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Good Tailors in Vietnam

18K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Paul11  
#1 ·
I'm traveling to Vietnam in a couple months, and I've heard that they have some excellent tailors who work for much less than their US counterparts. I'm looking for dress shirts and perhaps a suit, both MTM. Does anyone have any suggestions about reputable tailors? I'm planning to stop through Hoi An, which I've heard is clothing central, but I'm willing to go elsewhere if people have better suggestions. Thanks!
 
#5 ·
Check out this article (you might have to have a Wall Street Journal online subscription to see it, not sure) https://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB116614708869551009.html
disclaimer: the article does discuss more designer clothes rather than business clothes
Thanks, the article has some good recommendations. Sounds like a bit of a crap shoot, but I've been jonesing for a nice light gray peak lapel double-vent suit to wear with some new tan AE bals; I might just have to have it made.
 
#7 ·
HISMES PARIS:

I'll be in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam on Saturday April 12. You can find m@t and I at the Q bar!!
Hmm think I may take you to Temple Club and then walk you through the uber-cool Mr. Au's Furniture Hellhole this time Andy :)

OP - As RJMan said, Dung on Le Thanh Ton Street is the best tailor I have found in Vietnam....and lord knows I have been through a few.

Dung's store is in Saigon, on the street at the back of Ben Thanh Market, half way between the market and the New World Hotel. Nice store, and his wife runs the cloth import store next door, where they have a pretty ok selection of cloth. Better than I have seen elsewhere in VN.

Hoi An is regarded as the tailoring epicenter of the country, but to be honest, all I find there are backpackers in ill fitting crap. I made a tux, a double breasted suit and a peak lapel single breast when I was up there a year or so ago. I now have three more unworn suits. Dirt cheap, and they do bang em out fast (well within 24 hours)...but I guess that should tell you something on its own.
 
#8 ·
Andy's buying? I thought little dong was necessary to be buying.
 
#9 ·
Hmm think I may take you to Temple Club and then walk you through the uber-cool Mr. Au's Furniture Hellhole this time Andy :)

OP - As RJMan said, Dung on Le Thanh Ton Street is the best tailor I have found in Vietnam....and lord knows I have been through a few.

Dung's store is in Saigon, on the street at the back of Ben Thanh Market, half way between the market and the New World Hotel. Nice store, and his wife runs the cloth import store next door, where they have a pretty ok selection of cloth. Better than I have seen elsewhere in VN.

Hoi An is regarded as the tailoring epicenter of the country, but to be honest, all I find there are backpackers in ill fitting crap. I made a tux, a double breasted suit and a peak lapel single breast when I was up there a year or so ago. I now have three more unworn suits. Dirt cheap, and they do bang em out fast (well within 24 hours)...but I guess that should tell you something on its own.
Hey M@T, what was wrong with the suits?

My gf is going to be in Hoi An next week, for four days. She brought a shirt of mine to use for measurements and was going to bring me back a bunch of shirts.

Are things that poorly done?

Cheers,
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've had several suits made in India and the far east and I would say the following is true:

You get what you pay for! If you pay for crap, you get crap, and people who know what a crap suit looks like will snigger, and you are unlikely to wear it when you realise you'll stick out like a sore thumb. ALL of mine have now gone to charity shops. For all the £100 suits I bought, I could have a nice one made at a decent tailor in the UK. The main problem is that they often don't wear suits and don't know the big no nos like putting no button holes on cuffs. They also often require 5-10 fittings before they fit half-reasonably.

Also, beware: wool is like gold and other commodities - you can't buy it (at good quality) cheaper abroad. The best stuff comes from Italy and the UK and in many eastern countries their material has "Made in England", "Super 120s" etc on the seam, but it really comes from China and is often mixed with polyester.

Workmanship in these countries often leaves a lot to be desired - be warned. My advice is save your pennies for a good suit from a reputable tailor.
 
#11 ·
I think that what robinfaz says is true in principle: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. That said, I have seen a few of my colleagues wearing suits done up in HK that are decent. Not the sort that makes one look at the suit as if one just spotted a delicious dessert wearing a skirt, but certainly nothing to snigger at. One just needs to be judicious and seek out reliable references for a given provider. This same rule applies at the other end of the spectrum as well: paying a top price will not guarantee a top result.

