Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam with over a thousand year of history, won’t disappoint any visitors when it comes to finding cultural gifts to bring home. A stroll along the streets of Hanoi Old Quarter will give you an insight into the city’s life – architecture, people, street pulse, cuisine, and even the products belonging to it.
Most of the best souvenirs Hanoi has to offer can be found in the Old Quarter – the heart of old Hanoi. If convenience is what you value, then just looking for the gifts for your loved ones there.
Your a few dollars can fill up your bag with cheap yet cultural stuff like Do paper products (postcards and notebooks) and bamboo souvenirs like dragonfly toy. Those are into fine creations don’t miss out on chance to buy the best quality silk, broidery and lacquerware.
Read on for more inspiration.
Image credit: Van Phuc SilkWhen it comes to Vietnamese silk, Hanoi has the best silk village and textiles. Its famous Van Phuc silk village (aka Ha Dong silk village) with a thousand year of history is where all the finest quality silk brought to life.
This village is just 8 kilometers south-west of Hanoi, making it convenient for a half-day visit. Take this to learn about the weaving process, and buy the products your heart desires at the original prices. Those can’t make the trip can get silk at specialty shops on Hang Gai (the silk street of Hanoi) like Khail Silk and Duc Loi Silk.
Things to bring back include the raw fabrics and ready-to-use stuff like scarves, Ao Dai, dresses, ties, cosmetic bags, and underwear bags.
BEST GIFTS FOR: The ties make the great gifts for the males while the scarves are something the females will love.
PRICES: From 150,000 VND ($6.50) per meter of silk fabric; 480,000 VND ($21) per scarf; 240,000 VND ($10.50) per cosmetic bag; the famous Khaisilk ties are from $30 to $50 per item
PORTABLE LEVEL: Easy to manage
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: Tan My DesignHanoi is a great place to buy embroidered products in terms of selection, quality, and price. Available products include embroidered bed sheets, quilts, bed throws, pillowcases, napkins, place mats, table runners, cosmetic bags, lingerie, night dresses and many more.
Pay close attention to the different materials that the embroidery pieces are created on. Some of the best items are found on special Vietnamese cotton and linen. And some of the best designs to look for are the majestic dragons and lotus flowers.
Anybody who appreciates hard work and culture will definitely like these beautiful handmade gifts.
BEST GIFTS FOR: The special ladies in your life – mother, and wife/girl friend
PRICES: From 100,000 VND ($4.50) to 300,000 VND ($13) per handkerchief; from 30,000 VND ($1.30) to 130,000 VND ($5.70) per cosmetic bag; from 180,000 VND ($8) per napkin set (two pieces)
PORTABLE LEVEL: Easy to manage
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: Zo ProjectDo paper is a traditional type of paper, made from the bark of the Rhamnoneuron balansae, a wild plant found on the local riverbanks. This durable paper has been used in folk art for hundreds of years. The famous Dong Ho paintings are often seen on this kind of paper.
A stroll along the streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter will introduce you to various craft stores where Do paper products like greeting cards, postcards, notebooks, and stationary sets shine their beauty. These make a greet gift for all the females in your life who are into crafting.
BEST GIFTS FOR: Children and female friends or family members
PRICES: From 35,000 VND ($1.50) to 45,000 VND ($2) per item
PORTABLE LEVEL: Easy to manage
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: cozy.vnLotus, the national flower of Vietnam, can be found in many parts of the country but it is believed that the ones in Hanoi’s West Lake are the best varieties with a more lingering scent.
Over the years, the tea makers of Hanoi have mastered the art of flavouring green tea with lotus stamen fragrance. This meticulous and time-consuming process takes 1500 lotus flowers to make 1kg of lotus tea. That is why the prices of this Vietnam’s ancient tea can go up to hundreds of dollars per kilogram.
But when you taste this noble tea, you will know that it is worth the price. A cup of high-grade green tea combined with lotus’s luscious fragrance gives us a crisp, sweet, vanilla hinted flavour with scent of Lotus flower lingering in the mouth.
BEST GIFTS FOR: Yourself or someone really special in your life
PRICES: From VND5 million ($220) to VND8 million ($352) per kilogram. But don’t worry! It takes only a teaspoon (3.6g) to make a 180ml pot of tea. A 125-gram box is good enough to be a nice gift.
PORTABLE LEVEL: Easy to manage
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: Hong LamO Mai is a traditional specialty of Hanoi, which is dried fruits mixed with sugar, salt, lime, chili, and ginger to obtain a harmonious taste of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. The most common fruits used to make O Mai are plum, apricot, peach, dracontomelum, star fruit, tamarind, kumquat, pineapple, and mango.
