EXPAT SHARES

Gifts to Bring Home from Vietnam

By Margaret Weeks

What to shop for when traveling in Vietnam?

One of the things that was the most overwhelming for me about Vietnam was the amount of things for sale there. There aren't many different ways for people to make their living, so there are many, many stores everywhere you go. At first, the number of stores, and the amount of goods for sale made it tough for me to concentrate on what I wanted to buy to take home.

I had several different purchasing needs. Most importantly, I wanted to buy things for my daughter to give to her as gifts for her birthday and other special occasions throughout the next 10 years. For this purpose, I wanted things that were significant to Vietnam, or were made in Vietnam. I also wanted to purchase things for our home that were distinctly Vietnamese. Lastly, I wanted to buy small things to take back as gifts to friends.

Gift buying can be tough in Vietnam for several reasons, the sheer volume of things for sale, the inexpensiveness of most things, and I know that I felt very strongly the need to take things back so that one of my daughter's cultures would be well represented. Since I have returned from Vietnam, a number of people have asked me what kinds of things I got, and why. So I thought this list might help others think before hand of what they might want to look for. Be sure to look for the labels on some things to make sure that they were made in Vietnam, if that is important to you. Many of the things for sale in Vietnam were made (sound familiar?) in China!

The Vietnamese are known for several special things. Their lacquer items are lovely, and you can get many things that are lacquered. (I heard of one family who bought a dining room table and chairs and had them shipped home!) They are also famous for their silk embroidered paintings, which are amazing. (I was slightly troubled by the whole indentured servant labor aspect of these places, but my desire to have something for my daughter that was "truly" Vietnamese won out, I'm afraid.) They also have many shops with beautiful linens that are embroidered with traditional Vietnamese scenes, symbols, etc. And I loved the woven crafts that were made by the hilltribes in the Central Highlands.

3 ao dais (traditional Vietnamese dress, one for my mother, myself, and the baby. I had them make the baby's for a 2 year old.)

Several outfits for my daughter at different ages

3 silk embroidered paintings

Several T-shirts (the quality of most T-shirts was poor, so check around)

Hand-woven wallets, various sizes to give my daughter as gifts

Hand-woven wall hangings

Vietnamese coin collection (bought from a street vendor)

Vietnamese stamp collection (also from a street vendor)

Vietnam postcards (I bought lots of postcards from street vendors, and will have some of them laminated to give to my daughter to play with, and others I will put in an album for her. It is always a good idea to buy postcards of the places you see in case your film doesn't develop. That way you still have a picture of it!)

Vietnamese children's video (our guide helped me pick the following items out)

Vietnamese tape of traditional children's songs

3 CD's of traditional Vietnamese music

Several holiday ornaments in the form of Asian dolls

Children's books ( I got a variety of books, some in English of Vietnamese stories, some in both English and Vietnamese, and some books like Winnie the Pooh that were written in Vietnamese.)

A woven reed basket.

Dolls (Almost everyone in our group wanted to take home a traditional Vietnamese doll, but we discovered that Vietnamese children don't really have dolls the way we think of them in this country. You can find dolls in fancy ao dais, often in glassed in boxes, the kind meant to display on a shelf. I had more luck finding the type of doll I was looking for, one that she could hold and play with and drag around with her, in this country.)

Silk scarves

A silk embroidered tapestry of the ABC's with Vietnamese symbols for each letter

Embroidered bibs (for special occasions)

Musical instruments (a bamboo flute, a bamboo xylophone, a "noise maker" that sounds like the noise the "soup kids" make in the streets.)

A good map of Vietnam and HCMC

Embroidered gift bags

Several plates to be displayed on a wall (a bamboo plate, jacktree plate, rosewood

Plate, and a large lacquered plate)

A painting of a village scene

3 scrapbooks

1 special lacquered scrapbook

Linen embroidered placemats and napkins

Various linen items (all embroidered, clothes, bibs, table runners, etc. All had special Vietnamese scenes on them.)

Many lacquered boxes in various shapes and sizes

Several sets of chopsticks and chopstick holders, including a child's set of chopsticks.

Bamboo windchimes

A child's conical hat

A wooden, carved statue of a Vietnamese women in a conical hat and ao dai

Fish sauce

Various Vietnamese prints

There is a mineral that is mined in HCMC, I'm sorry that I can't locate the paper which has the name of the mineral on it, but ask around. I bought a turtle carved in this mineral, I thought it was a neat representation of HCMC.

