Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City: Where to Shop and What to Buy in 2026

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is easiest to plan around Ben Thanh Market and the streets of Le Loi, Dong Khoi and Le Thanh Ton. Go to the market in the morning for coffee, tea and souvenirs you can bargain for, then walk to Saigon Square for inexpensive clothes or Saigon Centre for fixed prices and air conditioning. Most stalls inside Ben Thanh Market close around 18:00, while Diamond Plaza, Vincom Center Dong Khoi and the Saigon Centre shops stay open until 21:30 or 22:00.

This guide groups the city’s shopping by area, lists opening hours and walking distances from Ben Thanh Market, and explains how bargaining, card payment and the tourist VAT refund work in 2026.

Quick answer: where to go shopping in Ho Chi Minh City

Choose Ben Thanh Market for gifts, Saigon Square for budget clothing, Takashimaya for department-store shopping and 26 Ly Tu Trong for local fashion labels. Start with the hardest item on your list and pick up smaller things along the way.

What you want	Where to go	Why go there
Coffee, tea and small souvenirs	Ben Thanh Market	Many stalls side by side, so you can compare blends and pack sizes
Inexpensive clothes, bags and sportswear	Saigon Square	Air-conditioned arcade where bargaining is normal
Luxury and international brands	Takashimaya at Saigon Centre, Vincom Center Dong Khoi	Marked prices, receipts and exchange policies
Clothes by local designers	26 Ly Tu Trong	An old apartment block with small fashion and vintage shops
Lacquerware, ceramics and art	Dong Khoi galleries and design stores	Fixed prices and staff who can tell you about the maker
Fabric or an ao dai	Tan Dinh Market, An Dong Market	Long-standing fabric markets, and An Dong has ao dai tailors
Somewhere dry in a downpour	Saigon Centre and Takashimaya	Hours of indoor browsing, a short walk from Ben Thanh Market

Shopping around Ben Thanh Market (all walkable)

From Ben Thanh Market you can reach a traditional market, a clothing arcade and a Japanese department store within about 450 m. For luggage or shoes, look along Le Lai and Luu Van Lang streets beside the market.

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is the place to start for Vietnamese coffee, tea, dried fruit and souvenirs you can carry home. The market’s official hours are 07:00 to 22:00, but most stalls inside trade from early morning until about 18:00, so go before lunch for the widest choice. In the evening, night-market stalls set up on the streets around the building until about 22:00.

The halls are not air-conditioned. At stalls that accept offers, agree on a total in Vietnamese dong before the seller wraps your purchases. There is no fixed percentage to take off the first price. For a meal between stops, see what to eat at Ben Thanh Market, and for the market’s history and layout, read our Ben Thanh Market guide.

• Address: Le Loi Street, Ben Thanh Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: official 07:00 to 22:00. Most indoor stalls close around 18:00, night stalls outside until about 22:00

Saigon Centre and Takashimaya

Saigon Centre on Le Loi is the easiest place to shop indoors, and Takashimaya, the Japanese department store from Osaka, is its anchor. Luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Christian Louboutin sit on the ground level. Takashimaya’s Food Maison sells bakery items, sweets and boxed gifts that travel well.

Shops follow marked prices. If you are buying clothing as a gift, ask about the exchange policy and keep the receipt.

• Address: Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi Street. Takashimaya entrance at 92-94 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street. Sai Gon Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 09:30 to 21:30, Friday to Sunday and public holidays 09:30 to 22:00
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: 450 m, about 6 minutes on foot

Saigon Square

Saigon Square is the arcade for inexpensive clothing, sportswear, bags and souvenirs. It is air-conditioned and packed with small stalls, and bargaining is expected. Bring small notes in dong, since cash is the usual way to pay.

Branded labels here are no guarantee of authenticity, so judge each piece on its fabric and stitching rather than the logo.

• Address: 77-89 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ben Thanh Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: about 09:00 to 21:00. Some stalls close earlier
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: 450 m, about 6 minutes on foot

Le Lai and Luu Van Lang shops

The streets beside the market are worth a look for shoes and luggage. When buying a suitcase, extend the handle, roll it and check the dimensions against your airline’s allowance before you pay.

• Address: Le Lai and Luu Van Lang streets, Ben Thanh Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: vary by shop

Dong Khoi and Le Thanh Ton: malls, boutiques and galleries

Dong Khoi Street begins beside the Opera House, about a 10-minute walk from Ben Thanh Market. This is where you find the larger malls, galleries and local fashion labels. If you plan to buy a framed piece or delicate ceramics, browse first and collect it at the end of your walk.

