Saigon Shopping Tour: Local Markets, Antiques & Handmade Clogs

Meet the guide at HT Camera in District 1 to start the Saigon shopping tour.

We’ll check the e-bikes, go over the basic safety rules and get ready for a morning of exploring Saigon’s markets and small local shops.

Before setting off, the guide will also share a few simple tips for shopping locally – how to ask about prices, what makes a good souvenir, and when it’s better to look rather than buy.

Our first ride takes us into one of the older commercial streets in central Saigon.

At Lê Công Kiều, small antique shops line a surprisingly short street, with old ceramics, household objects, clocks and other pieces from different periods of Vietnamese history.

We then drop by area next to Fine Arts Museum for artifact, small trinket and vintage decoration and Dân Sinh Market.

Dân Sinh is very different from the tourist markets in central Saigon. It is a practical local market where you can find everything from tools and hardware to old-style memorabilia and military-related items.

The guide will explain a little about the market and the kinds of objects people come here looking for.

There is no fixed shopping list here – the fun is seeing what catches your eye.

We ride toward Chợ Lớn, the historic Chinese-Vietnamese quarter of Saigon.

The streets here have a very different character, and many of them are still closely connected to traditional trades.

We’ll pass through the Nhiêu Tâm goldsmith area, where generations of craftsmen and businesses have worked around the jewelry trade.

From there, we make a short cultural stop at Vạn Phật Pagoda, a distinctive multi-level temple in the neighborhood.

Then it’s time for one of the biggest markets in the area: Binh Tay.

Built in the early 20th century, the market remains an important wholesale and trading center for Chợ Lớn.

This is where guests can spend some time shopping for things that actually make sense to bring home – Vietnamese tea, coffee, spices, dried fruit, dried seafood and other local products, depending on what they are looking for.

The guide can help with choosing products, explaining what they are used for and helping guests communicate with vendors when needed.

We leave Chợ Lớn and ride back toward central Saigon.

Instead of finishing the morning at another market, we stop at a traditional wooden clog workshop/shop around Tân Định.

Here, guests can have their own pair of Vietnamese wooden clogs made to size.

Choose the wooden base and the strap style, then watch the craftsman put the pair together.

It is a simple souvenir, but unlike something picked up from a shelf, this one is made for you.

Afterwards, we’ll take a short break with a traditional Vietnamese sweet soup — a welcome refreshment after a morning of riding and shopping.

A relaxed ride brings us back to HT Camera.

Before leaving, the guide will help guests organize their purchases and make sure everything is packed securely for the rest of their day.

You don’t need to fill your suitcase. Just bring home a few things that have a story.