Vietnam Shopping Spree? Here's How to Get It All Home
Bought too much in Vietnam? Here's how to ship your souvenirs, coffee, clothing, and market finds home — from Ben Thanh Market to your doorstep.
Vietnam is a shopper’s paradise. Between the markets, tailor shops, coffee stores, and art galleries, tourists routinely buy far more than their luggage can handle. If that’s you — congratulations, you’ve had a great trip. Now let’s get it all home.
The best shopping spots and what to expect
Ho Chi Minh City
Ben Thanh Market — the iconic tourist market. Great for lacquerware, clothing, bags, souvenirs, dried fruit, and coffee. Prices are negotiable — start at 50% of the asking price and work from there.
Saigon Square — better for clothing and accessories. Less touristy than Ben Thanh, slightly better prices.
Dong Khoi Street — upmarket shops and galleries. Higher quality art, silk, and designer goods.
Da Nang and Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient Town — famous for tailors (suits, dresses, shoes), lanterns, silk, and ceramics. Plan 2-3 days for custom tailoring, including fittings.
Han Market (Da Nang) — similar to Ben Thanh but less crowded. Good for dried seafood, coffee, and local crafts.
Smart shopping strategy: buy and ship
Instead of worrying about how everything fits in your luggage, adopt this approach:
- Buy freely throughout your trip — don’t limit yourself to what fits in a suitcase
- Keep all receipts — you’ll need them for customs declarations
- Store purchases at your hotel — most hotels are happy to hold shopping bags
- Schedule a pickup before your departure — we come to your hotel and collect everything
This way, you shop without stress and your items arrive home professionally packed.
What tourists buy most (and ship home)
Based on thousands of shipments, here’s what tourists buy and ship:
- Vietnamese coffee — the number-one item. Buy at supermarkets or markets for best prices, not at the airport.
- Clothing — custom-tailored suits, dresses, ao dai, silk scarves. Lightweight and easy to ship.
- Ceramics and pottery — Bat Trang village near Hanoi, or available at markets everywhere.
- Art and paintings — galleries in HCMC and Hoi An have beautiful lacquer and oil paintings.
- Lacquerware — bowls, boxes, trays. Beautiful, lightweight, and distinctly Vietnamese.
- Spices and sauces — Phu Quoc fish sauce, pepper, cinnamon, star anise.
- Dried fruits and snacks — mango, coconut, jackfruit chips.
- Conical hats (non la) — the iconic Vietnamese hat. Awkward to carry but easy to ship.
Consolidation saves money
If you’ve shopped in multiple cities (HCMC, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hanoi), don’t ship from each location separately. Instead:
- Ship everything from your last Vietnamese city
- One shipment of 15kg costs significantly less than three shipments of 5kg
- We can pick up from any hotel in HCMC or Da Nang
Cost planning
Budget roughly $25-40 per kilogram for express international shipping, depending on destination. A typical tourist shopping shipment is 5-20kg.
Examples:
- 5kg of coffee and souvenirs to the US: ~$175
- 10kg mixed shopping to Australia: ~$300
- 15kg of everything to Japan: ~$375
Get an exact quote — just list your items and destination.
Timing your shipment
- Ship 2-3 days before your flight — gives us time to pack and dispatch, and your package may arrive close to when you do
- Ship mid-trip if continuing to other countries — travel light for the rest
- Same-day pickup available in HCMC and Da Nang during business hours
The bottom line
Vietnam’s shopping is too good to resist, and you shouldn’t have to. Buy what you love, and let us handle getting it home. We’ve shipped everything from a single bag of coffee to an entire wardrobe of tailored suits.
