Shopping in Hanoi is famed for its bustling markets and narrow shophouses but there are a growing number of flash boutiques and shopping malls on the rise and we have compiled the very best retail experiences it’s possible to have with our Top 10 Best Shopping in Hanoi list below.
The best thing about shopping in Hanoi is that you can do it all on foot, with many streets dedicated to specific trades. This is particularly true in the Old Quarter, where Silk Street and Silver Street still retain their particular trades after hundreds of years. Whether you are looking for gimmicky souvenirs such as Vietnamese farming hats or a hand-made silk evening gown, Hanoi can provide.
1. Hang Gai Street - Silk Street- Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District
This street is famous in Hanoi as the best place to pick up some high quality, fashionable silk items, such as dresses, apparel and home furnishings, as well as other fashion items. The entirety of this busy 300 metre long street is lined with boutiques, tailors and fashion stores, but two of our absolute favourites on Hang Gai Street are the famous brand Khai Silk and the colourful Tan My Design both offering ready-to-wear fashion. Squeezed in between the high profile boutiques are narrow souvenir shops selling far cheaper – and lower quality – items and some excellent art galleries.
2. Ha Noi Weekend -Hang Dao Street to Dong Xuan Market in the Old Quarter
The Weekend Night Market in Hanoi is a busy, bustling gathering of stalls and vendors that brings crowds in droves. Taking place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 19:00, the market runs through the Old Quarter, starting from Hang Dao Street and running north to the edge of Dong Xuan Market. The fashion items on sale won’t turn many heads and the souvenirs can all be found in the surrounding stalls, but there it is a fun environment and the endless food vendors have interesting and exotic things to try. Bartering is normal here and, as with all busy markets, be aware of your belongings. Friday, Saturday and Sunday – 20:00 to 23:00.
3. Dong Xuan Market (Northern part of the Old Quarter)
Dong Xuan Market is the largest market in Hanoi and has a wide array of products for sale over four floors. Located on the northern edge of the Old Quarter, it is an imposing Soviet-style building, surrounded on all sides by merchant shops and stalls. It is a rough-and-ready type of market (some might even say ‘dirty’), especially in the ground floor wet market area. However, head up the stairs and you will find cheap printed tees, bolts of fabric, school uniforms, luggage stalls and much more, all available at wholesale prices. It is quite an experience, even if you only leave with a pair of cheap sunglasses and a Vietnamese conical hat. Opening hours: 07:00 - 19:00.
4. Trang Tien Plaza Trang Tien Street (south of Hoan Kiem Lake)
Trang Tien Plaza is where Hanoi’s rich and famous come to shop for luxury items and international designer goods. This shopping mall is spread out over five floors with leading fashion brands such as Cartier, Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna and Louis Vuitton occupying the ground floor, electronics and home furnishings spread out over the second and third floors and a supermarket on the fourth floor which stocks many international goods. There are some excellent international restaurants on the fifth floor. Trang Tien Plaza is located on Trang Tien Street at the beginning of the French Quarter. Opening hours: 11:00 - 20:00
5. Hang Bac Street (Silver Street)
Hang Bac Street has been synonymous with jewellery (‘Bac’ means silver in Vietnamese) for hundreds of years, and this small, atmospheric street still retains many small outlets of jewellers selling rings, necklaces and many types of inexpensive fashion pieces. There isn’t one particular shop to check out; instead, take a wander from one end to the other and check out the jewellers, handicrafts and propaganda poster shops that are dotted along the street. To reach Hang Bac, start from the Water Puppet Theatre on the northern side of Hoan Kiem Lake and walk up Hang Be Street until you come to a T-junction.
6. Nha Tho Street 59 A Ly Thai To Street
Nha Tho Street is located in front of St. Joseph’s Cathedral and is jammed with small fashion stores and excellent restaurants – despite only measuring 100 metres. It is very popular with the sophisticated set of Hanoi’s middleclass and foreign expat community. In particular, Things of Substance is a lovely Australian-run shop selling Vietnamese-style fashion and fabrics in Western sizes, and Mu Accessories selling fashion and apparel items in a range of bold colours are both lovely boutiques.
7. Do Manh Cuong Boutique 88 Nguyen Huu Huan
If you are looking for something really special then a visit to Do Manh Cuong Boutique will surely provide. Generally considered the finest and most successful fashion designer in Vietnam, Do Manh Cuong is famous in fashion hotspots around the world, having previously worked for Christian Dior and Dominique Sirop in Paris. His ladies fashion range is always sophisticated, incorporating whimsical details to make dresses with unmistakably unique touches. This stand alone boutique is located on Nguyen Huu Han Street northeast of Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter. Opening hours: 10:00 - 18:00
8. Hang Da Shopping Mall (Hanoi Square)
Hang Da Shopping Mall (also called Hanoi Square) is a modern, air-conditioned building which has a collection of fashion stalls selling cheap clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. Prices here are cheap and it’s possible to haggle, especially if you are buying in bulk. On most weekdays Hang Da Shopping Mall is quite empty as most of the customers are local Vietnamese, but on weekends there is more of a pulse to this sizeable shopping space on the western edge of the Old Quarter close to Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Opening hours: 10:00 - 18:00.
9. Thanh Binh Gallery 25 Trang Tien Street (just before the Hanoi Opera House)
Thanh Binh Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery in the French Quarter of Hanoi. Surrounded by five-star hotels, fine dining restaurants and the Hanoi Stock Exchange, it’s no wonder that prices here are high. Some of Vietnam’s most respected modern artists have pieces hanging in Thanh Binh Gallery and the range of lacquerware painting is especially good. Pieces here sell to private collections and public institutions so you can be sure the art pieces here are critically acclaimed. Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 Tel: +844 3824 5344
10. Hang Dau Street - Northeast Corner of Hoan Kiem Lake, near the Lo Su intersection
Hang Dau Street is quite unbelievable at first glance because of the sheer amount of shops selling one thing: shoes! There are hundreds of shoe-sellers lining the street and although larger western men may not find much to fit there is plenty of choice in ladies shoes. Most of the footwear consists of brand names made at Vietnamese factories that have been rejected as seconds, making them a great purchase with usually only a small imperfection. There are also plenty of fake reproduction bags where Hang Dau Street meets Lo Su. Opening Hours: 09:00 - 20:00
