The Process Of Having Clothes Tailor-Made In Vietnam

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Getting clothes made in Vietnam is a Westerners right of passage. The most well known place to have this done is in Hoi An. Hoi An is UNESCO heritage listed and has a very well preserved old town.

Why Hoi An

The women (and men) of the tailor shops dotted all over Hoi An are known for being able to see a design and copy it down to the last thread. You can show a picture of a clothing item and they can make a near-exact replica, within 1-2 days.

Finding the right shop for the task is KEY. We all walked around town wandering aimlessly looking at all kinds of shops before we found a clothing tailor shop that looked like it was ‘The Business’. We chose Ao Baba!

It’s important to shop around when getting clothes tailor-made as some shops will do great work and some will under-deliver. Make sure you suss out the shop before diving right in!

The torment of choice

The hardest thing about this process was choosing which garment I wanted made. Try to go to these tailor-shops with something already in mind! I myself was not prepared so after much deliberation, I decided on a simple V-neck dress with a pleated skirt to the knee.

I then had to pick out which material I would have for the dress! Pattern, no pattern, which colour, which material? This process took me ages. I’m not much of a decision maker, so eventually I forced myself into deciding on a cute pattern and ran with it.

Being measured

Being measured is quite an odd experience!  It takes about 10 minutes for each and every measurement to be done. You even have to help decide how low you want the V neck of your neck-line to sit when getting measured, or the sleeves, and exactly how long the dress should be. This means it is the ultimate in customisation!

Once you are measured up, it’s time to pay the lovely lady and leave. You must come back the following day to see how the garment is coming along..

Time for a follow up

For my garment, I had a fitting in the morning before a beach day. We popped in and the garment was MADE. There was an actual dress to try on. I put it on and it was lovely! Better than expected! It was too big around my waist (slightly) and too long (the hem still had to be sewn) and I had decided to go a little lower for the V and a little shorter for the sleeves.

I was then told, come back later and we will have it finished. Since it was so good, and they already had my measurements, I asked if they could also do a short top, no sleeves with the material I loved most – which was too elaborate for a dress.

They said yes.

Final Fit

After a day lazing on the beach to the sound of Vietnamese karaoke we rode our bikes back into Hoi An and over to the tailor for one last look. My dress was perfect and my top just needed to be taken in ever so slightly.

What they offer which I thought was fantastic, is a courtesy hotel drop-off! After dinner when we arrived at our hotel, the hotel attendant knew our clothes had arrived and they were all in individual bags on hangers.

How much did I spend?

All up, for the dress and the top I paid roughly £20..! The rest of the group I was with all had items tailored (dresses, shirts, jackets) and everyone one of us was thrilled with the result! I can’t believe I got a dress and top for so little that fit me perfectly!!

Vietnam Video

I created a video of our 2 week trip to Vietnam on the Magisto App, watch it here: Vietnam Video

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About Lesley

Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!