Once you are in Ho Chi Minh City, you are spoilt for choice of shops. The city being a heaven for shoppers, offers a wide variety of items ranging from colorful handicraft items to tacky tourist junk well within your budget. Most of the shops stand in the center of the city. Some shops, which served as trendy Rue Catinat during the French colonial period, are found by the sides of Dong Khoi.
If you cannot stop yourself from shopping in Ho Chi Minh City, be sure that you have at least some bargaining skills and good eyes to pick the right item from the endless supply. Frankly speaking, any item without a price tag can be bargained down to two thirds of its initially quoted price. However the major tourist shops in the city are fixed price shops.
There are some areas in the city that can be designated as shopping zones namely Dong Khai and Le Thanh Ton at the back of Rex Hotel. Items displayed in the shops include amber, ceramics, antiques, jewelry, furniture, silk and apparel. Items such as boxes and vases made from lacquer ware are very popular among tourists visiting the city. The locals prefer hand-embroidered tablecloths and napkins. Rosewood boxes, bowls and Lacquerware are popular as gift items.
The foreigners can purchase tax-free items from the duty-free shops located at the corner of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi. The shops generally remain open on all days from 8:00 to 20:00.