Note:

Someone on the Internet gave me the name of a great book, Que Huong My Homeland Vietnam by Nguyen Manh Dan. It is a book of photographs of Vietnam by Vietnamese photographers that also contains Vietnamese songs and poetry written in both English and Vietnamese. It is reported to be a lovely book, and apparently you can't get it here in America, so you may want to look for it in Vietnam. It is heavy though, so it will weigh you down, but it sounds worth it!

                                                                                      (Source: Adoptvietnam)

Top 10 Things to Buy in a Vietnamese Market

by Audrey on http://thatbackpacker.com

Will Peach is one of the site editors over at Gap Daemon, the gap year travel website for backpackers and young travellers. You can also catch him writing about his latest adventures on his other blog My Spanish Adventure and on Twitter.

Having had the privilege of living and working in Vietnam for nearly two years, choosing a favourite thing about this Southeast Asian gem is tough. From buzzing bia hoi’s, to braving mad traffic, Vietnam provides a rush like no other. If I had to choose? It’s got to be the markets. It’s home to some of the worlds most bustling, cheapest and wackiest!

From Hanoi to Hoi An, right on down to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s diverse markets each offer a distinct experience. Step inside them and you’ll be amazed at some of the crazy, wondrous and exotic delights that await.

How best to drop a few dong? Take a look at these wallet-worthy goodies.

Snake Wine

Vietnam’s answer to “Budweiser” or “Carling” (not quite), snake wine is the sort of gift likely to send your grandmother into a coronary (great if you want her will money for extra travel!) There’s not much “wine” to it – the snake is infused in grain alcohol – but at least it’s novel to look at. Believed to increase virility by the Ancient Chinese, having a bottle of this on your bedside table is probably more likely to kill the mood rather than reinvigorate it.

Conical Hat

Yes it’s obvious but you know what? I love conical hats. Owning one and popping down to your local Wal-Mart or Tesco is always going to raise a few eyebrows. Get one from the markets in Vietnam’s old capital of Hue and you can even get a little poem inscribed inside. It’ll be in Vietnamese of course. “I wandered lonely as a cone” and all that. A dollar well spent.

War Souvenirs

Do you know Vietnam and America were once at war? Who’d of thunk that eh? Especially given the good ol’ US of A’s pacifistic record (note the sarcasm there). But jokes aside, as America has done their best to forget about that little blip on their record, Vietnam, on the other hand, has turned it into a fully blown tourism business. Just as well though because the Zippo lighters you can pick up, replete with platoon philosophy like “Though I Walk Through The Valley Shadow of Death I will fear no Evil For I’m the Evilest Son of a Bitch”, make sparking up a spliff back home look even cooler

Ao Dai

What western girl wouldn’t want a tight-fitting little silk number to take home and wow the boys? The Ao Dai, Vietnam’s traditional national dress, isn’t just for girls though. Guys can pimp themselves up too with their own tidy tunic and pantaloon get-up. Pull this off in corporate America and I’ll personally come over there and high five you.

Iced Coffee

Who would have thought that drinking iced coffee out of a bag could be so good? Known as cafe da to the locals, it’s a beverage best savoured in Bin Thanh, Saigon’s huge indoor market in the centre of the city. Supping on one always had me buzzing for hours. The kids I was teaching at the time? Must have thought I was on crack.

Ho Chi Minh T-shirt

The image of lovable Uncle Ho, despite the fella being dead for well over 40 years, is everywhere in Vietnam. Enter into a market and you’ll notice swathes of T-shirts with the good man himself emblazoned across them. Ho goes really well in pink. Any hipster worth their Smiths vinyl will tell you that.

Pho

Whether you love or hate the staple beef noodle broth, there’s no better place to get pho than in the middle of a busy Vietnamese market. Head to Hanoi’s labyrinthine Dong Xuan for some of the best in the country. I’ve seen many a backpacker go mad for a dish of pho cuon (beef wound in long thin strips of rice vermicelli, with aromatic herbs and spicy fish sauce).

Chon

If I told you that chon is made by a group of weasels chucking up coffee beans you probably wouldn’t want some would you? But bring a bag home for mum and she’d never need to know until after the point she’d had a nice big warm cup of weasel puke. At less than a dollar for a month’s supply? You know it’s the right thing to do!

Pig Parts

From pig’s tails to trotter to even snouts, Vietnam’s markets are the place to go for piggy produce. A stern vegetarian myself I couldn’t quite stomach the sight yet I knew many a meat-eater who would go ga-ga over the chasing of a good bit of tail. Apparently the trotters go well in soup too. I’ll let you test that out for yourself.

