Hoi An Shopping

if you love the sound of the Gong, this small shop in the center of the street, on the southern side. He has different kind of oriental percussion instruments, and will show you how to play them and make beautiful sounds

What to buy: whatever catches your ear

What to pay: you have to bargain

Hoi An is an oasis of tailor shops. You can choose a tailor on your own, or you can ask at the front desk of your hotel. You choose the fabric, then you been measured, and by the evening your clothes will be shipped to your hotel. The price is less then what you would pay for material alone in a western country. Irresistable

What to buy: clothes, clothes clothes

What to pay: As always in Vietnam, you have to argue

The old city is full of galleries, carrying all kinds and sizes of paintings. We didn't see such a selection in the galleries in the big cities. You can of course argue the price, and they will wrap it for you very good

What to buy: paintings, suit your taste

What to pay: Less then they ask for, especially if you buy more then one.

Most tailor shops that make clothes sell ties as well, but there are a few small stores around Hoi An that sell only ties and they have some with fun embroidery that you can't get at the larger couture stores. I bought ten silk ties at a small shop on Tran Phu Street with designs such as two women wearing ao dai's and conical hats or a person fishing from a basket boat. The shop was able to do some custom embroidery as well with a turn-around under 24 hours.

What to buy: This place does ties and ties only.

What to pay: You're expected to bargain, but I wound up tipping a few dollars to bring the price to $20 for ten ties.

Yaly is one of Hoi An's largest tailor shops, thought that doesn't necessarily make it the town's best. One advantage shopping at Yaly has is that your measurements and digital photos of you from three different angles are kept on file for future mail orders. There is also a sizable selection of designs to choose from for your clothing and the tailors are reputed to be able to copy any pieces you bring in or show them from a magazine. The interior of the store has a warehouse feel to it, which makes sense when you take into account how many people shuffle in and out daily.
Despite these positive aspects of Yaly, I found the level of customer service to be slightly substandard. My salesperson did a good job of recommending fabrics and the styles of each piece I ordered were good-looking, however, the embroidery I requested was put on the wrong side of every item and it was impossible to convince the salesperson to have pieces redone. I settled for amendments and a couple of ties to be thrown in gratis, but when I got back to the States, the button holes of the dress shirt I had made began to tear. I had to bring the shirt to a tailor here to have it fixed.

What to buy: Hoi An is one of Southeast Asia's silk capitals, though it's a great place to purchase handmade clothing that uses other fabrics, such as cotton and linen. Shops use Vietnamese silk, Thai silk, and Japanese silk. Shop sales attendants should be able to advise you on what kind of silk is best for a particular piece you'd like to have made.

What to pay: I purchased three embroidered satin kimonos, two embroidered Vietnamese silk boxer shorts, and one thick Japanese silk dress shirt for $100, plus an extra $10 to have the shirt repaired at home. All in all, it was a great deal, though Yaly is slightly more expensive than other tailors in Hoi An. My advice is to shop around and find a tailor you're comfortable with. Be very detail oriented in your review of their work and give yourself a few days to wear your new clothes before you leave Hoi An. Every traveler I talked to was happy with the work they'd had done for them, but their clothes all had yet to withstand the test of time. If you don't plan to buy anything from home, then you don't need to find a place that keeps your measurements on file.
Yaly DOES NOT BARGAIN, but nor do they require that you put down a deposit. Yaly does accept major credit cards, including American Express, though there's a 3-4% surcharge.

It is difficult to avoid making clothes in Hoi An. There are tailors everywhere offering good deals and good fabrics. I was recommended by a friend to visit this shop called "Kim Chi" along Le Loi Street. I gave the tailor a picture of a coat which I printed from Shanghai Tang's website and asked if they could make a similar jacket. The tailor at Kim Chi was not only to copy the jacket but was able to make it into a reversable jacket and added other interesting details. The staff at Kim Chi are obliging and very helpful. They may not be the cheapest tailors but the fabric and workmanship is worth every penny.

What to buy: Kim Chi has a good selection of silk materials ranging from linen and silk mixed materials to Thai silk and pure silk.

What to pay: You can expect to pay about USD 10 to 12 for a shirt and about USD 13 for silk pants.

Go to the the Hoi An Cloth Market and get something made for you. The tailoring is very fast, but not always great, so plan to have two or three fittings. Be choosy about your cloth and haggle. It's a good idea to bring an actual copy of clothing that you'd like.

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Such shops abound round Hoi An (and Vietnam in general)

What to buy: You can work it out for yourself from the photos - silk galore! And for a few dollars, you can buy scarves, lanterns etc. Hoi An is also very good for made-to-measure shoes and of course getting yourself a whole new wardrobe....