To Hanoi people, O Mai is a quintessential snack to enjoy and to welcome guests during Tet holiday (Lunar New Year). Its flavour is best brought out with a cup of lotus tea.
In Hanoi, o mai is abundantly sold along Hang Duong Street.
BEST GIFTS FOR: All those people who love trying new foods and snacks.
PRICES: Around 40,000 VND ($1.7) per box of 200g; 90,000 VND ($4) per box of 500g
PORTABLE LEVEL: Manageable
WHERE TO BUY
Ao Dai, the beautiful tight fitted dress with long stylish pants, is the national costume of Vietnam since the 18th century.
If you are looking to really spoil a fashion enthusiast back home then an Ao Dai clothing set may be just the souvenir to surprise her with. When it comes to designs, colors, and quality, the choice is abundant.
You can buy a ready-to-wear Ao Dai for around USD30 or opt to have a customised one for USD70 and above.
Hang Da Market is a good place to shop for ready-made Ao Dai.
BEST GIFTS FOR: Yourself or your mother and sister
PRICES: From 700,000 VND ($30) per Ao Dai set
PORTABLE LEVEL: Easy to manage. Just fold this two-piece costume up and put it into the luggage like any of your other clothes.
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: My Nghe SenLacquerware-making in Vietnam is an art that has been handed down for generations. The painstaking process goes through 20 stages and takes more than 100 days to finish.
Vietnamese lacquerware gained recognition around the world through the international expositions in the 1930s. It is known for its superior quality compared to lacquer products from other Asian countries.
Products suitable for bringing home include jewellery boxes, trays, plates, bowls, vases, and photograph albums.
Be careful when buying lacquerware in Hanoi as the market is in chaos with fine quality and low quality, mass-produced lacquer items. For top quality products, shop at Marena Hanoi, a place with a wide range of designs and colors.
BEST GIFTS FOR: A senior family member or friend
PRICES: From 180,000VND ($8) to 1,250,000VND ($55) per item
PORTABLE LEVEL: From manageable to hard to manage
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: chuonchuontre.comBamboo, a plant that has long been referred to as a symbol of Vietnamese traditional old villages, is now can be widely seen in Hanoi in forms of souvenirs of many kinds. They could be baskets, trays, bowls, hats, decorative items, chop sticks or even furniture.
One of the cutest bamboo gifts to take home is the beautiful dragonfly that is able to stand on its mouth on any surface, making them the ideal little ornament.
If you want a good bargain on bamboo souvenirs, check out the bamboo shops along Quang Trung Street.
BEST GIFTS FOR: Bamboo dragonflies are the cute keepsakes for children
PRICE RANGE: From 15,000VND ($0.70) per item of dragonflies
PORTABLE LEVEL: Manageable
WHERE TO BUY
Image credit: CraftlinkEach among more than 20 ethnic minority groups living in the northern mountain villages of Vietnam has their own distinct culture, which can be recognised through their weaving patterns and clothing styles.
The products made by those people like scarves, bags, clothing items, textiles, paintings, woodworks, and ceramics are impressive and culture-rich. Those can’t make a trip to Sapa or other destinations in the northwest of Vietnam can easily get the products of the ethnic minorities in Hanoi.
BEST GIFTS FOR: Someone who is into exotic cultures
PRICES: From $50 per item
PORTABLE LEVEL: From easy to hard to manage
WHERE TO BUY: Craft Link at 43 & 51 Van Mieu, Dong Da, Hanoi
Image credit: dantri.com.vnNon La (palm-leaf conical hat) is a traditional symbol of Vietnam, which depicts the rice growing culture of the country through the images of both men and women wearing these hats working in the rice paddies or doing many other kinds of outdoor activities.
In the old days, it is common to see high school girls in white Ao Dai (traditional long dress) wearing Non La strolling the streets from home to school and vice versa. This is one of the most beautiful and romantic pictures of Non La seen in real life.
These days, Non La is still a good friend of people in every part of Vietnam that work under the sun. The hats serve them as a rain and sun protector or even a basket. To others, it can be a cultural decorative ornament.
BEST GIFTS FOR: A friend or family member who enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening
PRICES: From 30,000 VND ($1.30) – 150,000 VND ($6.50)
PORTABLE LEVEL: Hard to manage due to its conical shape
WHERE TO BUY
