Hoi An: For Custom Clothes And Handmade Shoes…Yes!

If you’ve done any research on Vietnam travel, you might have heard: go to Hoi An for custom clothes. I’m here to tell you it’s true. What I didn’t fully appreciate until I arrived is that the whole experience — the measuring, the fabric choosing, the fitting — is as much a part of the trip as any temple or boat ride. And the prices? I still can’t quite believe them.

We spent four days in Hoi An’s Ancient Town, and by the time we left, Howard had a beautifully tailored suit and two pairs of trousers, I had two new dresses, our son Tommy walked away with his own suit and two shirts, and our daughter-in-law had a few dresses plus a coordinated pant and top set. Oh, and both men had custom loafers made to order. All of it done in under days.

Have you ever had something custom made for you from scratch?

A Dong Silk: Where My Dresses (and Howard’s Suit) Were Born

Our first stop was A Dong Silk, one of Hoi An’s most established tailors. We did this as soon as we arrived to give them as much time as possible for tailoring.

The shop is lined floor to ceiling with bolts of fabric — silks, linens, brocades, cotton blends — and the staff, dressed in their own beautiful áo dài, make the whole process feel like a collaboration rather than a transaction. Our consultant Nga was patient, skilled, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping me find the right fabrics.

They didn’t have lots of patterns. I had something in mind like this linen Alemais dress from My Theresa and showed Nga a photo. This pricier dress is actually made in Vietnam too. I also showed her another long silk dress like this one from Tuckernuck.

I chose fabric for two dresses — the Vietnamese silk (its actually blue on one side and chartreuse on the other–I chose the blue side). And the blue and white linen/cotton blend in contrasting fabrics.

The process is wonderfully hands-on: you choose your fabric, sketch out the style you want, get measured, and return for a fitting (in Howard’s case two fittings). We exchanged WhatApp numbers to text each other with updates.

Each dress came in around $100 (instead of the close to $1000 each for the retail ones). And they are fully lined (they call it two layers) with pockets. The silk one on the left I can dress up with gold sandals and pearls.

Howard’s custom suit, fully measured, fitted, and finished, was $450. For the quality of construction and the personalized attention, it felt like an extraordinary value.

My only complaint is that it was hot in their showrooms…even with the fans blasting (no a/c). But then if it was cooler, we probably would have spent a lot more! (and I have a bathroom remodel to budget for at home).

Beri Tailor: Tommy and His Wife, Mona Shop Too

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Tommy and Mona headed to Beri Tailor — another well-regarded shop in the Ancient Town.

Tommy ordered a suit and Mona commissioned several pieces including dresses and a coordinated pant and top set.

The Shoe Situation

And then there are the shoes. This was sort of a last minute decision (like the day before we were leaving). So I would suggest doing this earlier so as not to be so rushed.

Both Howard and Tommy had custom leather loafers made to order at Kha Thi (near where you buy tickets to enter the town). Their feet were traced directly onto paper on the shop floor, measurements taken, style selected.

Same day later: perfect-fitting loafers for about $45…

Howard’s are classic navy; Tommy’s a sage green suede.

In a world of fast fashion Hoi An is a beautiful, efficient, affordable argument for slowness — for clothes made specifically for you, by someone who takes genuine pride in the work. These are garments that you will want to keep for a long time.

Have you had clothes made in Vietnam? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.

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Hoi An is also known for their charming silk lanterns…which I will post about once I get home and can show you where I am using the inexpensive ones that I bought.