What to buy in Vietnam: souvenirs worth bringing home
The best things to bring back from Vietnam are things people there actually use: coffee, tea, a hat, a tailored áo dài. Here is what to look for, and where.
Food and drink
- Coffee
Vietnam is one of the world’s largest coffee producers, and most of its coffee is robusta from the Central Highlands around Buon Ma Thuot. Buy it ground, with a phin, the small metal filter used to brew it.
- Tea
Lotus tea from Hanoi’s West Lake, green tea from Thai Nguyen, artichoke tea from Da Lat.
- Dried fruit and snacks
Dried mango, jackfruit chips, coconut candy from Ben Tre, cashew nuts.
Clothes and crafts
- An áo dài
The national dress, made to measure in a day or two by the tailors of Hoi An, Hanoi and Saigon. See the áo dài and other symbols of Vietnam.
- A conical hat (nón lá)
The palm-leaf hat. Hue’s “poem hat” (nón bài thơ) hides verses and pictures that appear when you hold it up to the light.
- Lacquerware (sơn mài)
Trays, bowls and boxes, painted by hand and polished in many layers.
- Ceramics
From Bat Trang, a pottery village on the edge of Hanoi.
- Silk
From Van Phuc village in Hanoi, or from Bao Loc in the Central Highlands.
- Textiles from the mountains
Indigo-dyed and embroidered fabrics made by the Hmong and other ethnic groups around Sa Pa.
Where to shop
Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Xuan Market in Hanoi for a bit of everything, the Old Quarter in Hanoi for crafts, and Hoi An’s night market for lanterns and small gifts. At markets, bargaining is normal; in shops with price tags, it usually is not.
What to leave behind
- Anything made from wildlife
Ivory, tortoiseshell, rhino horn, or “traditional medicine” made from animals: illegal to buy, and to bring into most countries.
- Antiques without paperwork
Antiques need export papers; without them they can be confiscated at the airport.
- Fresh fruit
Most countries will not let it in: see our guide to Vietnamese fruits.
The one gift you cannot pack
Flowers do not travel. If you want to thank your hosts, or send something to a Vietnamese friend after you get home, we deliver flowers and fruit baskets across Vietnam, ordered from abroad.
More Vietnam guides
- Map of Vietnam’s 34 provinces
Tap any of the 34 provinces for its sights, food, flower seasons and best months, and see which province Hoi An or Sa Pa belongs to now.
- When to visit Vietnam: weather by region and month
Three climates, three rainy seasons: which months suit the north, the centre and the south, and what is in bloom.
- Vietnamese fruits: what to try, and when
Dragon fruit, mangosteen, lychee, durian and more: the season for each, how to eat it, and what you can take home.
- The ao dai and other symbols of Vietnam
The long silk tunic, the conical hat, the lotus, the dragon: what Vietnam’s symbols mean and where you will see them.
- Vietnam travel guide
From a florist in Ho Chi Minh City
These guides are written by Flosa, a flower shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Celebrating something while you travel, such as a birthday, an anniversary or a proposal? We deliver flowers to hotels across Vietnam. Want to thank someone in Vietnam after you get home? You can send flowers to Vietnam from abroad.