American blogger Charisma Lindsey Stevens, owner of the account @charismastev with nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram and more than 1.1 million followers on TikTok, said she arrived in Vietnam with three empty suitcases, planning to fill them with fashion items purchased locally.
One of her stops was Hoi An, where she ordered several custom made items within 24 hours, including dresses, two piece sets, shirts, wide leg trousers, genuine leather shoes, leather bags and ceramic cups.
Charisma highly rate her travel experiences in Vietnam (Photo: Screenshot).
According to her experience, the tailoring process was simple. Customers choose designs, colours and fabrics, have their measurements taken, and receive finished products within about one day. Clothing prices ranged from USD 30 to USD 50 per item, while custom made genuine leather shoes cost between USD 20 and USD 100 depending on the type.
Charisma receiving tailoring advice at a shop in Hoi An (Photo: Screenshot).
In Ho Chi Minh City, she said she still had nearly USD 200 left to spend during the final three hours before leaving Vietnam.
“I realised I should have started my trip here because there are hundreds of fashion shops on a single street. I bought a genuine leather bag for USD 50, which was cheaper than a faux leather bag I bought at home,” she said.
Kenai, a 19 year old street fashion content creator from Melbourne, Australia, also praised Vietnam’s retail scene.
He described Vietnam as “the best place in the world to buy streetwear”. According to him, although some shops charge higher prices than the local average, the quality to price ratio is unmatched globally.
Kenai said he arrived in Vietnam with 14 kilograms of luggage and left with 24 kilograms.
Meanwhile, Grace Xu, a 28 year old content creator from the United States, admitted she bought another flight ticket to return to Vietnam specifically for shopping.
Beyond shopping, Grace Xu also dedicates time to beauty treatments in Vietnam (Photo: Instagram @amazingishgrace).
She said that besides affordable prices, what brings her back are unique designs that are difficult to find elsewhere. In addition to clothing, items such as jewellery, hair ties, keychains, sunglasses and home decor with diverse styles often tempt her to spend more.
Grace also revealed that she always makes time for beauty treatments while in Vietnam. “I cannot leave Vietnam without getting my nails done,” she said, adding that local hair and nail services are both diverse and reasonably priced.
The clothes Charisma acquired during her trip to Vietnam (Photo: Screenshot).
Services that keep tourists coming back
Like Grace, Charisma’s experience extended beyond fashion stores. In Hanoi, she tried hair braiding and expressed satisfaction with the skills of local hairstylists.
The blogger also spent time on a 90 minute facial treatment costing around USD 30, which she said offered excellent value for money.
