Travelers in Ho Chi Minh City will at first be overwhelmed with the amount of stalls and roadside vendors that cram the sidewalks and street corners. The city can be considered as a heaven for shoppers, offers a wide variety of items ranging from the colorful handicraft items to tacky tourist junk well within your budget. There are plenty of bargains to be found amongst the usual tourists tat and counterfeit handbags.

Best buys in Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City include silk clothing and other hand-woven fabrics, bamboo ware, ceramics and boxes and vases made from lacquer ware; while traditional Vietnamese hats can be found just about anywhere and tailor-made clothing is popular too.

Most of Ho Chi Minh City's shopping can be done from the local markets and street vendors where polite haggling is expected. The most famous market for shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is Ben Thanh market – where a lot of things are traded.

Shoppers looking for something a little more up market should head to Dong Khoi Street in District 1 where designer stores, boutiques, antique stores and jewelry stores abound while bargain hunters will also be pleased to know there is a duty-free store on Nguyen Hue Blvd in District 1 which specializes in duty-free items such as perfumes and colognes.

Most shops in Ho Chi Minh City are open daily from 8am to 8pm.