Vincom Center Dong Khoi

Vincom Center Dong Khoi is a large mall in the old centre, with 153 stores and 44 restaurants across its floors. Use its directory to compare labels with Takashimaya before you commit.

• Address: 72 Le Thanh Ton Street, Sai Gon Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: 10:00 to 22:00
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: 1.0 km, about 14 minutes on foot

Diamond Plaza

Diamond Plaza, near Notre Dame Cathedral, is a practical choice for evening shopping because it stays open until 22:00. Visit the street boutiques earlier in the day and come here for anything left on your list.

• Address: 34 Le Duan Street, Sai Gon Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: 09:30 to 22:00
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: 1.4 km, about 20 minutes on foot

Dong Khoi galleries and design stores

Dong Khoi is the street for paintings, lacquerware and homeware by Vietnamese designers. For a painting, ask for the artist’s name and the framed size. For a lacquer tray or box, check that the lid closes flush and ask how to clean it at home.

• Address: Dong Khoi Street, Sai Gon Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: vary by gallery or store
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: about 850 m to the Opera House end of the street

26 Ly Tu Trong and local fashion

26 Ly Tu Trong is an old apartment building whose flats now hold small cafes, local fashion labels and vintage shops. Climb the stairs and look into each floor, since the shops change often. To decide which labels to look for, browse our list of local fashion brands in Saigon.

• Address: 26 Ly Tu Trong Street, Sai Gon Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: vary by shop
• From Silverland Ben Thanh: 1.7 km, about 23 minutes on foot

Traditional markets beyond the centre

Go to Binh Tay for wholesale goods in Cho Lon, An Dong for ao dai fabric and Tan Dinh for textiles. These markets open early and wind down by late afternoon, so plan a morning visit.

Binh Tay Market (Cho Lon)

Binh Tay Market is the wholesale hub of Cho Lon, selling dry goods, household items and clothing in bulk. It reopened in November 2018 after a two-year restoration. Since April 2026, the streets around the market have hosted the Cho Lon night street from 18:00 to midnight, so you can combine an afternoon at the market with dinner nearby.

If you need several identical gifts, ask the price for the quantity you actually want and have the seller write down the total.

• Address: 57A Thap Muoi Street, Binh Tay Ward (former District 6)
• Opening hours: from early morning until about 18:00. Cho Lon night street 18:00 to midnight

An Dong Market

An Dong Market sells wholesale fashion and ao dai fabric, and some tailors here can make an ao dai quickly. It is quieter than it used to be, so go in the morning when most stalls are open. Take a swatch from home if you need to match a colour.

• Address: 34-36 An Duong Vuong Street, An Dong Ward (former District 5)
• Opening hours: about 07:00 to 18:00

Tan Dinh Market

Tan Dinh Market is known for fabric and sewing supplies, with close to 1,000 traders under one roof. The city listed the building as an architectural heritage site in November 2025. Bring a photo of the garment you want to copy and hold thin fabrics against the light before buying.

• Address: Hai Ba Trung Street (main frontage at numbers 314-336), Tan Dinh Ward (former District 1)
• Opening hours: from early morning until late afternoon

Ho Chi Minh shopping malls worth a half-day trip

If you want a full afternoon indoors, these four malls are larger than anything in the old centre. Each Ho Chi Minh shopping mall below is a taxi ride from Ben Thanh, so pair it with something else in the same area.

Mall	Why go	Address	Opening hours
Vincom Center Landmark 81	At the base of Vietnam’s tallest building, 461.2 m and 81 floors	720A Dien Bien Phu Street, Thanh My Tay Ward (former Binh Thanh District)	About 10:00 to 22:00
SC VivoCity	On Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard in the south of the city	1058 Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard, Tan Hung Ward (former District 7)	10:00 to 22:00
Crescent Mall	In the Phu My Hung area, easy to combine with lunch	101 Ton Dat Tien Street, Tan My Ward (former District 7)	10:00 to 22:00
Thiso Mall Sala	About 33,000 m2 with an Emart supermarket for snacks to take home	10 Mai Chi Tho Street, An Khanh Ward (former Thu Duc City)	About 10:00 to 22:00

What to buy in Ho Chi Minh City

Coffee and tea travel easily, while lacquerware, ceramics and tailored clothes reward a little more time in the shop. Think about suitcase space before you buy anything fragile.

• Coffee and tea. Check the roast, grind and weight on the pack, especially if the person you are buying for uses whole beans. Sealed packs travel best.
• Lacquerware and ceramics. Check that lids close flush and ask the shop to wrap each piece separately.
• Silk and a tailored ao dai. Ask for the fibre content, and agree on fitting and collection times before you order, with a day to spare before your flight.
• Local fashion. Try clothes on and move in them. You can ask about alterations while you are still wearing the piece.
• Food gifts. Dried fruit, cashews and boxed sweets from Takashimaya’s Food Maison are easy to pack.

