Two rules cover most shopping here: buy food gifts at supermarkets, where prices are fixed, and bags, crafts and clothes at markets, where you bargain. Below is where to go, what's worth taking home, and how the VAT refund works since July 2026.
Where to shop
| Place | Where | Good for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bến Thành Market | Bến Thành (former District 1) | Rattan bags, áo dài, souvenirs, cashews | Bargain. Many stalls close around 6pm |
| Bến Thành night market | Phan Bội Châu and Phan Chu Trinh, beside the market | Souvenirs, street food | From about 6pm |
| Bình Tây Market | Chợ Lớn (former District 5) | Wholesale goods, dried food | Mostly traders, not tourists |
| Saigon Square | Former District 1, near Bến Thành | Clothes, bags | Repeated counterfeit raids |
| Annam Gourmet | B2, Saigon Centre, 65 Lê Lợi | Marou chocolate, imported food | Pricier, nicely packaged |
| Supermarkets: GO!, WinMart, Co.opmart, Lotte Mart | Around the city | Coffee, snacks, cashews | Fixed prices, cards accepted |
Worth taking home
- Coffee: Trung Nguyên ground coffee or G7 instant, plus a phin filter. Highlands and Cộng also sell beans.
- Cashews: compare packaging and dates; quality varies.
- Marou chocolate, made from Vietnamese cacao. The flagship is at 167–169 Calmette (former District 1).
- Dried fruit, coconut candy, coconut chips
- Design-led souvenirs: shops such as Saigon Kitsch and The Craft House (28 Nguyễn Trãi) are easier than markets if you don't want to bargain.
- Lacquerware, silk and ceramics vary a lot in quality. Look at several shops before buying.
Bargaining and fakes
- Stalls with price tags don't bargain.
- Without a tag, ask the price and counter well below it. Walking away often brings the price down.
- Confirm the total before paying. Bến Thành stalls have been suspended for overcharging foreigners (2023 and 2025), and Vietnamese law fines sellers who charge above the listed price.
- Cheap bags with luxury logos are fake. Police seized hundreds to thousands of counterfeit items at Saigon Square in 2022 and 2025.
VAT refund
Vietnam moved to an electronic VAT refund system on July 1, 2026 (Ministry of Finance Circular 84/2026).
- Spend at least 2 million VND in one shop on one day
- Goods bought within 60 days of departure, unused and in original packaging
- Shop at a store that offers VAT refunds, show your passport, and get the electronic refund documents.
- At the airport, show the goods and documents to customs before checking your bags, then collect the refund after immigration. Finish at least 30 minutes before departure.
- The refund is about 85% of the VAT paid.
Leaving Vietnam
- Antiques can't leave the country without a permit.
- Products from protected species (coral, turtle shell, ivory, some timbers) need CITES papers.
- Gold jewellery of 300 g or more must be declared. Since July 2026 failing to declare can mean a fine of up to 50 million VND.
- Check your home country's rules on meat, fresh fruit and plant products before packing food gifts.
Sources: Thư viện Pháp luật (Circular 84/2026), LuatVietnam (electronic VAT refund), Vietnam Law Magazine, Tuoi Tre News (Jul 2025, overcharging), Tuoi Tre News (Jun 2025, Saigon Square), Tuoi Tre News (Jan 2026, Bến Thành), Vietcetera (Maison Marou), Lawnet (prohibited exports), Vietnam Law Magazine (gold declaration)