Watercolour Painting

Everybody’s got a soft spot for a nice little mantelpiece watercolour. Picking up a painting of a pastoral scene of Vietnam’s stunning countryside is well worth doing. The artists here, the great copy masters that they are, do their own thing really well too.

So whether it’s gifts for your loved ones you’re after or just something nice to help spruce up your hostel or house back home, the madness of Vietnam’s markets has got you covered. What’s number one on your shopping list?

Message from TripAdvisor

Thing to buy as present when we leave Vietnam from Hochiminh

saranghae_kunyeu

hi all forums,

We are leaving Vietname in Ho chi Minh city and wana buy some present for my family and my friends so please give us your hands to buy the meaningful thing made in VN.

Fishcake_67

I was in HCMC December and wish I had more room in my bag for presents.

I will however be back there in June and have started a list of things I am going to buy, this includes one of those great crocodile wallets, lots more coffee (the best on the planet), and loads of DVDs. Would love to buy some of that snake wine, but don't think I could get it through customs.

All the best with your trip.

wholegrain

There is a government sponsored lacquer ware workshop in HCMC that employs severely handicapped victims of agent orange You can get a tour of the factory and see the work in progress. They produce beautiful plaques, plates, coasters,wall art, vases etc. and we thought it was a great group to support. Go there and buy gifts. I don't have the address but all the guides and probably folks on this forum can point you in the right direction.

Jodean63

The name of the lacquer ware place is Cong Ty (27-7 HCM) Handicapped Handicrafts. We were there a couple of weeks ago and their workshop is huge and the work is fabulous. I wish I had brought more while I wa there.

colliegirl

I second buying lacquer ware it's beautiful and many choices. Also silk, I bought silk ties for the men in my family but they have many many other silk items for sale all over. I bought marble chess sets and various other marble items. There are just so many wonderful buys that when you get there you'll see and be able to chose. Go to one of the markets and you'll be overwhelmed by the choices.

Chiefie

I don't want any lacquer ware.
I could, however, use a new set of golf clubs.
thanks.

colliegirl

Ya right chiefie good luck on the golf clubs why not try the marble ones.

Vietnam720

I suggest this nice statue that's VERY representative of Vietnam. And it cost only US$1:
Vietnam720.com/Virtual-Objects/Souvenir-from…
Other notable mentions are coffee, conical hats (maybe the small ones), Ao Dai (the long dress) and dragon fruit.

Chiefie

Some excellent suggestions above...
Colliegirl - Marble golf clubs? O.K., I'll try anything!

092910a

Lots of stuff is way cheaper in Vietnam, Beware of pirated DVD's. They are from China and some are produced in Vietnam. Mostly, they quality is poor.
I am not even mentioning the fact that they are illegal. In the good old days, you had to turn over any media to a government agency before leaving the country, so they could check that you did not smuggle anti-government stuff.
That practice has been abandoned. Croc and snake skin products can be purchased in shops run by the government. The merchandise is accompanied by a certificate that should prevent you from any hazzle when returning home.

travelkat88

There are also some beautiful embroideries. We bought, not only embroidered tablecloths, but also t-shirts and pictures. Some of the embroidered pictures are absolutely exquisite and are all hand made.
Travelkat

Flyingstars

Wallet or purses from Ipa-Nima (Dong Khoi Street) or a handbag if you really love some one that much! Also down the street a bit from Ipa-Nima on Dong Khoi is the Tara & Kys Gallery that sells beautiful cards & stationery, t shirts & paintings. The department store on corner opposite Rex Hotel has perfume cheaper than duty free stores ( Miss Saigon in shaped bottle is very HCM) DVD's counter at back of ground floor - a series makes a good gift (enjoyed watching the whole season 3 of 30 Rock myself when hospitalized recently) I have never had a problem with DVD's purchased here and if you are concerned about the legalities - keep receipt. Also the jewelry counter on ground floor - gold ear rings. Finally rolls of pretty rice paper from the stationers to wrap your presents in ....

balihappy56

If the women you are buying for like silk then some of the stunning silk scarfs that are around $5US and easy to transport home. if your womenfolk are small i.e. size 8 US or 10AUS silk pjs can be bought at some of the supermarkets for around $10 US.

