The Best Places to Shopping in Hanoi
Shopping in Hanoi is most famed for its traditional markets and narrow shophouses, but there are a growing number of flash boutiques and shopping malls offering a wide range of international brands, as well as dining and entertainment options. 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, we have compiled a list of great places to shop in Hanoi.
Hang Gai Street (Silk Street)
Hang Gai Street is the best place in Hanoi to shop for high quality, fashionable silk materials, traditional Vietnamese apparel, and home furnishings. Also known as Silk Street, the entirety of this 300 metre-long street is lined with fashion boutiques and local tailor shops that have been operating for decades, where you can also order personally tailored suits and dresses that are made to measure. Set on the edge of Hanoi’s Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake, Silk Street is renowned for its quality and choice of craftsmen though two of our absolute favourites on Hang Gai Street are Khai Silk and Tan My Design as both stores offer ready-to-wear pieces – perfect if you’re too pressed for time to get a tailor-made outfit during your holiday in Hanoi. Suits can be ready within 24 hours, though it’s best to allow more time for a second fitting to make sure that your outfit is perfectly tailored.
Most stores in Hang Gai Street accept payment via credit cards and it pays to go to a better quality store and avoid the market street traders to guarantee the best quality silk. As with most retail outlets all over Vietnam, bargaining is also highly encouraged to get a decent price – start at 50% off the asking price and pay no more than 70%. Aside from boutiques and tailor shops, Hang Gai Street also hosts a number of souvenir shops selling notebooks, lamps and postcards as well as prominent art galleries such as Thang Long Art Gallery and Green Palm Gallery.
- Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 20:00
- Address: Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
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Hanoi Weekend Night Market
Held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Hanoi Weekend Night Market is a busy, bustling gathering of roadside stalls and local food vendors that brings huge crowds of locals and tourists. It runs through the Old Quarter district from 19:00 onwards, starting from Hang Dao Street and running north to the edge of Dong Xuan Market. Pedestrian streets and historical sites within the area are illuminated with decorative lights, making this a popular spot for travelling photographers. Shopping-wise, the fashion items on sale won’t turn many head as you will find the usual array of inexpensive t-shirts, handicrafts, accessories, shoes, sunglasses and souvenirs at Hanoi Weekend Night Market. However, the overall environment is very lively and bargaining is a way of life here - a good start is to offer about 75 per cent off the opening price.
With prices starting at VND 15,000, visitors can also find plenty of iconic Hanoi dishes while strolling through the busy night market, including bun thang (rice vermicelli soup with shredded chicken, fried egg, and pork), La Vong grilled fish, pho (noodle soup with beef or chicken), banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), and bun cha (rice noodles served with grilled pork). Hanoi Weekend Night Market showcases cultural performances, where locals in traditional costumes play traditional Vietnamese music as well as classical tunes. As with all busy markets, be aware of your belongings and keep your wits about you as the throng of motorbikes and people can be intense.
- Opening Hours: Friday - Sunday 19:00 - 23:00
- Address: Hang Dao Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi
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Dong Xuan Market
Established in 1889, Dong Xuan Market is housed within a four-storey Soviet-style building on the northern edge of Hanoi Old Quarter. It’s also known as Hanoi’s largest indoor market, offering a wide range of goods such as fresh produce, souvenirs, accessories and clothing, as well as electronic and household appliances. Similar to most markets in Southeast Asia, Dong Xuan Market has a bustling wet market section on the ground floor, where locals shop for seafood, meat, and vegetables while the back section sells an array of pets (cats, dogs, and fish) and fresh flowers from all across Vietnam. If you’re looking to shop for souvenirs, head to the upper levels, where you can find numerous stalls selling tee shirts, fabrics, school uniforms, handbags, handicrafts, all of which are sold at wholesale prices.
There’s also a massive dining area within Dong Xuan Market, with food vendors selling Vietnamese coffee and exotic local dishes for as low as VND 15,000. Highly recommended dishes include tiet canh (duck blood soup), fried frog, bun cha (marinated grilled pork served with noodles), and banh cuon (rolled cake). Surrounding Dong Xuan Market are many more shops where you can purchase traditional Dong Ho drawings, Bat Trang ceramics, Binh Da embroideries and laces, and sand paintings. Within walking distance of Hoan Kiem Lake, Dong Xuan Market is a must-visit if you’re looking to experience the local lifestyle (you might even end up leaving with a pair of cheap sunglasses and a Vietnamese conical hat).
