Saigon Markets and Lacquer Art Experience
Meet your Ho Chi Minh tour guide around 10:00 am to start your tour.
Visit Saigon Center Mall. This shopping arcade is packed with stalls on two levels selling fashion, accessories, and jewellery - be aware of forgeries, though, and remember the old saying that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Even though it is always bustling with shoppers, Saigon Center Mall is air-conditioned and well structured, so it is far more pleasant to shop, and prices are quite economical.
Stop by the great Russian Market and explore Russian-made products. It is a popular stop for expats and tourists from Eurasia. Located inside an air-conditioned building, the market offers branded winter gear, shoes, luggage, and sportswear, usually sold at lower prices than at typical outlets.
Gather a few authentic food supplies from the shops selling Russian food such as vodka, smoked carp, caviar, nuts, biscuits, salmon eggs, black bread, sausages, canned meat, and souvenirs.
Explore the artistic lacquer factory in Saigon. The pieces of art here are highly prized for their durability and beauty, and skilled craftsmen take months to perfect them. Although the process of making lacquer has now been streamlined for mass consumption, these factories still make pieces painstakingly by hand. Your guide will escort you to see the lacquer process in action. Starting from a plain block of wood, a lacquer artist applies several layers of varying colours of varnish over inlays made of many different materials, such as eggshells or mother of pearl.
Buy souvenirs, gifts, or anything that catches your eye as the guide takes you around the city to enjoy and purchase Vietnamese coffee, flowers, and handcrafted products like carved hair ornaments, hand-painted fans, silk bags, and woven fabrics from locally supplied private markets.
