Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026: markets, malls and prices

Nike sneakers for about $60 instead of $100, half a kilo of arabica for $6, a handmade silk scarf for $12. Ho Chi Minh City — Saigon to almost everyone who lives here — is Vietnam's biggest city, home to about 14 million people since the 2025 merger, and shopping runs cheaper than back home, often much cheaper. The factories that make Nike, Adidas and dozens of other global brands sit right on the city's outskirts.

But cheap does not mean easy. At Ben Thanh Market vendors quote triple the real price and act hurt if you don't haggle. At Saigon Square, replicas sit next to originals and telling them apart takes an eye you may not have. And barely any traveller bothers to claim the VAT refund, even though part of the tax comes back at the airport.

Below: real addresses, prices in dong and dollars, where to shop by category, the rules of bargaining, and a step-by-step guide to the tax refund. All current as of July 2026.

Rate used: ~26,000 VND ≈ $1 (July 2026). Check the live rate on the spot.

The markets of Saigon — bargaining, spices and atmosphere

• Ben Thanh Market (Chợ Bến Thành): Hundreds of stalls, 06:00–18:00 — The city's main market
• Ben Thanh Night Market (Chợ Đêm Bến Thành): 18:00–23:00 — Street food and souvenirs
• Binh Tay Market (Chợ Bình Tây): 1,400+ stalls, wholesale prices — Chinatown, District 6
• An Dong Market (Chợ An Đông): Fabrics, tailoring — District 5
• Dan Sinh Market (Chợ Dân Sinh): Army surplus, reproductions — District 1
• Vincom Center (Vincom Center Đồng Khởi): 150+ shops — Zara, Armani, Hugo Boss
• Saigon Centre / Takashimaya (Saigon Centre): Luxury brands, H&M, Nike — Best food court
• Saigon Square (Sài Gòn Square): Brand replicas — Clothes from 120,000 VND

Chợ Bến Thành — the city icon and a tourist trap

Ben Thanh Market has stood in the middle of District 1 since 1914, and in all that time the vendors have perfected exactly two skills: marking prices up, and haggling with a smile. Hundreds of stalls fill some 13,000 square metres of what used to be a swamp. Coffee, silk, lacquerware, conical hats, street food — all under one roof.

Open daily 06:00 to 18:00. The Ben Thanh metro station (Line 1, opened in 2024) is right beside it, so you can reach it from anywhere in District 1 in about 15 minutes. Four entrances, one per compass point. The main one (south) is the one with the clock tower you see on postcards.

What to buy at Ben Thanh:

• Coffee — a 500 g bag of Trung Nguyen from 80,000 VND (~$3). Vendors let you taste before you buy
• Silk scarves — from 300,000 VND (~$12). Check by touch: real silk slides and doesn't build up static
• Spices — pepper, star anise, turmeric. A 100 g bag from 20,000 VND (~$0.80)
• Street food — pho and banh mi for 15,000–25,000 VND (~$0.60–1)

What not to buy: "real" pearls and "crocodile leather" at joke prices. Ben Thanh has a reputation for this — plastic passed off as mother-of-pearl.

The main headache: prices for foreigners are inflated two to three times. The routine is simple — the vendor shows a number on a calculator, you show yours. Whoever tires first loses.

Ben Thanh Night Market

Every evening from 18:00 to 23:00 the streets around the market turn into a night bazaar. Stalls spread along the pavements of Phan Bội Châu and Phan Chu Trinh.

The draw is food. A bowl of phở for 20,000 VND (~$0.80), fried spring rolls for 15,000 VND (~$0.60), bánh xèo for 25,000 VND (~$1). There are souvenirs too, but the choice is thinner than by day.

The upside is the evening cool — relative, at 28–30°C instead of the daytime 35. The downside is that the stock is aimed squarely at tourists: magnets, "I love Saigon" T-shirts, conical hats.

Chợ Bình Tây — the wholesale market in Chinatown

This market has stood in District 6 — the heart of Saigon's Chinatown (Chợ Lớn) — since 1928. More than 1,400 stalls across two floors. This is where locals shop: café owners, restaurateurs, small traders. Few foreigners come. Prices are lower than at Ben Thanh, and nobody grabs your arm.