Opening hours at a glance

Malls stay open until 21:30 or 22:00, while traditional markets close by early evening. Check the hours of the specific store if you are going out late.

Place	Ward (former district)	Opening hours	Bargaining
Ben Thanh Market	Ben Thanh (District 1)	Official 07:00 to 22:00, most indoor stalls until about 18:00	At stalls that accept offers
Saigon Centre and Takashimaya	Sai Gon (District 1)	09:30 to 21:30 Mon to Thu, 09:30 to 22:00 Fri to Sun	No
Saigon Square	Ben Thanh (District 1)	About 09:00 to 21:00	Yes
Vincom Center Dong Khoi	Sai Gon (District 1)	10:00 to 22:00	No
Diamond Plaza	Sai Gon (District 1)	09:30 to 22:00	No
Dong Khoi galleries, 26 Ly Tu Trong	Sai Gon (District 1)	Vary by shop	Usually fixed prices
Binh Tay Market	Binh Tay (District 6)	Early morning to about 18:00	Ask first
An Dong Market	An Dong (District 5)	About 07:00 to 18:00	Ask first
Tan Dinh Market	Tan Dinh (District 1)	Early morning to late afternoon	Ask first
Landmark 81, SC VivoCity, Crescent Mall, Thiso Mall Sala	See table above	About 10:00 to 22:00	No

Bargaining, payment and VAT refund

Carry small notes for market stalls and a card for malls, and ask about a VAT refund at the till before you make a large purchase.

How to bargain

Bargain at market stalls that accept offers and at Saigon Square, and pay the marked price in malls and fixed-price shops. Ask the price in dong, make an offer you would be happy to pay and give the seller time to reply. If you cannot agree, a smile and a thank-you are enough.

Cash or card

Cards are accepted in most mall stores. Use dong at Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Square and small stalls, and ask before the seller wraps your purchase.

VAT refund for tourists

Foreign passport holders can claim back VAT on eligible goods they take out of Vietnam, under Decree 181/2025/ND-CP. The rules are:

• Spend at least VND 2,000,000 at one participating store on the same day. Several invoices from that store on that day can be added together.
• Ask for the VAT invoice that doubles as the refund declaration. It must be issued no more than 60 days before you leave.
• Keep the goods unused and in their original packaging.
• At the departure airport, such as Tan Son Nhat International Airport, show the goods, passport and invoice to customs at least 30 minutes before your flight departs.
• You receive 85% of the VAT. The bank running the refund counter keeps the other 15% as its fee.

For the full conditions, see this summary of Vietnam’s VAT refund rules for foreigners.

A half-day shopping route from Ben Thanh Market

Start at Ben Thanh Market, continue to Saigon Square and Saigon Centre, and finish on Dong Khoi. Metro Line 1, running since December 2024, stops at Ben Thanh Station right beside the market. See the Metro Line 1 map, hours and fares.

• 09:00, Ben Thanh Market. Buy coffee, tea and small souvenirs while the stalls are fresh. Leave bulky items for later.
• 10:30, Saigon Square. Browse clothing and bags, and check colours in good light before you pay.
• 12:00, Saigon Centre and Takashimaya. Lunch, then department-store shopping. If it starts to rain, stay here for the afternoon.
• 14:00, Dong Khoi. Walk from the Opera House past the galleries and design stores, and finish at 26 Ly Tu Trong or Vincom Center Dong Khoi.

For more to do on the same streets, see what to do near Silverland Ben Thanh.

Where to stay for a shopping trip in Ho Chi Minh City

At Silverland Ben Thanh, we are about 50 m from Ben Thanh Market and 40 m from Ben Thanh Metro Station on Line 1. Our 109-room, 4-star boutique hotel is at 14-16 Le Lai Street, Ben Thanh Ward, so Saigon Square and Saigon Centre are each about 450 m away. You can drop your bags in your room between stops and head out again with your hands free.

We serve complimentary afternoon tea for staying guests at Smith’s Kitchen & Bar on the 12th floor from 14:00 to 15:30, a good break after a morning at the market. The rooftop pool on the same floor is open from 06:00 to 20:00, and Bason Café on the ground floor opens from 07:00 to 22:00. Tan Son Nhat International Airport is about 7 km away, roughly 30 minutes by car.

Explore rooms at Silverland Ben Thanh.

Frequently asked questions