Goh and Ong, from Singapore, commented that clothing stores in Ho Chi Minh City are diverse, the quality is not inferior to the shopping paradise of Bangkok and the prices are 20-30% cheaper.
Goh and Ong took a four-day trip in October to Ho Chi Minh City to shop for clothes, following a recommendation from friends. Instead of visiting traditional shopping spots like Ben Thanh Market or Times Square, the two women "hunted" in old apartment buildings and residential areas to find second-hand stores or local brand stores.
"On the first day of the trip, I visited 3-4 stores in the apartment building at 26 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, spending more than 2 million VND, all of which were local brands and second-hand goods," Goh said, adding that she asked friends as well as searched on Instagram and TikTok for shopping spots "that only locals know about".
A Singaporean female tourist commented that Ho Chi Minh City has more and more fashion stores, beautiful spaces, diverse designs, and good quality fabrics compared to the price. Goh compared Ho Chi Minh City to the shopping paradise of Bangkok. Some shopping complexes in Ho Chi Minh City such as 26 Ly Tu Trong are neat, orderly, and not as crowded with tourists as in Bangkok.
When compared to Singapore, she said that shopping spots in the Lion Island are mainly concentrated in shopping malls, and it is difficult to find clothing stores hidden in residential areas like in Ho Chi Minh City.
Regarding prices, a female Singaporean tourist said that the cost of buying clothes in Ho Chi Minh City "fascinates" shopping enthusiasts.
"A local brand T-shirt in Thailand costs about 800 baht to more than 1,000 baht (600,000-800,000 VND), in Ho Chi Minh City it is almost half cheaper, about 350,000-500,000 VND with many options," Goh commented.
Amanda Chai, writer Straitimes , visit Ho Chi Minh City in October and surprise before the shopping paradise here because of the good quality of goods, the price is only half of Singapore. In four days, she spent double the initial estimate of 300 SGD on clothes. She believes that Ho Chi Minh City can become the "new Bangkok".
On some social media platforms, foreign tourists also share videos reviewing local shopping spots in Ho Chi Minh City.
"I wish I knew earlier that Ho Chi Minh City has many good quality second-hand shops with good prices," Cabi, a content creator from Malaysia, shared in a video reviewing the second-hand clothing shops she visited while traveling to Ho Chi Minh City in July. Cabi owns a TikTok channel with nearly 250,000 followers and her video introducing her shopping experience in Ho Chi Minh City attracted 24,000 likes. Many foreign accounts left comments saying they would travel to Ho Chi Minh City and shop at the places Cabi mentioned.
A Malaysian female tourist commented that second-hand shops in Ho Chi Minh City have a variety of styles, good quality, and it is easy to find second-hand branded clothes. Most items are priced "softly" under 300,000 VND.
Hodawoon commented: "I'm looking for places that sell used items like this in Malaysia but there aren't any, I have to go to Ho Chi Minh City."
According to Thao's survey, Ly Tu Trong apartment building has 5 floors, divided into many small apartments, mainly focusing on second-hand shops, local brands and attracting many foreign visitors.
The owner of a second-hand clothing store here said that the main customers are foreign tourists from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and European groups. Customers learn about the store through social networks or accidentally find it while walking around the apartment building.
The representative shared that since last year until now, the vacant spaces in the apartment building have gradually been filled and become bustling again after Covid-19.
"Early last year, each floor had 3-4 empty apartments. Now every floor is full. Most of them sell clothes. The rest have opened coffee shops, and the number of customers has also increased," said the clothing store owner.
Small shopping addresses in old apartment buildings or residential areas are attractive to international visitors because of local cultural factors and affordable prices, but they are not widely promoted. Goh and Ong said that information about local shopping locations in Ho Chi Minh City is harder to find than in Bangkok. The two tourists had to ask their Vietnamese friends who only knew that Ho Chi Minh City has many other shopping streets such as Tran Quang Dieu, District 3; Nguyen Van Trang, District 1 or Thao Dien area
"Thailand has a tourism agency website that regularly updates shopping spots hidden in residential areas such as Ekkamai and Song Wat, and extensive information coverage across social media platforms," Goh said, adding that shopping spots in Ho Chi Minh City deserve more local promotion.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, international visitors to the city often shop at traditional markets and shopping malls, but their purchasing power is still low. Small retail shopping complexes in the city center are still a niche market, attracting a segment of tourists, mostly Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen Y.
From now until 2030, shopping tourism is identified as one of the main products that bring in the main revenue for tourism in Ho Chi Minh City. The orientation to increase foreign visitors' shopping spending in the city in the short term is to develop duty-free shop systems, shopping malls, and complexes.
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