Why come:

• Spices in bulk — star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom. Half a kilo of anise from 40,000 VND (~$1.60). Twice that at Ben Thanh
• Dried mushrooms and lotus seeds — from 60,000 VND (~$2.40) for 200 g
• Fabrics — cotton, linen and synthetics by the roll. Cheaper than at An Dong

Getting there: a Grab from the centre is about 50,000 VND (~$2), 20 minutes. While you're here, walk through Chinatown — pagodas, Chinese temples and surprisingly good food.

Chợ An Đông — go here for tailoring

This District 5 market specialises in fabric — silk, cotton, linen, by the roll or the cut. Tailors work here too: pick a fabric, agree on a cut, and in 2–3 days you collect the finished piece. Tailoring runs from 200,000 VND (~$8) plus fabric.

If you want an áo dài made to order, An Dong is cheaper than the tailors in the tourist centre. Just bring a photo of what you're after. (More on the national dress in our ao dai guide.)

Dan Sinh — the army market

A small market on Yersin Street in District 1. Helmets, canteens, dog tags, engraved Zippo lighters, officer's belts. Most of it is well-made reproduction. Zippos from 150,000 VND (~$6). Open 07:00 to 18:00.

Markets at a glance

The malls of Saigon — brands and air conditioning

After the heat of the markets you'll want air conditioning and fixed prices. Ho Chi Minh City has a dozen-plus major malls, from budget to luxury. Global brands here run 30–50% cheaper than in Europe or the US — the flip side of all those factories on the outskirts.

Vincom Center Dong Khoi

Address: 72 Lê Thánh Tôn, District 1. Six floors, 150-plus shops. Zara, Charles & Keith, Armani, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren. On the top floor, a food court and a CGV multiplex. Seasonal sales (January–February and June–July) knock up to 50% off.

Hours: 09:30–22:00 daily.

Saigon Centre and Takashimaya

Address: 65 Lê Lợi, District 1. Two malls in one building. Takashimaya is a Japanese department store — luxury names like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry. On the lower floors: H&M, Nike, Uniqlo, MUJI. The food court on B1–B2 does Japanese bento, Korean barbecue and Vietnamese pho, with a typical spend of 100,000–200,000 VND (~$4–8).

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Saigon Square — brand replicas

Two branches in District 1. Clothes from 120,000 VND (~$4.60), shoes from 80,000 VND (~$3), bags from 200,000 VND (~$8). Nike, Adidas, Converse, "Gucci," "Louis Vuitton" — all of it replica. The stitching is often surprisingly good.

Saigon Square is better than Ben Thanh for clothes and shoes — higher quality, more reasonable starting prices, and the vendors aren't as aggressive.Tripadvisor

Other malls

What to buy in Saigon — the top picks with prices

Coffee — the number-one gift

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil. The main bean is robusta: strong, bitter, low on acidity. It's what goes into the famous cà phê sữa đá — iced coffee with condensed milk.

Brands: Trung Nguyen (the biggest; the Legend line is premium), Me Trang (from Nha Trang), Highlands Coffee (a café chain that sells beans). Don't leave without a phin (phin) — the Vietnamese drip filter. Aluminium runs 15,000 VND (~$0.60), stainless up to 50,000 VND (~$2).

Craft chocolate — the gift nobody expects

Few visitors realise Vietnam turns its own Mekong Delta cacao into world-class chocolate. Marou is a Saigon bean-to-bar maker with international awards: an 80 g bar runs 100,000–150,000 VND (~$4–6), sold in malls, at the Maison Marou cafés and in Annam Gourmet supermarkets. Alluvia is the other craft name, a touch cheaper. It packs flat, survives a suitcase (outside the summer heat), and beats another fridge magnet.

Prices at the official Trung Nguyen store turned out lower than at Ben Thanh, and the quality of the phin filters was well above the market ones.Tripadvisor

Silk and made-to-order clothing

Vietnamese silk rivals Chinese silk on quality but costs less. A silk scarf runs from 300,000 VND (~$12), a metre of fabric from 200,000 VND (~$8). An áo dài made to order: from 500,000 VND (~$20) including the fabric. Tailoring takes 2–3 days.

