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City Guide - Ho Chi Minh City - Shopping | ||
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Shopping Visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are spoilt for choice for shops and most of them are within easy walking distance of each other. Many shops are found along Dong Khoi, which used to be the trendy Rue Catinat in French colonial times. Close by are Hai Ba Trung and Le Loi which are also worth a look. Off-the-peg clothing is always a good buy, but even better is to have clothes made up at one of the many tailors. There is always a good range of coloured silk to choose from. Hand-embroidered tablecloths and napkins are very popular. Items such as boxes and vases made from lacquerware are extremely good value. The hill tribes of the Central Highlands and the north of the country now sell colourful woven bags and clothing in the city. Good souvenirs are marble figurines and vases and silk paintings and greetings cards. Busy Ben Thanh Market on Le Loi is crammed with items of interest to the visitor such as clothes and souvenirs, as well as more general household items, food and flowers. It is open from the early morning until 1700. Shops are generally open seven days a week from around 0800 until between 2000 and 2200. All shops tend to be on the small side and so far there are no major department stores represented in the city. VAT is included on most items sold but at the moment there is no system for foreign visitors to be able to claim this back |