Popular brands made affordable - Searching for X stock in Saigon

Story written by: Nyugen Ngoc Thanh Mai

Vietnam is a well known hub for exported clothes where International brands such as Lascote, Gap, A/X, Levi’s all outsource certain functions of the manufacturing process. Amongst the millions of items produced, there will inevitably be a percentage of that considered to be rejects or x stock. In other cases, certain models which are not popular may be set aside and sold at a significant discount. This has led to a rising trend among Saigon people to hunt these exported goods at the black markets or from some popular places.

While “Made in China” products have earned an unenviable reputation in Vietnam, consumers have now turn their affection towards these exported “Made in Vietnam" goods. These are considered to be more superior in terms of materials, designs, range of sizes, and more importantly, allows the average person to enjoy popular brands at affordable prices. As such, this article aims to provide you with references on where to find branded items at discounted prices.


Imitations look just as good as the real stuff

Choose the real ones

To start off, a gentle reminder that not all branded goods found in saigon are genuine. The real exported clothes usually have woven tags rather than nylon or other materials sewn on the collar or the waist. Also, most of the designs are very simple with woven decorations as opposed to loud colorful prints. Lastly, the quality of materials used and workmanship of genuine products are significantly better. But the easiest way to identify genuines from fakes would be to check over the “Made in Vietnam” stamp with complete iron and laundry information.


You can find a steal if you look hard

Where to buy?

Upon reaching Hai Ba Trung Street in district 1, ask around for a secluded part of
Nguyen Van Thu Street in which there is a very popular store which specializes in exported clothes. It is a small store divided into two areas, one of which is for tops, while the other is for bottoms. Most of brands are very popular with the young generation as well as the Viet Kieus (overseas Vietnamese). And if you are lucky, there may be a pair of Levi’s (10usd) or a Kappa top (5usd) hiding somewhere in that stack. More interestingly, prices here can be reduced further through skillful bargaining.

Another popular place normally frequented is Saigon Square at 7 and 9 Ton Duc Thang street in district 1. Many of Saigon celebrities prefer to shop here for branded stuff. This market has nearly 350 stores within it, catering to almost every fashion category. The brands sold here are usually influenced by trend from Singapore, Hong Kong or Korean. Prices here can vary quite a bit though. You may find a branded T-shirt ranging from 1usd to 5usd, or a pair of jeans ranging 10usd to 30usd. And for a population whose average monthly salary is 150usd, this price diference is considered to be fairly significant. Whenever unsure, just refer to the tips above as to how to distinguish genuines from fakes. As a gauge, bargaining should start from half the original price quoted.