How to Get Clothes Made In Vietnam

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When I first told people I was going to Vietnam, they asked if I was going to Hoi An. I was, it was a part of my trip I was very excited about and had heard a lot about the city. But then I was asked if I was going to get clothes made in Vietnam. Now, that’s something I didn’t know about.

I mean, it sounded like a great opportunity, but I didn’t know that Hoi An was famous for this. I honestly had no idea of the magnitude of tailors and clothes makers in Hoi An until I got there. It was incredible. So here I’m going to tell you a bit about my experience getting clothes made, if it’s worth it and how you can do it too.

Where to Get Clothes Made in Vietnam

Of all the places you can likely get clothes made in Vietnam, there is no doubt that Hoi An is the clothing capital. When you arrive in Hoi An the streets are lined with tailors and shoemakers on all sides. Every other shop sells custom made clothes.

Hoi An is in Central Vietnam and is such a beautiful city even without all the pretty dresses adorning shop windows. The closest airport would be Da Nang about 45 minutes away by car. It’s a Read more about how to spend a few days in Hoi An here.

How Long Does it Take to Get Clothes Made in Vietnam?

You really need at least 48 hours in Hoi An to be able to get clothes made. I would suggest to make it your first stop when you get there so that you aren’t too rushed. The more time you have the more time they have to make alterations if they are needed.

Arriving into Hoi An at about 4pm after a full day tour from Hue, we went straight to the tailors to get started. We returned the next afternoon, 24 hours later and our clothes had already been mostly made.

Our tailor organized a fitting where she checked for any necessary alterations and additional tweaks. We went back the following lunch time to pick the clothes up.

How to Find a Tailor in Hoi An

They’re everywhere. No finding necessary. Of course the best thing you can do if you want to get clothes made in Vietnam is go with a recommendation. Check out Trip Advisor for reviews, talk to other people who went there. Word of mouth and personal experiences are the key.

We knew we wanted clothes made but honestly didn’t really have a plan like this. But we had been talking to our tour driver Sanh throughout the day about our desire to get some new clothes, and he said his sister in law lived in Hue and had a tailor’s shop.

He offered to take us there before getting to our hotel. It was perfect. He waited with us while we chose our clothes and then took us to our hotel. His sister in law, Trang, was lovely and helped us since we had no idea where to start. She made the whole thing really easy. Her tailor’s is called FaiFoo and I would definitely recommend it.

How Much Does it Cost to Get Clothes Made in Vietnam?

While it can vary slightly from tailor to tailor, with so many places to go in Hoi An the prices don’t fluctuate too far. You can get cheaper clothes made with cheaper material. Thinner material and simpler clothing will cost less than higher quality fabrics and more intricate designs.

After careful deliberation I narrowed down my order from the 10 dresses I wanted to 3 that I felt was the more reasonable plan. Those three dresses cost me about 2.3 million VND (while that sounds like a lot it equates to about $100 USD).

In reality for high quality dresses in North America I would probably pay at least $40-50 at least per dress, and this way I get to choose the fabric, design and everything in between.

My friend paid a similar price and got two dresses, a skirt and a blouse. While we didn’t really bargain for our clothing, it is something you could probably do, especially if you have a little more time to deliberate.

We just wanted clothing made and it all worked out that we felt the price wasn’t unreasonable to us. With the 48 hour turnaround, you can’t say they didn’t work hard for that money either.

How to Plan Your Dress-making Adventure

So now you know where to go and the approximate costs, the hard part begins. What do you actually get made? If you are going to get clothing made you should probably have at least a bit of a plan in place.

For one, time always goes quicker than you would like when you are on vacation. For another, you may have to work some clothing fittings around your day plans or vice versa, so planning makes that a little easier. Like I said, get fitted early in your trip then you can relax.

Have Designs or Outfit Ideas Ready

You don’t need to have everything worked out but one thing that shaves off a little time is having a plan of what you want to buy. Are you in the market for a suit? A dress or two? Some office attire? Or even some sun dresses?

I wear dresses a lot. Especially at work. So I knew I wanted a couple of dresses I could wear to the office, but that would also work for outside of the office.

If you see a design in a magazine or online that you like, take a copy of it with you. That way they have something to work from. Start looking a couple weeks before you get there if you want something specific.

Set Yourself a Limit

If you’re traveling with a backpack, then your limit might be set by bag weight and space. But even if you have a bigger luggage allowance, you don’t want to blow all of your finances in one place.

Decide in advance how much you want to spend, and try to stick to it. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, especially when leafing through page after page of gorgeous designs.

I was happy spending around $100. I knew going in that’s what I would want to spend, so the more I get for that money the better. My friend set her limit a bit higher, and wanted to also get shoes made (more on that later).

Find a Place That Makes You Feel Comfortable

Safety should be in the forefront of your mind whenever you are traveling, but like all situations, make sure you are comfortable with what is happening. That goes for if you get clothes made in Vietnam. Feel like you’re getting ripped off? Walk away. Feeling pressured or unsafe when you walk into a place? Leave.

