Tien Plaza, a large building located on the southeast corner of Hoan Kiem Lake.
– Hang Dau Street is a heaven for shoes. There are various types such as high heels, flip flops, sandals, sneakers, tennis shoes, etc.
Khai Silk (96 Hang Gai Street), the Silk (06 Nha Tho Street) and La Boutique provides silk creations. Those are where Vietnamese tradition combined with Western style, creating unique and attractive Vietnamese fashion.
– Near Hang Dau Street, where Lo Su Street meets the lake, you can find bags of all shapes and sizes.
– On Gia Ngu Street, you can buy socks, underwear and children clothes. This street is also named “Underwear Street”, which is rather funny.
– For decorating items, you should check out Nha Tho Street. You can find a lot of interesting things there.
Above are some addresses that our customers are really happy with the traditional shopping in the old quarters of Hanoi, I hope you will find satisfaction during your trip in Hanoi.