Just saw a couple of active threads on SE Asia shopping which led me to search for a similar thread for Vietnam… couldn't see one.
I have a family trip to Vietnam coming up with 8 days near Hoi An - (in)famous for it's tailored clothing and I hear jewellery!
Does anyone have recommendations, good/bad experiences they can share?
suits can be had at a reasonable price. check out some travel threads on other sites (can't recall any here) for shop recommendations and approx prices.
Read the reviews before you go. There is a ridiculous number of tailors (Seriously, there's got to be more than 40 of them!)
I went to one place on the north west corner on Tran Hung Dao called "Peace"- cheap suits ~ $150ea with 2 pairs of trousers. One of the suits was good, the other the fabric is getting tiny pills. It was meant to be wool, but its definitely polyester blend at least. I'd say for the price, I'm happy.
The shirts however were nice cuts but cruddy fabric. They started to deteriorate after 6 months so pick your fabric carefully ("cashmere blend" looks great now and feels amazing but dies quickly).
There's some more expensive places (Yaly from memory) who friends have been to with great reviews. They've very impressive looking/dark timber, high ceilings and about $220 for a suit and by the sounds of it, probably worth the extra.
Agree with the other comments that you need time to get your adjustments, so get your order in on day 1 using photos of exactly what you want.
Custom shoes need several days to do properly. Grab a scooter and go for a trip out to the beach and around the nearby farming areas. Very chilled out place. You'll have a great time.
Agreed that tailored clothes and shoes are good buys. Take catalogs/magazine pictures of what you want.
There are so many places to have tailored clothes made in Hoi An. Remember the prices are always negotiable and try and leave yourself enough time to go back and try them on the clothes properly once done so they can make any adjustments.
I bought a couple of great pairs of trousers that are still in perfect nick after two years of continuous wear from Mr Xe's, though I don't remember what the price was, it was reasonable and I was able to negotiate a lot.
I hope you enjoy your trip!
Oh, my negotiating suggestion is to just ask for a price for one item initially. The extra pair offered when we came to fit/collect was quite a bit cheaper.
Love Hoi An.
I bought a T-shirt there once just because it was quite cold at night. Other than that I wouldn't buy anything else in Hoi An, everything is quiet pricey.
I however would buy the experience of having-street-food-dinner-sitting-next-to-the-river-with-lanterns-floating-around, that is not for sale unfortunately :-)