Visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are spoilt for choice for shops and most of them are within easy walking distance of each other. Many shops are found along Dong Khoi, which used to be the trendy Rue Catinat in French colonial times. Close by are Hai Ba Trung and Le Loi, which are also worth a look. Off-the-peg clothing is always a good buy but even better is to have clothes made up by one of the many tailors. There is always a good range of colored silk to choose from. Hand-embroidered tablecloths and napkins are very popular. Items such as boxes and vases made from lacquerware are extremely good
value. The hill tribes of the Central Highlands and the north of the country now sell colorful woven bags and clothing in the city. Good souvenirs are marble figurines and vases and silk paintings and greetings cards. Busy Ben Thanh Market on Le Loi is crammed with items of interest to the visitor, such as clothes and souvenirs, as well as more general household items, food and flowers. It is open from early morning until 1700.
Shops are generally open seven days a week from around 0800 until between 2000 and 2200. All shops tend to be on the small side and so far there are no major department stores represented in the city. VAT is structured on a four-tiered system (at 0%, 5%, 10% and 20%). It is included on most items sold and 10% is the standard, but there is no system for foreign visitors to be able to claim this back at the moment. However, the duty-free shop on the corner of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi in the center of downtown Saigon (tel: (08) 823 4549) will allow foreigners to make tax-free purchases of their stock (up to the value of US$315). A passport and stamped yellow entry customs form must be shown. During the first five days of your visit, you can take goods away, otherwise they will be delivered to the international airport for you.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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