This is a guide to getting clothes (specifically suits and shirts) made in Hoi An, Viet Nam, and I've written it because it's clear that it's easy to get ripped off here, and because most people won't have as much time as I did to scope out the place.
There are, apparently, over 500 cloth shops in Hoi An. I say 'cloth shops' partly because that's how some describe themselves, and partly because it was clear that the majority of them are *not* tailors. If you want to buy tailored clothes in Hoi An, I suggest reading this to save you some time and bother.
There are, apparently, over 500 cloth shops in Hoi An. I say 'cloth shops' partly because that's how some describe themselves, and partly because it was clear that the majority of them are *not* tailors. If you want to buy tailored clothes in Hoi An, I suggest reading this to save you some time and bother.
Pretty, pretty Hoi An.
Hoi An is beautiful, but step out into the streets and you will be besieged by people trying to get you into their shops. They will promise anything. Just to get you in there. And then the process begins. The hard, hard sell. Resist! No matter how hard they try and sell *do not* commit to anything on your first walk around the town, just take it all in. Venturing into the cloth market properly is particularly brave. I had to, almost, force my way out. A woman who was trying to sell to me was actually pulling at my sleeves.
It's incredibly cut-throat in Hoi An. Too many sellers. Not enough buyers. You can get a great deal, but you need to research beforehand. Presumably that's why you're reading this. Look on the internet. Look for reviews that appear independent. Don't listen to the staff in your hotel. Someone is paying them to be recommended. Do not listen to the advice of people who try to engage with you as you eat your meal. Again they are being paid to get you buying. If a shop asks you where you heard about them, stick to telling them you heard about them from independent reviews on the internet, or other travellers.
I spent a long time reading tripadvisor.com reviews. Some of them are clearly planted both by the shops the review is about and by rivals seeking to discredit them. You can tell sometimes by the stats next to the reviewer. If it's their only review, and they've only been a member for a short time, and/or the english is bad, be suspicious. Be suspicious anyway. It helps here. You'll end up getting a better deal I hope. I found two other blog entries about tailors in Hoi An (see below for links), and I found them the most useful because I was all but certain they were honest independent travellers just sharing their experiences. Which is why I'm writing this. The only other thing I did was to read a noddy guide to suits and tailoring, and look through some websites to find some examples of what I liked. I didn't know the lingo before I read up, and I was glad I did because I felt the staff took me more seriously as a result. Know what you want, roughly, before you go in. Know about lapels and buttons and slips and cuts (if you're a man) and the fashion that you are after. But don't be too rigid with your demands either. It helps to be flexible, especially if you find a tailor who knows what they're doing. A good tailor will take pride in making you look good and not expect you to point out the problems.
So you could research forever. I've put some links to what I read at the bottom of this blog entry. But it becomes both boring and confusing. Eventually you have to make a choice based on what you've seen online, and your experiences in Hoi An. After spending the first afternoon exploring a series of shops and the cloth market I couldn't make a definite judgement on any particular place so I chose to go to two tailors and get one suit and one shirt made by each. Based on that experience I would then decide which one I would select finally. I was pretty sure that each would do a half decent job, but I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket. I went to Khoi tailors and Mr Xe tailors.
Khoi proudly exhibited its tripadvisor rating on a billboard outside the shop. When I was in the shop the staff were very interested in what I wanted to buy, and how much, and were quite helpful with cloth selection although I felt it was hard to get an accurate idea of the quality of cloth I was choosing. In the end I chose a plain black cloth for one suit and decided to get one plain white shirt to go with it. I was feeling a little uneasy and didn't want to commit to anything more than necessary until I felt I was dealing with someone who cared about their product. When it came to measurement, Khoi measured me in my clothes. I wondered how an accurate measurement of someone's body was going to be taken in their clothes, but didn't object. It added to a growing sense that this outfit was not quite what the tripadvisor billboard on the outside suggested it was. After the measurements there was plenty of hard sell trying to get me to order more. I resisted, made a time for the next fitting and trooped off to Mr Xe.
At Mr. Xe, the staff were more friendly and not as pushy as Khoi (there was a bit of hard sell though). There were no tripadvisor billboards. The staff were more helpful with cloth selection, the selection itself was wider and the cloth seemed of good quality. I ordered a mid grey suit and a shirt, as before. At this point the staff rang Mr Xe himself and a few minutes later Mr Xe arrived and measured me. It was easy to tell from the outset that he was passionate about his work. He took time and trouble over the measuring process, getting me into a thin pair of cotton shorts to do it. He took many more measurements than Khoi, one of his staff noting them down as we went along. He had an opinion on the cloth I had chosen and on my body type. He is a short man, with a big smile and he fusses around you in a rather endearing way. After my measurements I was whisked off to a premises up the street with sewing machines where the clothes are presumably made. Another man took even more detailed measurements of my upper body. Then back to Mr Xe's shop where we made a time to return.
On the basis of this initial experience Mr Xe was the winner. Even stripping away everything else, it was Mr Xe himself, and his attitude to the process, which was the most reassuring. I felt that here was someone who knew what he was doing and took pride in it.
