Last month we talked about Department Streets. Streets or areas in Saigon that are dedicated to selling one particular type of goods. Sometimes its the mundane, the practical or the downright surprising, these Department Streets cater to very specific types of customers.

So what other kinds of Department Streets are there? Well let’s have a look at the more peculiar merchants of Saigon.

Hardware Street

Dan Sinh Market

Số 104, Yersin, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000

This is actually the neighborhood that wraps around Dan Sinh Market. Most people head to this area to pick up things like power tools, lighting fixtures, plumbing, paint, nuts, bolts and more. And as usual for Southeast Asian markets, you can find goods varying from the authentic item to those of a more dubious quality. Think of it as visiting your neighborhood Home Depot, just without the customer service or return guarantee, but with just as many vets.

Tailor Street

82 – 10 Ly Chinh Trang, Phuong 8, Quan 3, Ho Chi Minh

Tailors in Vietnam are plentiful and offer such a stunning deal. With such a large industry in Vietnam, it makes sense for many of these tailors to gather together and create their very own Tailor Street. Storefronts here can range from larger, more proper stores, to rickety tables with sewing machines plopped on top and in front of a dingy store. Other stores specialize and selling custom made ao dai, the traditional dress of Vietnam.

How do you know which tailor you can trust? Volunteer a shirt for tribute and find out! Or ask a trusted local.

Fabric Street

48 Mã Lộ, Phuong Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000

The Tan Dinh market is another local market that peddles all sorts of goods, but in particular, they focus on fabrics. This causes the adjacent streets to be littered with fabric stores. With the sheer number of stores here, you can find any fabric you’d ever need from the cheapity-cheap to the Donald Trumpy ostentatious.

The fortunate thing about this street is that it’s not too far away from district 1 and quite close to some good food and some tourist attractions like the historic pink church. It’s an okay stop, but definitely worth it if you’re looking to buy large quantities of fabric, as you can get some steep discounts for bulk orders.

Aquarium Street

Luu Xuan Tin, Phuong 10 Quan 5, Ho Chi Minh City

Little Nemos of the world beware of this little alley that’s solely dedicated to one thing: the capture and internment of fish. The numerous stores here sell everything you’d ever need to start up your own aquarium including the tank, pumps, fish food, and toys. I’m not sure if their primary patrons are everyday folk, hardcore hobbyists, or corporations, but there must be enough business to go around for this alley to exist.

Trophy and Sign Street

Nam Quoc Cang, Phuong Pham Ngu Lao, Quan 1

Is there someone in your life that needs congratulating? Do they really need to be congratulated? I hope so because this street can make any trophy that person ever needs. The signs I get, since there are so many stores opening up or holding a special event. As for the trophies, well I’m assuming there’s a lot of people in this town that are appropriately getting rewarded for their hard work.

Honorable Mention: Photocopy Street

Like the Pharmacy Street, this only receives an honorable mention because there are so many of these streets spread throughout the city. It seems that many universities and schools don’t support printing so these stores rise to meet that demand. Wherever there’s a school or university, there’s going to be a pack of photocopy stores located across the street to cater to any printing needs from students or faculty.

If you need something printed, just find a school and look around.

Those are all of the Department Streets that are particularly large or unique. If I can find anymore, that might warrant another post.

Until next time.