You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate having nice clothes to wear. But most of the time, you do get what you pay for – which means budget travelers who are more intent on travel than on accumulating “stuff” will pass over quality clothing pieces in favor of saving that money for a trip. But more travelers are discovering the custom tailoring done in Hoi An for a fraction of what it would cost anywhere else in the world. So in this case, you really can have your cake and eat it, too.
For whatever reason, Hoi An is full of excellent seamstresses and the streets are lined with tailoring shops. It’s not the ideal place to spend an entire Vietnam vacation, to be sure, but the city’s sole industry is enough of a lure that getting custom clothes in Hoi An is on many a backpacker’s to-do list. Whether someone wants to get a few suits made for that job they’ll get once they’re done traveling or they’re just looking for a few nice duds to wear to parties back home, Hoi An is the place to go.
Luckily, Vietnam is one of those places that’s popular enough with backpackers and budget travelers that it keeps a steady stream of people coming into the country. Flights from USA to Vietnam tend to be cheaper in January and October, and are generally cheaper from the US west coast, but prices don’t go from extreme highs to extreme lows. In other words, while it pays to do advance research on ticket prices you aren’t likely to see prices double or halve overnight.
When it comes to accommodation, Vietnam is among the cheapest places to be – so even if you splurge on a place that seems like one of the expensive hotels in Asia it will likely not put a huge dent in your travel budget. And that’s an especially good thing if you’re planning to restock your entire wardrobe in Hoi An…
photo by plusgood