Dressmakers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Many customers arrive with a picture. Phương Giang Tailor follows reference photos closely and leans towards ao dai, qipao and bridesmaid dresses; an engagement dress cost about US$97, a custom qipao about US$110 and three dresses ordered together roughly US$60 each. Huong Dao Tailor works from designs saved on your phone and has most orders ready within a day. At Ha’s Sewing Room, a one-woman studio, many clients are measured by video call before they arrive.

If you are short of time, Thao Silk Tailor had two dresses and a custom ao dai ready in under 24 hours, and one reviewer who arrived two days before leaving Vietnam still got an ao dai; another paid US$60 for one. Prices at the lower end include US$58 for a dress or playsuit at Elegant Silk, where most orders take 24 to 48 hours. A dress at Tâm Silk Tailor costs around US$100, and one customer paid US$200 to US$250 for four cotton dresses at TuyetLan Orchids Tailor.

For several matching dresses, such as a bridesmaid group, allow more time than for one. Five 1-star reviews of Maydo Saigon Tailor come from one bridesmaid group that paid about US$150 per dress and found uneven pleats and dresses still unfinished at the agreed pickup, nearly missing a flight. At Usagi, where Japanese reviewers paid around 6,000 to 10,000 yen per dress, 9 of 60 Google reviews report a finished garment that differed from the request or had finishing faults. Collect at least a day before you leave and try every dress on; at Tài Tailor a dress was adjusted on the spot in about 1.5 hours, and 39 of the 48 include adjustments in the price.