Custom leather jackets and shoes in Vietnam

Most of the leather work in this list happens in Hoi An. For shoes, boots, sandals, bags and belts, Yes Leather Tailor is a family-run workshop where you deal directly with the owner, Le Ta. It is fast: custom sandals ordered at 9pm were ready by 11am, a bag took under five hours, and shoes generally take one to two days. Clothing tailors often add shoes on the side. At ZoZo Tailors, on An Bang beach, made-to-fit leather shoes cost about €50 a pair, and Gumi GM Tailor makes custom shoes through a partner shop next door.

Leather jackets are on the list at several clothing tailors here, among them Gumi GM, Sewing Bee and Vision Tailor. Blue Lantern Tailor & Design suits anyone after less common pieces such as leather coats, and Yes Leather copies jackets, coats and dresses from a photo or a piece you bring, measuring one day and finishing the next.

Outside Hoi An the choice is smaller. In Hanoi's Old Quarter, Nhà Sửa Chữa Y Phục Hòa is a repair shop that fixes the inside of a leather jacket quickly and cheaply. In Saigon, Bespoke Suit 3Pieces Tailor stocks ready-made Oxford and Derby shoes and ties, so a full outfit can be bought in one visit.

Shoes can need more fittings than clothes. At Yes Leather, one 3-star review says four pairs of custom shoes needed more than six fittings, and a 1-star reviewer advises paying only a 10% deposit. Ask for a price per piece, leave time for an extra fitting, and if you are leaving soon, 19 of the 30 shops deliver to your hotel and 16 ship abroad.