Shop till you drop in Hoi An

Hoi An was really a surprise. It's a perfect place to end your trip to Vietnam. You could easily spend three or four days just wandering the streets of the old city and its environment. This is also a very good place to do any shopping you might want to do.

Perhaps the most famous commodity to purchase is clothing. There are tailors galore who will make you anything you want. We had some dress slacks made for US$10 a pair. The quality is not quite as good as you can get in Thailand, but it is good enough and the price is much less that you can get things in Bangkok. You can even have shoes made to order for a good price. Be cautious about shoes. Try to pick out something from a model in the shop. Do not rely on catalog pictures of what you're looking for, as the result will usually not resemble what was asked for at all.

Art Galleries
Some of the art galleries of Hoi An

After clothing, there are also art galleries everywhere. Most of what is on offer are variations of the same things. More copies than anything original. We found the most original works on the other side of the Japanese bridge from the main part of town.

Other items worth checking out are lacquer-ware, wood carving, brass and bone-ware. In some cases, the shops themselves are an attraction, as many are in old buildings with very original and well maintained interiors.