| Souvenir | Where to buy | Price seen (guides, undated) | Remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silk | Hang Gai street, Van Phuc village (about 15 km away) | varies by piece | real fabric is light and shiny; check the stitching |
| Ceramics | Bat Trang village | cheap; entry 0.5 to 1 USD and packing 2 to 3 USD according to one source | fragile: have it packed |
| Lacquerware | Hang Trong, Hang Hom, Hang Manh streets | from 120,000 VND for a small bowl; paintings up to 400,000 VND and more | choose a workshop, not a roadside stall |
| Vietnamese coffee | supermarkets | about 15 to 20% less than duty-free according to one source | local roast, capsules or a phin filter |
| Conical hat (non la) | markets and shops | from 10,000 VND (market) to 30,000-110,000 VND (shop) | light but bulky in a suitcase |
Where to buy in Hanoi
The Old Quarter groups specialist streets (silk, lacquer, lanterns): it is the most convenient for comparing. Dong Xuan market is bigger and cheaper for everyday items; see Dong Xuan market and our Old Quarter guide. At night, the weekend night market offers cheap crafts: the Hanoi night market.
Bat Trang: ceramics at the source
Bat Trang village, a few kilometres from the city, is the ceramics centre of the region: you choose inexpensive pieces and can also make them on site. For the visit, see Bat Trang village.
The conical hat and silk
The conical hat is the emblematic object, but the least practical to bring home. For silk, buy in a shop with posted prices and ask to see the piece in daylight: real silk is light and shiny. A tailor on Hang Gai street can make a piece to measure, with fittings; allow a day or two.
Tips for buying without being cheated
- Compare three shops before buying, and keep small change to bargain politely.
- Avoid paying a large deposit for tailoring without a receipt.
- For lacquer and silk, prefer a shop with price tags.
- For the plane, wrap ceramics in clothes and put coffee in the hold or hand luggage according to the airline's rules.
- For common scams, see scams and safety in Hanoi.