Since you and your tailor are going to get pretty close (measuring inseam and fashion show close) go somewhere you feel good about the people. We felt really at ease with Trang and her assistants. They were calm, helped us understand and explained everything. They also asked our opinions and preferences which is important as the consumer.

Get a Receipt For Your Purchases

You wouldn’t pay big bucks in your local department store without getting a receipt would you? Then don’t settle for handing over cash in Vietnam without some guarantees. While everyone is very friendly to you (of course they are, they want your money) you still need to be smart about things.

Vietnam, like many other countries, has its share of scams. I’m not saying your tailor is out to get you, but if you’re paying what (over there) is considered a lot of money, just ask for a receipt stating the amount paid or what still needs to paid. We paid a deposit of 1 million VND for our clothes (which is normal) and paid the balance upon collection.

Getting Your Clothes Made In Vietnam

Now we’ve covered some important things you need to do, you might be wondering how the whole clothes making process goes. I have never had clothes made for me before so had no idea what to expect. I usually just go into a store, comb through racks and shelves finding items I like and then pay for them. I’ve never thought about what customization I would make given the chance. Now I had that chance.

Picking a Design

You’ve decided what you want made (dress, suit, blouse, skirt), that’s great. Now what? We were given the overwhelming task of selecting a design from a huge binder of designs.

The first thing you want to look out for is not the color which is often what draws us in, but the design itself. Because you’ll be able to make the items any color or fabric you want, but you need a base design to work with first.

I’m a big fan of the A-line dress. As Audrey Hepburn is my style icon you can imagine what I would like. I flagged a dozen designs and then started narrowing it down, culling one at a time like an episode of (insert your preferred reality show here).

Picking a Pattern

My final three designs selected, I had to now decide what colors or patterns I wanted. Solid colors? Classic patterns? Or out there prints! I was handed a variety of material swatches in every color of the rainbow. Then even more with patterns on them.

Thin material is perfect for summer dresses, and thicker materials (although not necessary for Vietnam), would be ideal in my native Canada. I opted for a lighter flowery material for one dress, a darker and heavier flowered pattern for another, and a solid red wine color for the third dress.

Getting Measured

It’s time to get friendly. Your tailor will be up in every inch of your business for the next few minutes as they take your measurements. Trang was efficient, and told me exactly what she needed which was great since I was a complete novice at this.

Arms up, arms down, legs out, stand straight, breathe in, breathe out. It was like a medical exam only at the end of it I get pretty dresses instead of a lollipop.

The worst part was that I was a sweaty mess because Vietnam is hot as hell and we’d been out in the sun all day. Poor Trang. Still, the main part was over with.

Customizing the Look

They asked questions to things I never knew I wanted until I realized it was an option. Did I want pockets? You bet I did! Finding a dress with pockets is like finding a unicorn in the Kentucky Derby. The holy grail of clothing finds.

But if you’re going to get clothes made in Vietnam this is no longer a crapshoot. Likewise, you can choose the sleeve length, hem length and everything in between. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want – you are, after all, paying for it.

The First Fitting

Not 24 hours after getting measured I was back in FaiFoo wearing my dresses. We were given each item of clothing to put on. Then Trang worked her way around asking us to move, lift our arms and checking for sizing. This is the time to speak up. If it’s too tight, say so. If it’s too loose, say so.

One of my dresses I was not too happy with the sleeves. It was an easy fix for them to do. But if I hadn’t said anything I probably would just have wasted my money on something I didn’t feel comfortable wearing.

One of my dresses came with a lacy trim so we walked to a lace store across the street and I chose the pattern I liked for my dress.

The Final Product

With the list of alterations to make, we left Trang and her staff to work on our clothing. We were told to come by the next day and pick them up, all ready. We went in the morning so that if something needed fixing they had time since that was our last day.

Everything was perfect. We tried on the outfits one by one, paid the remainder of our bills, and rushed back to the hotel for a photo shoot! And that’s how easy it is to get clothes made in Vietnam for yourself.

What Other Items Can You Have Made?

As well as hundreds of tailors throughout Hoi An making some of the nicest clothes you’ll ever help create, there are other stores to get personal items made. There are a number of leather stores with custom made bags, belts or wallets.

Then there are shoe shops with bespoke designs for you footwear. Although I didn’t get any shoes made, my friend got two pairs of boots. One knee length, and one ankle. Unlike a book of designs like the dresses, there were just racks of shoes you could choose from.

Then with your design selected, a variety of materials of different patterns and colors was offered. And you also chose the color of the stitching. Less than 24 hours later, the shoes were ready to try on.

How to Get Clothes Made in Vietnam

Each time we went to FaiFoo tailors we were given an ice cold bottle of water each, which was very much appreciated. We were sat down and had everything explained to us. What we needed to decide, what they needed to know and how they were going to do things.

The cost was laid out with a calculator and written down so there were no misunderstandings. We were given windows of time to come back for adjustments and collection. It was really simple from start to finish. If you make it to Vietnam, get yourself a few new items for your wardrobe. And if you’re in Hoi An, I recommend FaiFoo, and Trang.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using our social media buttons below. Have you visited Hoi An? Would you want to get clothes made in Vietnam? What other unique experiences have you had like this?