The centuries-old capital Hanoi always offers visitors a wide variety of authentic items that contain the city’s traditional quintessence so that they can buy them as souvenirs or collectibles. Sometimes, too many kinds of products overwhelm the tourists and lead them to a situation that they don’t know which item they should choose and buy. Below are some small suggestions for foreigners who may not currently come up with interesting ideas for shopping in Hanoi.
1. Silk and clothing
What tourists should not miss out on buying when visiting Hanoi is the luscious silk and clothing in Hanoi Old Quarter. Silk is everywhere in hanoi, and they are famous for making the authentic traditional silk that is extremely soft, thin, airy, lightweight different from ordinary silk. There are so many local silk brands in Hanoi, but Van Phuc village stood out from the rest, due to their exceptional way of making the best silk in town. Lots of families in Van Phuc started opening their stores, which has created a town of silk seeing colorful and high-quality products of this kind of texture. Slks are an ideal choice for a fancy and elegant gift from Hanoi.
Van Phuc Village
Address: Van Phuc street, Ha Dong street
Price: VND 50,000 - 5,000,000
Distance from our hotel: 12 km - 1 hour by car
Lua Ha
Address : 538 Thuy Khue Street, Tay Ho District
Price: varies
Distance from our hotel: 7.3 km - 25 min by car
Khai Silk
Address: 26 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Ba Dinh District
Price: varies
Distance from our hotel: 2.3 km - 13 min by car
2. Ceramics and potteries
If you have the opportunity to stay longer in Hanoi, you should pay a visit to Bat Trang pottery village which is known as the cradle of traditional ceramics with low prices. This may turn out as an exciting and meaningful experience because you will be given a chance to learn more about making ceramics and creating a product itself.
Bat Trang Pottery Village
Address: Bat Trang, Gia Lam District
Price: VND100,000 - 5,000,000
Distance from our hotel: 14 km - 38 min by car
3. Vietnamese Coffee beans
Typical Vietnamese techniques involve roasting Robusta coffee beans with additives such as butter, salt, whisky, rice liquor or even sugar and fish sauce. These additives help to elevate the savouriness and palatability of the notoriously harsh and bitter tasting Robusta beans. Chemical flavourings and fragrances are often added, with the most common being vanilla and hazelnut. Fillers such as roasted corn, soybeans and red beans are common and some recipes call for filler content of up to 50%. Fillers are used to thicken, darken and sweeten the coffee. Connoisseurs who are seeking pure coffee should note that it is practically impossible to gauge the purity of coffee in Vietnam based on looking at grinded coffee powder. They have a tendency to purchase whole beans at shops before requesting them to be grounded on the spot.
Café Mai
Address: 96 Le Van Huu St., Hai Ba Trung Dist.
79 Le Van Huu St., Hai Ba Trung Dist.
Price: $20-$80 for 1 kg of Buon Me Thuat, Arabica, Moka, Aliculi. Expresso, Chari and Paris Mai whole bean coffee.
Distance from our hotel: 1.9 km - 9 min by car
4. Green rice flakes
Hanoi is home to one of the most remarkable natural gifts of Mother Nature, which is green rice flakes, also known as “cốm”. A taste of this vietnamese food in the autumn is all one needs to feel the sweet and delicate taste wrapped in this delicacy. Com is made of rice and wrapped in lotus leaves, and served with ripe bananas. Besides, com has many variations and different delicious types such as Stir fry com, Com cake and fried Com. Finally, when visiting the capital, you should consider Com as your first option on your list of things not to be missed to buy in Hanoi.
Cha Com Lang Vong
Address: 36, Alley 63, Xuân Thủy, Dịch Vọng Hậu, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội
Price: VND 5,000 - 50,000
Distance from our hotel: 7.9 km - 45 min by car
Com Xao Dinh Liet
Address: 1A Dinh Liet, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Price: VND 15,000 - 50,000
Distance from our hotel: 500 m - 3 min walk
Banh com Nguyen Ninh
Address: 11 Hang Than, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Price: VND20,000 - 50,000
Distance from our hotel: 2 km - 9 min by car - 20 min walk
5. Assorted dried fruits
The Hanoi specialties that are most purchased by locals from other regions, when coming to this city, they are the salted and sugared dried apricots. You can also pick up other dried fruits, such as preserved kumquats, plums, dates and jackfruits. It has the perfect balance of sour, spicy, salty and sweetness.