The next day I was back at Khoi for the first fitting. The black suit they had made did not inspire me particularly, but it was not bad either. I felt the same about the shirt. Both the trousers and the jacket needed bringing in at various points. This is fine as it is better to make it too big than too little. Still, what I noticed was that I was the one having to point out the problems. The staff were more interested in persuading me that it was OK as it is. This made it feel a bit confrontational, although to be fair to them they had no problems with making the adjustments I wanted. I just felt that if I had no experience of tailoring (as many people won't) then I could've been persuaded that the suit was OK when it wasn't. I left feeling the same sense of unease as before but hopeful they could make the suit look better.
Next to Mr Xe. The shirt and suit fitted well. The cloth looked good. I was impressed. Mr Xe was there himself. He greeted me warmly, dressed me up, turned me around and looked and pulled at the material. The suit seemed a little wide at the top but otherwise seemed to look good. But Mr Xe said to me, as he did repeatedly over the next couple of days, 'I not happy'! He was not happy with the suit. A perfectionist clearly, he went around me chatting away to his colleagues and making chalk marks on the suit. He then explained why he was not happy to me and, yes, I could see what he meant, but I wouldn't have spotted it (not being a tailoring expert). Off the suit came and off we went again to the tailoring premises I visited yesterday. More chatter, more marks, more measurements. And back to Mr Xe.
I was very encouraged by Mr Xe at this point. The suit looked good to me, but he was going to make it look better. I felt confident that he was a man who took pride in his work and that I would leave with a good product. The staff were keen to persuade me to buy more suits, and I ordered three more. One tuxedo, a blue suit and a silver grey suit. Mr Xe was on hand to help with selection, and the staff were all keenly interested in the cloth I chose and the colour combination of the lining. They weren't too pushy, but they did help when I was a bit stuck. Having finalised the order I was told to come back the following day.
Next day we visited Khoi. The black suit was considerably improved, but again the staff there seemed not to be very interested in the product. There was no equivalent to Mr Xe there. I felt that the suit looked good, but not great. I did not know exactly what needed doing to alter it, and again the staff were keen to persuade me that it looked good as it was. I felt that getting anything else done would be a struggle. The price was $110 for the suit and shirt, which I paid in cash. I left with a reasonable suit I think (time will tell), but no particular sense of satisfaction. To their credit the staff did not try and sell me anything else that day. I think perhaps they could see I was not enthused.
Then back to Mr Xe. Again a better experience. The tuxedo especially was a knockout! I never realised quite how good a properly tailored tuxedo could look. Fantastic. But Mr Xe was not happy! More chalk marks, more chatter. Back to the other premises. Back to Mr Xe. Same with the other suits. I thought they looked really good. Mr Xe thought they could be better.
The suit I initially ordered now fitted snugly and looked excellent to me. A couple of people who came in to the shop at that point were so impressed seeing me in it that they started ordering stuff themselves.
I suppose at this point it is worth pointing out that time is something you need to give to this process. The tighter your time limit, the less you can expect. With a week I had enough time to do research on the net, actually find a tailor I was happy with and then order, and have altered, all the things I wanted. But the minimum time you could do this in would be four days I think. Even it you took this blog to heart and walked straight into Mr Xe and ordered everything you wanted, you'd be lucky to get away with anything less than this. I let Mr Xe tell me when to come back, which was generally the next day.
So, after a total of three fittings, I finished up with 4 suits (2 with waistcoats), 1 tux, 8 shirts and a pair of shorts (a cheeky extra). That came to about $800, which was about what I wanted to spend. You could drive a harder bargain I guess. Competition is fierce. That said, you get what you pay for. There is a hard, hard sell attitude here. Try to go in knowing how much you want, and don't get persuaded to buy more than that. One of the things that endeared me to Mr Xe was not only his attitude but also the fact that as I ordered more he automatically lowered the prices. I didn't have to ask. I usually feel a bit embarrassed about haggling. Classic English boy. So to be saved this was a bonus. By the end the shirts were coming out at $15 a piece, just as a guide. To start with they were $20. The suits work out at around $100, depending on the cloth you get. Waistcoats are extra. Tuxedos a bit more. But, all this for the same price as I might expect to get one middle-of-the-road tailored suit in the UK. A snip! ;)
I left happy, and encumbered. Sending everything back to the UK cost another $100, although that was with a load of other souvenirs I'd bought along the road. I'll be back in Hoi An. It's a gorgeous town as it is. With the added bonus of Mr Xe, it's worth the flight just to come out here. Bravo. Commiserations to Khoi. Tough market. Maybe I caught them at a bad time. Anyway, I hope this helps you make a choice. I'm not saying go with Mr Xe. But this was my experience. Of course the stuff might fall apart when I start wearing it. If it does though, I'll edit or remove this blog post!
Thanks for reading :) Good luck!
Khoi Tailors
Mr Xe Tailors
Top Tips
1. Know what you want (as much as possible)
2. Do your research about the tailors, and the jargon
3. Have a walk around, ask lots of questions, look lots but don't commit on the first day
4. When you've found someone it's probably wise to test them out if you have time. Get one garment made and see if you're happy. Then you can be really sure. But obviously this will take longer.
5. Whatever your time limit, you really need at allow at least 4 days to ensure a good fit
6. If you can see something is wrong, it most probably is
7. A good tailor will point out the problems without you having to ask
Stuff I read
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