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54 Traditions Gallery
This shop has a mind-boggling collection of antiques from Vietnam's hill-tribe communities. All of it's for sale, but it's worth taking an informed tour of the three floors, especially if co-owner Nguyen Thi Nhung is on hand. She's one of Hanoi's most knowledgeable curators of ethnic crafts, and she will patiently explain any item that strikes your fancy. All purchases are documented for export.
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Apricot Gallery
Many of Hanoi's most accomplished contemporary artists are shown at this immense, multistorey gallery. You're also likely to encounter older works by local masters. A visit is an illuminating and highly hospitable experience.
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Art Vietnam
One of Hanoi's most reputable galleries, Art Vietnam is an essential stop for any serious collector. Works by local (and some foreign) artists address contemporary issues of rapidly changing Hanoi. Look for Nguyen The Son's power-line cityscapes, Nguyen Manh Hung's studies of Hanoi traffic and Peter Steinhauer's awesome large-format photographic prints.
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Coco Silk
This is a high-end shop that sells silk garments for women and men. Contemporary looks are teased out of traditional Vietnamese styles. You can also shop for embroidered curtains, handbags and shoes.
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Cocoon
The contemporary designs in this smart and charming little shop are quite striking. Silk garments for women are the mainstay, and these typically update traditional Vietnamese motifs. Many of the pant-and-shirt ensembles feature jazzed-up patterns and florid colours and convey the fluid beauty of the ao dai (Vietnamese national dress) without the formality. Original jewellery is also sold here for very little money.
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Codo Gallery
Refreshingly, not everything exhibited here appears to have been produced in the last year. The collection seems endless, with always another flight of stairs or an unopened door awaiting, but it's worth venturing all the way in. Some of the more intriguing, though perhaps less popular, works are hidden away.
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Dong Phong Art Gallery
One of Hanoi's best art galleries, this neat shop stands out by selecting a small number of works by serious artists. Owner Pho Hong Long has a discerning eye, is very easy-going, and speaks English well enough to teach you about the current scene. Older works by beaux-arts alumni are also exhibited here. Mr Pho can arrange studio visits with some artists.
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F Silk
If you're making the silk shop rounds, make sure you include this super shop, which has an endless selection of well-designed garments.
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Ha Gallery
In this busy atelier, half a dozen painters crouch before easels and knock out reproductions of classic paintings such as the Mona Lisa and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks . The quality of the works varies and would never be mistaken for the originals - but, let's face it, you can't afford the originals (these copies cost from US$40). You can also commission portraits of yourself, your sweetheart or your dog.
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Hanoi Gallery
For half a century the Communist Party has been driving home its positive, nationalistic message with artistic propaganda posters. You can still uncover appealing gems among this shop's well-picked-through collection of originals. Posters cost from US$50 to US$300.
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Hieu Phuc Loi
Local watercolour artists all have their own stamp with which they sign their works. Such elegantly designed, personalised stamps can be purchased at cluttered little shops such as this one for around ₫35 or more. The designs are hand-carved on wood blocks, and you'll get a red-ink stamp pad along with your purchase. Stick around to watch 'em make yours.
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Ho Guom Audio
The allure of Vietnamese pop music is generally lost on Western ears, but the more traditional music sold in this fine shop is downright soothing. Nothing evokes the sophisticated side of Vietnamese culture like exotic dan bau, or ca hue recordings. Helpful staff will let you listen before buying.
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Infostones Bookshop
There are several bookstores along Pho Trang Tien, and most have a few things for English-speaking readers to flip through. This shop is worth checking out for its solid selection of large-format, four-colour books on art, design and architecture.
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Kenly Silk
Extravagant and colourful garments make for striking displays on three floors. Designs both light-hearted and chic are designed to sit daintily on shoulders and grab attention. Scarves, shoes, pyjamas, ao dai (Vietnamese national dress) and children's clothing (for apprentice fashion slaves) also are available.
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L'image
This brightly lit shop gleams and glitters with the baubles displayed on its shelves. The jewellery is a celebration of beads and metalwork, much of it rather folksy and colourful. If nothing strikes your fancy, peruse the collection of impressive bronze teapots, copper buddhas, lacquered picture frames and other potential gift items.
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Life Photo Gallery
Finely printed enlargements of Do Anh Tuan's documentary photography cover the walls of this small shop. Do has been capturing reflective and provocative images, mostly in B&W, since 1971. A 5x7-inch print ( US$12 ) makes a nice gift or keepsake.
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Mai Gallery
One of Hanoi's leading purveyors of fine art, Mai Gallery is strikingly well lit, ensuring a careful inspection before you lay down your credit card. Many of the contemporary stalwarts are represented here, and gracious staff happily usher you from room to room. The handful of sketches by master To Ngoc Van are certainly worth a look.
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Mai's Cafe
Vietnamese drip coffee is an acquired taste, and it can be somewhat addictive. You can keep your habit going for a few weeks after returning home if you buy fresh beans or grounds from this fine-smelling establishment. It ain't all that cheap, but if you're still reading, you're probably hard core.
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Mosaique
You could walk right by this nondescript shop without peeking inside. But once you're in, you're likely to examine every piece of merchandise before leaving. The shelves feature a little of everything, all in original designs - silks, décor, homeware, jewelery - and enticingly presented. You can also buy inexpensive silk-lined gift boxes.
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Nguyen Frères
Finely selected antiques, quality reproductions and stylish silks are attractively displayed in this beautiful two-storey shop, which projects a sophisticated and appealing hybrid of Asian and European aesthetics. Cool Deco lamps, groovy print scarves, old Buddhas, French Catholic statuettes and H'mong textiles are just some of the items sold here. The shopkeepers will offer you hot tea, to induce you to linger awhile.
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Old Propaganda Posters
The walls of this gallery are covered floor to ceiling with original pressings of propaganda art from the American War. The selection here is primarily of choice rarities (priced US$300 and up), and the inks are as vibrant as ever. They're all interesting to look at, whether conveying politically charged messages, or as optimistic bromides about farming. Many of the posters are strikingly beautiful.
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Oriental Gallery
Facing Hoan Kiem Lake, this gallery isn't as big as the Hang Gai establishments, and some of the works aren't as polished. Many of the artists are less well known, and some are perhaps more interested in taking chances than carving niches. These differences actually work in Oriental Gallery's favour. It's definitely worth a look.
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Phuong Dong Art Shop
The merchandise in this rustic shop is of the 'ersatz antique' variety, but the products are well made and very attractive. Much of the room is filled with pottery that appears ancient, and the shop's glass cases are loaded with objets d'art such as stone opium pipes that look as though they may actually work. You might find something for your mantelpiece.
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Song
Valerie Gregori McKenzie's original designs have garnered her a strong following, and many traveling clothes hounds deliberately seek out her shop. McKenzie's company uses traditional Asian textile techniques, and avoids sweatshop environs by contracting with independent Vietnamese women, who do much of the actual stitchwork. The clothing is casual, comfortable and stylish, generally using subtle, earthy colour schemes.
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Suffusive Art Gallery
This is a smallish gallery, rather than a mind-boggling multilevel emporium, so the handful of artists represented here are shown in the best possible light. The gallery clearly favours contemporary expression, and the art generally pushes the envelope, often in ways that jar with the traditional Asian fondness for serene natural scenes.
