Needlework Cruise: Saigon

When we visited Saigon, the ship was again way out of town, and the bus trip took about 1.5 hours there and back. Our first destination was the Southern Vietnamese Women’s Museum. This museum had a display of 20 different types of regional and traditional clothing, including ao dai, which is a traditional Vietnamese outfit of long pants with a tunic over the top. There was also a display of weaving and other traditional Vietnamese crafts such as woven mats. The museum was free to visit.

The Southern Vietnamese Women’s Museum is set back off the street.

Vietnamese Ao dai

Clothing from a region in Southern Vietnam

Fabric dyeing display

We then went shopping, this time looking particularly for Vietnamese silk and textile souvenirs. We visited the Ben Thanh markets which was a sight to behold. The sounds include the bustling of people everywhere, and “can I help you?” type questions from any vendors who can see you! The stalls are full, where every square inch of space displaying something to sell. There is food, souvenirs, fabric, clothing, bags, etc.

Kim Phuong Embroidery and Mekong Quilts are businesses that provide hand embroidery and sewing work to village women, thereby providing them with a means of supporting their families. They produce high quality work so it is a pleasure to buy it as souvenirs and support the local economy. These are not mass-produced tourist souvenirs!

Kim Phuong store

Mekong Quilts store

We enjoyed Saigon very much. It is a very pretty city, with gardens along many streets and a mix of new and old colonial buildings. It was full of people on motorbikes, which made crossing streets challenging. However, we survived!