Souvenirs and gifts

One quieter stop worth a mention: Book Street (Đường Sách Nguyễn Văn Bình), a pedestrian lane of bookshops and cafés beside the Central Post Office and the cathedral in District 1. Postcards, illustrated books about Vietnam, hand-made stationery — a calm alternative to the market crush.

Clothes and shoes — factory prices or replicas

Nike has long made shoes in Vietnam, with Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Converse factories nearby. Sneakers sewn in the same workshops but never shipped for export cost less in local stores.

How to tell an original from a replica

1. Price. Sneakers below 500,000 VND (~$20) are guaranteed replicas
2. Place. Originals only at authorised stores and malls. Saigon Square and Ben Thanh mean replicas
3. Packaging. An original comes in a branded box with a QR code you can check on the brand's site
4. Stitching. Replicas have uneven seams and loose threads. Flip the shoe — an original has a clean sole with no glue overflow

How to bargain at the markets

At Ben Thanh and Saigon Square, bargaining isn't optional — it's the rule. Vendors build in a 200–300% markup and expect you to knock it down. Not haggling means overpaying. In the malls, prices are fixed.

7 rules of bargaining

1. Open at 30–40% of the asking price. Vendor says 300,000 VND, you say 100,000. The final price lands at 40–60% of the start
2. Mornings are cheaper. The first buyer of the day is considered lucky (khách mở hàng), so vendors give up a discount more readily
3. Walk away — they'll call you back. Turn and stroll slowly toward the exit. Eight times out of ten the vendor calls out and drops the price
4. Compare with neighbours. Dozens of stalls sell the same thing. Ask two or three
5. Use a calculator, not words. Type your price on your phone screen
6. Buy a few things. "Three scarves for 500,000" lands better than "one for 200,000"
7. Don't show you really want it. Indifference is your weapon

Useful phrases for bargaining

VAT refund — how to claim part of the tax back

Foreign tourists can reclaim part of the VAT paid on purchases in Vietnam. Check the current tax rate, the share refunded and the minimum spend at the refund desk.

Who qualifies

• A purchase in one store above the set threshold — the shop will tell you the amount
• The store takes part in the scheme (look for the "VAT Refund for Tourists" logo)
• Goods unused, in their original packaging

Step by step

1. At the till, ask for a VAT invoice (a tax receipt)
2. At Tan Son Nhat airport, find the VAT Refund desk in departures
3. Show your passport, receipts and the goods
4. An officer checks and stamps them
5. Collect the refund by card or in cash

On ordinary souvenirs it's not a fortune, more like a couple of airport meals — on electronics the sum is more noticeable.

Practical tips

When to go shopping

• Markets — 07:00 to 11:00. Cooler, less crowded, and vendors give the first buyers a discount
• Malls — after 14:00. They open at 09:30–10:00, but the sale racks get refreshed by lunchtime
• Ben Thanh Night Market — from 18:00. Ideal after dinner in District 1

How to pay

• Cash (VND) — markets are cash only. Withdrawing on Visa/Mastercard carries an ATM fee
• Card — in malls and supermarkets. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere. To stay connected while you shop, grab a SIM or eSIM on arrival
• Dollars — some market vendors take them, but the rate is poor. Always pay in dong

What NOT to buy

• Weasel coffee at 50,000–100,000 VND — guaranteed fake
• A "brand" bag for $10 — an obvious replica that can be seized at customs
• Pearls without a certificate — markets often sell plastic
• Crocodile leather — if the price is suspiciously low, it's pressed leather. A CITES certificate is mandatory to take it home

A shopping day in District 1

Morning (07:00–11:00). Ben Thanh — bargain for coffee, silk and spices. Buy everything you came for while it's still cool.

Lunch (11:30–13:00). The Takashimaya food court (10 minutes on foot) or street food on Nguyễn Thiện Thuật.

Afternoon (13:00–16:00). Vincom Center → Saigon Centre → Saigon Square, all 5–10 minutes apart on foot.

Evening (18:00–22:00). Ben Thanh Night Market → dinner right there.

A Grab between points in District 1 costs 15,000–25,000 VND (~$0.60–1). If you're combining shopping with Saigon nightlife, budget at least two full days. For what everything else costs, see our Saigon prices guide; to get your bearings, start with the full Ho Chi Minh City guide.

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