They are very well known for their exceptional taste, abundant variations,and affordable prices that make them popular with anyone visiting and wanting to bring a taste of Vietnam and Hanoi back to their homeland. One of the most famous apricots is the one cooked with ginger with a bit of spiciness that is guaranteed to bring out a watery palette.
O Mai Hong Lam
Address: 11 Hàng Đường, Hàng Đào, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 7:30AM - 10PM
Phone: 024 3928 1838
Distance from our hotel: 900 m - 10 min walk
6. Lotus tea
If you are trying to find an elegant gift from Hanoi to bring home, the lotus tea is perfect for what you need. In Hanoi, the fall has superb tasty Com, and the summer has its own beautiful lotus at the West Lake, which will mesmerize anyone coming in the hot summer when the lotus begins to bloom. The process of making lotus tea is very sophisticated, so when enjoying this unique tea flavor, your mind will be blown by the essence that is both rich and smooth.
Ninh Huong Store
Address: 22 Hang Dieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Price: VND 30,000 - 50,000
Distance from our hotel: 1 km - 12 min walk
7. Lacquer Paintings
Lacquer paintings are usually produced using the traditional coloring materials of painting, such as adhesives, gold, silver. A not-too-far day trip from Hanoi will be an excellent escape from the busy city, and a recommended day trip to take is one to Ha Thai Village where you can pick up some Vietnamese lacquer paintings.
Tanmy Design
Address: 61 Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 10000
Hours: 8AM - 8PM
Phone: 024 3938 1154
Distance from our hotel: 500 m - 6 min walk
8. Embroidery
Northern Vietnam is home to many ethnic tribal minorities, and they produce some unique embroideries such as embroidered cotton, dresses, linens. It is apparent that you can find beautiful and high-quality embroidery on any budget. The images on the embroideries are so diverse and meticulously crafted with distinctive characteristics of the Vietnamese and countryside sceneries, and skillful locals make almost all of them.
Hai Van Paintings and Embroidery Shop
Address: 1A Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Price: Varies
Distance from our hotel: 700 m - 9 min walk
Ninh Khuong Embroidery Shop
Address: 76 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Price: varies
Distance from our hotel: 550 m - 7 min walk
9. Handicrafts
Even though the boom of technology has greatly developed in this modern society, handicrafts still play a crucial role in maintaining national values and traditions and Vietnamese handicrafts is not an exception. To discover Vietnamese culture, you should check out a vast selection of clothes, bag, textiles, and woodwork of these crafts because the cultural heritage is reflected on every single product.
Craft Link
Address: 43- 51 Van Mieu, Dong Da, Hanoi
Hours: 9AM - 6PM
Distance from our hotel: 2.2 km - 12 min by car - 27 min walk
10. Banh cha
Banh Cha is a traditional cake, characterized by the special cuisine of this land. The sweet, cute little cakes hides inside an unforgettable shell of greasy fat and lime leaf. The cake is made from finely kneaded and firmly rolled thinly, filling the cake with fat, sugar, lemon leaves, powder in a roll, then sliced into pieces then baked. Hanoi has four seasons, and one of them is winter when the weather can get freezing. It would be fantastic when you come to Hanoi, enjoy a warm lotus teapot with some wrapped Banh cha.
Banh Cha Bao Phuong
Address: 183 Thuy Khue Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi
Price: VND 40,000 - 110,000
Distance from our hotel: 4.3 km - 27 min by car
Banh cha Ninh Huong
Address: 22 Hang Dieu Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Price: VND30,000 - 55,000
Distance from our hotel: 1.2 km - 8 min by car