Fabric shopping in Ho Chi Minh City

It dawned on me on our first morning in Ho Chi Minh. Vietnam should have some pretty exciting and potentially great value fabric kicking around. There are a hell of a lot of tailors throughout the country, with vast numbers of tourists ordering custom-made garments during their trips. Immediately I was on cafe wifi, Googling for fabric shop tips from fellow enthusiasts.


The next morning, I convinced a hungover and vulnerable Tom to take a 20 minute walk with me to a silk shop recommended on Cashmerette's blog. She gave the address as 180 Lý Tự Trọng, but after a good long stroll, we found a big gaping hole in the buildings where 180 should have been.

'What ARE the chances?!' I thought with dismay.
('Thank God' thought Tom. Probably.)

But don't despair, everyone. Almost directly opposite, at 195, was a suspiciously similar-looking silk shop, so I'm kiiiind of assuming it's just moved.

It is a beautifully presented shop. All fabric is arranged to hang down off racks, much in the same way fancy wrapping paper is displayed back in the UK. And there are layers of these racks on sliders, so you can move the front rows out of the way and dig around, without disturbing any of the fabric. What an incredibly sensible system!


I also found this was one of the few shops in Vietnam where I could happily browse without the uncomfortably close watch of a shop assistant. They were on hand to give info on fabric types and prices, but only when approached. Just how I like it.

It was relatively expensive, between 450d and 600d per metre for the fabrics I asked about. That's £15-20, so basically what I would expect to pay back home for the same quality. But there was a much more extensive and exciting selection, particularly of lightweight, NON-sheer fabric, which I tend to class as a real treat if I'm browsing the shelves of my local John Lewis.


Since I'm currently living on a tight budget (especially after those £450 flights....), I was VERY strict with myself. I stroked a lot of fabric and pondered a few tempting options, but eventually left empty-handed. There were some beautiful bold and unusual prints, but nothing quite right for the bright summer dress I'd like to make.


We walked back down Lý Tự Trọng towards Ben Thanh Market and stumbled upon another shop. I don't remember its name or its address. I mention it simply to highlight the distinction between fabric shops, and tailoring shops.

I was immediately hounded by the shop assistant, who remained at my shoulder for the whole five minutes I could bear to spend in there. She pointed out random fabrics to me and asked if I wanted them, which was reallllly off-putting. It's a shame since some of the rolls looked pretty cool. There was a section of vivid photographic-printed fabric that I would have loved to inspect more closely. But I thought it dangerous to take TOO much interest, for fear of having to worm out of buying it from my new attentive friend (classic awkward Brit that I am).

I think a lot of the problem was that the shop included a tailoring service, so I imagine they normally do work closely with customers to suss out what they want making. Possibly they wouldn't even have let me buy the fabric to sew up myself. I read on SeamstressErin's blog that this was a real struggle in Hoi An, where there is a proper abundance of tailors' shops. Owners were suspicious that you'd buy the fabric and take it on to a cheaper tailor. She had much greater success at wholesale shops.

I made a swift exit.


After this fabric shop warm-up, it was time for The Daddy: Ben Thanh Market. If you want to be thorough, you will probably need the whole day. I didn't see anywhere near all the fabric stalls (Tom was flagging by this point. Poor bastard.) Usefully, they are all grouped together, but I was amazed at how VAST it is.


The walkways are super narrow and fabric is mounded up far beyond your reach. If you're interested in a fabric, you nearly always need to ask for help getting to it. And you definitely need to avoid feeling the pressure to buy everything you look at - even if the stallholders are very keen - or you'll need to also head over to the bag section of the market for your second suitcase.

The fabric still wasn't quite as bargainous as I'd expected, I found a pretty, yellow silk that cost 600d (£20) per metre. And a floral lace for 500d (£16). Both appeared to be good quality, but it is a LITTLE hard to tell. Because the stalls are cramped, it's awkward to open fabric out completely to inspect. Plus the market is fully covered, so the lighting is dim or artificial. I found myself slightly dubious of colours and sheen.

That said, it was an exciting experience. I've never come across so much fabric in my life. The stalls were generally well-organised into fabric types, and rolls were neatly packed. Stall owners were friendly and less aggressive sellers than in other sections of the market. There were tonnes of bright bold prints available and it was wondeful to find so many specifically for dressmaking, rather than the quilting cottons that dominate fabric shops back home.

After plenty of deliberation (Tom wanted to die), I only bought one fabric. A flowy synthetic floral which sadly I now have my doubts about. Having got it back to our hotel and laid it out, it felt cheaper than I had originally thought, and it turns out it's a stretch fabric too. Surprised and ashamed I didn't notice that! But hey-ho. I will find a use for it. Negotiations are perfectly acceptable on the markets, so this was 400d (£12), haggled down from 500d.


My advice for Ben Thanh Market:

I think that I had worried initially that stallholders might get stroppy if I pulled out fabrics to look at and then left without buying anything. But having this attitude means you'll either be too scared to look at anything and miss out on the fun of exploring all that wonderful fabric, or you'll go home with a bunch of stuff you don't like. Turns out I did a bit of both.

If I were going again, I would tell myself this:

- Be hard-nosed. Have fun.
- Have a good browse of the stalls first. Take photos of the fabrics you like, and note down prices.
- Go away for a coffee and weigh up options.
- Come back with a friendly but firm haggling mindset.



My final stop was at Huong, just off Lý Tự Trọng, en route to the War Remnants Museum.

Much bigger than the fabric stalls, this shop had heaps of choice by itself. Rolls of lightweight polys were stacked vertically against each other on the floor with tiny walkways to squeeze between them. More luxurious silk and lace hung from racks on the walls. Further back were heavier weight fabric - cottons, suiting, and even some thick wools.

Particularly exciting to me was the incredible selection of stretch lace. Back home I only really find it in black, white or trim widths.

But the fabric I really fell for, that I hadn't been looking for at all, was the embroidered tulle. I came away with this beauty.


It was a single 2 metre piece, so when I unwittingly asked for one and a half metres, she told me I had to buy the whole lot. Bit of a bummer since I won't need that much for the little shift dress I've envisaged. But perhaps I'll attempt some lingerie too. (What, in TULLE?! I'm sweating with fear just thinking about it.) I got the two metres for 1000d (£35)

I also had my eye on this red, yellow and white one. But it was 800d (£28) per metre. Yikes.