Vietnam

Ethnic minority products. These include bamboo bowls, lacquerware, water puppets, fabrics, and silver jewelry. Beautiful embroidered pictures and table linens, basketware, and hemp purses are made by the Dao, Hmong, and Black Thai, who live mainly in northwestern Vietnam. Many items can be found in galleries and shops in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and in local villages.

Bat Trang village ceramics. Bat Trang is one of several ceramic villages found on the outskirts of Hanoi, about an hour's car ride from the city center. Visitors may wander through the streets and studios of the village, where craftsmen make and sell their ceramics.

Buddha statues, lacquerware, bronze reproductions, traditional arts and crafts. These items may be purchased at KAF Traditional Sculptures and Art Accessories Co. (30 Nguyen Truong To Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi).

Ao dai, the traditional dress for Vietnamese women. This is a beautiful mid-calf-length tunic top with long sleeves and a mandarin collar. Khai Silk shop (107 Ðong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; 96 Pho Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) is one of the finest shops for traditional ao dai and other western-style clothing, such as jackets and blouses. There are also tailors and silk shops in nearly every town and city in Vietnam.

Vietnamese art. The many fine galleries in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City include the Apricot Gallery, which displays contemporary and traditional Vietnamese art, and Salon Natasha (30 Hang Bong Street, Hanoi; tel. +84 [0]4 826 1387), an alternative art space that combines exhibition areas and an artist's studio.

Intricate embroidered artwork. XQ Silk is produced at the Dalat History Village, where tourists can watch the craftswomen at work. Silk products are available for purchase at XQ Silk locations in Ho Chi Minh City, NhaTrang, Hanoi, Hue, and DaNang.

Published in March 2006. All content accurate as of press time.