69bertie

Yes, the DVD's seem to be of varying quality from Saigon Trading Center (opp Rex hotel). Avatar seemed to tbe real thing but at 50 pence each.... somehow i don't think so. Alice in Wonderland has people walking across the screen........... sort of spoilt it really!
But you could always take home key rings with a Vietnamese woman attached in full national dress (áo dài & Nón lá). Or a Nón lá (conical hat) which seem to be popular whenever I've flown back to the UK. Or even an Hanoi hat!
Lacquer ware is fine but watch out when the humidity levels change. Chances are it will split in dryer climates.
And of course you'll be wanting to practise eating for when you return. Some nice Chopsticks will do nicely.

092910a

"Lacquer ware is fine but watch out when the humidity levels change. Chances are it will split in dryer climates"
We bought some lacquer wareback in 1997, it is still looking good on our wall. The wood is bent just a wee bit out of shape, but still... This is Denmark, with a climate quite different from the Vietnamese.
Can't wait to move to Vietnam though, I've spotted some local paintings that will look darned good on my walls.

ang3ldu5t

I always bring back things someone can consume! Things from Vietnam that I usually get my parents to bring back when they go (although I'll be there for the 2nd time in June!):
-coffee (everyone I give this to, loves it!)
-peppercorns (some of the best pepper you can get!)
-vietnamese bark cinnamon (you can literally eat it from the bark and it tastes like candy. Baked goods made with viet cinnamon is amazing)
-coriander
-vietnamese landscape postcards
I obviously love the food items but there really is so much - just depends on what your friends like.

gomozzie

Can anyone from Oz, tell me if you can bring the above items into our country??

ang3ldu5t

Gomozzie: You should be able to bring back all the dry good items to Austrailia.
Here is more info from AU customs: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4369.asp

balihappy56
You mightn't get the bark in but coffee and dried seeds like peppercorns should be ok –

fromOCwithLove
What ever you do, don't buy CD or DVD movies. It may be cheap but you get what you pay for. Quality is not good at all. The seller will try to tell you that the quality is good and they even test it for you. They'll test it for a minute and show no problem. But the problem is that when you play it at home for, let's say, about 30 min or 45 min. The disc starts to freeze and it won't play. The reason is they use very cheap quality disc when they copied the material. So when the disc is played after a short period of time, it heats up and starts to bend. And when it bends, the CD/DVD player cannot read it.
What I recommend you should buy is embroidery. Not just any embroidery. It has to be embroidery from XQ They have 3 showrooms in HCM: 38 Le Lai Street, 1 dist.
70B Le Loi street, 1 Dist
26 Le Loi street, 1 Dist.
Yes, they are a little more expensive than others. But if you look closely at the embroidery, you can see the details and the quality of the fine threads that they use. Their pieces range from $5 US to thousands of US$. I usually buy the least expensive ones around $5 for presents, and they are already framed. I usually stay at the New World Hotel so I go to the one on 38 Le Lai Street, which is right across from the hotel. I haven't been to the other 2 showrooms on Le Loi. And if you happen to visit Dalat, I'd recommend that you visit their showroom there. It's quite an experience!
Enjoy your shopping!

Vacation
+1 for XQ menioned above.
The work is exquisite and the sales people are not hard sell. I bought a couple of smallish pieces for my parents on last trip. (Around $A25 each)
After I chose what I liked they put brand new frames on (the pieces had "shop" frames) and when we went back next day to pick them up made sure we were happy with everything before they were packed ever so carefully in thick cardboard and bubble wrap and gift boxes. I have no idea how any profit was made considering the packing materials and time that went into packing alone.
Recommended.

dnmoggy
Stunning quilts that will make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside as well as the outside each night!
Vietnam Quilts was founded in 2001 and is an income generation project that offers income and employment for rural women which enable these women to remain in their communities and care for their children and families.

mKiaratravel
@saranghae_kunyeu,
List is endless-
-lacquer ware-tray, drawing
-the national costume "ao dai" from Kao Silk (DOng Koi)
-Trung Nyugen weasel coffee #8
-green bean candy
-cashew nut candy
-"pho" instant noddles pack
-Good Morning Vietnam T-shirt
-The "non la"-conical hat
-figurine key chains
-Miss Saigon fragrance with figurine
- hmm, a can of coke with South Africa 2010 FIFA logo with Vietnam wordings
-postcards send from the Central Post Office
-load all these in "North Face' knapsack which are made under licence here-even "Samsonite" roller bag.
- the freeze dried jackfruit, sweet potatoes , yam,mixture.