Happy hunting.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the help everyone. I will still take a look at the offerings, but sounds like I'll have to be judicious (which I suppose is always a good rule). Andy, unfortunately I won't be there 'til mid-May, or else I'd definitely join you two for a drink!
 
#13 ·
Hey M@T, what was wrong with the suits?

My gf is going to be in Hoi An next week, for four days. She brought a shirt of mine to use for measurements and was going to bring me back a bunch of shirts.

Are things that poorly done?

Cheers,
Mostly a casualty of the speed at which they work, and the fact that they are so accustomed to working in 12 hour turnarounds. Zero attention to detail. Get em in get em out. Does it fit? Kinda. But then, I could walk into a dept store and get a kinda fitting 40R. Workmanship reflects speed of production. Cloth reflects price.

Now, let me address the loopholes in the above statements.

Q. "If I told him 'take a month, get things perfect' how would it be?"
A. The same, because volume is so high, he would make it after 29 1/2 days and you would get the same result, basically because That Is What The Fans Want, right?

Q. Why dont I just buy more expensive cloth? Or bring my own?
A. Do you trust vendors in a town where the tourist trade has taught them that 600% markups for foreigners are perfectly fair? Would you really want to waste a hundred-buck-a-meter length on a 12 hour turnaround guy?
 
#14 ·
Mostly a casualty of the speed at which they work, and the fact that they are so accustomed to working in 12 hour turnarounds. Zero attention to detail. Get em in get em out. Does it fit? Kinda. But then, I could walk into a dept store and get a kinda fitting 40R. Workmanship reflects speed of production. Cloth reflects price.

Now, let me address the loopholes in the above statements.

Q. "If I told him 'take a month, get things perfect' how would it be?"
A. The same, because volume is so high, he would make it after 29 1/2 days and you would get the same result, basically because That Is What The Fans Want, right?

Q. Why dont I just buy more expensive cloth? Or bring my own?
A. Do you trust vendors in a town where the tourist trade has taught them that 600% markups for foreigners are perfectly fair? Would you really want to waste a hundred-buck-a-meter length on a 12 hour turnaround guy?
Makes sense.

I'll probably just have three or four shirts made for, apparently, less than $50 and cross my fingers! Worst case, I can wear them under a sweater, or turn them into pillow cases.

Thanks.
 
#15 · (Edited)
oh theyll bang out shirts for under ten bucks in Hoi An.

Dung is worth a visit though, he does very nice work, and will mail it out to you when he is done.

edit - Hoi An is worthwhile if there is something you want to experiment with.

In my case, I had never had a single breasted peak lapel. Now I have made one, tried it out, decided I didnt like it. Doing it in Hoi An made it a thirty five buck trial run, rather than spending a few hundred on Dung. Ditto 6x2 double breasts - always wanted one of those, not sure whether it would suit me. It didn't, and again, I blew thirty five on the lesson.

Last time I was at Dung there was some guy making a seersucker. Was collecting it. Did it with two pairs of pants and spent $400-450 or so. Said to his wife on the spot 'well, now we know seersuckers don't suit me' and paid up....Hoi An is great for avoiding that....and if you deem seersuckers (or peak lapels, or 6x2 DBs) do suit you, well then go buy one somewhere better.
 
#16 ·
Good tailor in saigon!

i've just come back from a nice trip in Vietnam.

i had my clothes made with q_hana fashion and i really like it.

Want to share experience with other who are going to Vietnam.
At the begining, i don;t have the material, that tailor went to the market with me and help me to choose what is suitable for my dress. Then she took my measurement and return the clothes in 2 days.

For the first trying time, my dress need a little fit, but for the second time, it is perfect on me.

so i think u also can try that friendly tailor.
Their email: qhanafashion@yahoo.com
Cheer
 
#18 ·
just came back from holiday in Vietnam. I also got some clothes made with Longan Fashion in Saion and very happy with my clothes.
The tailor came to our hotel for measurement and went to the Ben Thanh market with us for the material.
They can deliver the clothes in 2 days.
Here is contacting detail:
https://www.saigonsewing.com
I vote for them with good quality, friendly service and cheap price. 1 suit + 1 pant cost something like 140 usd
cheer!