- Opening Hours: Daily 06:00 - 19:00
- Address: Dong Xuan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
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Lotte Center Hanoi
Lotte Center Hanoi offers a broad range of approximately 250 fashion and lifestyle brands. This one-stop shopping spot also offers enough entertainment and dining possibilities that you could easily spend a half day here. The 65 story building can be reached from Hoan Kiem Lake by car in around 20 minutes. This high rise building that houses the Lotte Shopping Center Hanoi is also home to a hypermarket, a hotel, residential apartments, restaurants, a gym, a spa and the city’s finest observation deck.
On the first floor you will find the hypermarket; the second floor contains imported fashion, watches, jewellery and cosmetics retailers; the third floor houses women's fashion, shoes & handbags and young cosmetics; the fourth floor, young casual, jeans & unisex, lingerie and casual watches; on the fifth floor you will find men’s fashion and sports & golf, while home appliances and furnishings can be found on the sixth floor. The Observation Deck on the 65th floor offers amazing photo opportunities as it provides stunning panoramic views of the city of Hanoi.
- Opening Hours: 09:00-22:30
- Address: 54 Liễu Giai, Cống Vị, Ba Đình, Hànội
- Tel: +84 4 3333 6000
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Trang Tien Plaza
Trang Tien Shopping Mall is a high-end shopping mall that is home to many famous international brands, such as Bvlgari, Dior, Cartier and Louis Vuitton. It was originally built in 1901 in the French colonial style design and was again renovated to its present appearance in 2013. This is one of the oldest shopping centres in Hanoi and is located on a corner next to Hoan Kiem Lake. Its location can easily be reached from the Old Quarter in a five- to ten-minute walk. The building is iconic due to its rich history and beautiful architectural design. Trang Tien Plaza consists of six floors in which you can find a wide array of goods. On the first floor you will find apparel and fashion, the second floor contains fashion and mobile phone outlets, the third floor contains household equipment, the fourth floor has a supermarket and some grocery retailers, the fifth floor houses offices and restaurants and the sixth floor is exclusively devoted to offices.
- Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 09:30-21:30 and Sat-Sun 9:30-22:00
- Location: 24 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
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Hang Bac Street ( Silvel 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.
- Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 21:00
- Address: Hang Bac Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
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Nha Tho Street (Church 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.
- Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 21:00
- Address: Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
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Hang Da Market
Hang Da Market, located in the heart of Hanoi’s central business district, is a three-storey shopping mall that houses an electic array of stalls. Smaller than Dong Xuan and offering a more select product range, this is the place to come for imported wine, flowers, second-hand clothes and fabrics.
The outside of the building is also very picturesque with its white multi-perforated façade and it’s expected that the whole interior may one day change from market stalls to boutique outlets. Hang Da Market is a great place to pick up one-off clothing items including skirts, dresses and coats and some of the best buys are stylish second-hand clothes which are pretty much all in perfect condition.
The market is best visited first thing in the morning when the traders are unpacking for the day and best avoided over weekends or during the midday heat. Take a break when you shop on the first floor where you can buy some freshly cooked Vietnamese snacks.
Bargaining is not only advised but absolutely expected when shopping at Hang Da. As a rule, start at around 50% of the starting price but do not accept any lower than 25%. Hang Da is located on 1 Pho Hang Da at the intersection with Yen Thai. There is also a large shop lined with bamboo cages which are filled with exotic birds on the north corner where Hang Da meets Hang Dieu, which is also worth a look.
The area was once the main stretch for pipe and tobacco sellers so you keep an eye out for the remaining stores dating back aeons located just north on Hand Dieu Street. Don’t forget to take a camera as Hang Da is worth a visit just to capture the elegant architecture of the market building.
- Opening Hours: Daily 05:00 – 17:00
- Address: 1 Hang Da Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
