Best gifts to buy in Vietnam from a Vietnamese student’s point of view

And that Vietnamese student bought a lot of Vietnamese gifts for her in-laws, friends and professor in the US. This is what she bought and highly recommend, and they are also all-time safe choices:

1. Coffee

Vietnam is in top 3 coffee-exporting countries, with Brazil and Columbia, so coffee is kind of a must-buy gift. There are a lot of coffee products in Vietnam, along with many good brands too. Here, with less than $100, you can get a lot of good coffee (that might keep you awake till 3 AM). You can buy from the local roasters or in any supermarkets and convenient stores. Don’t believe me? All of the coffee in the photo below just cost me $80.

I personally like Trung Nguyen brand (no sponsor here, I’m not that “high-profile”) because of the high-quality coffee, variety of products, their business/company ethnic, their efforts to promote Vietnamese coffee to the world. I also love how they encourage/motivate the young generation to improve themselves. I have used their products since I was 14, and literally tried most of their products so far (until I went to the US). The instant coffee and cappuccino products are really good, nice packaging, great taste and great aroma altogether. The drip coffee products have just been released recently, which are brilliant ideas, so I haven’t tried them yet. But I already bought them so review posts will be on the blog in the future.

2. Tea

Thai Nguyen province and Lam Dong province are the “tea kingdoms” of Vietnam. The weather there is cool all the time, just right for growing tea. You can find different kinds of tea, many tea products in Vietnam. And that is why tea is another popular gift. I personally pick lotus tea this time for my friend, with the hope that it would help her sleep better.

3. Handmade arts as souvenirs (Hang thu cong my nghe)

Not food-related but as a person who has some interests in arts, I highly recommend the handmade arts as souvenirs in Vietnam. Those I picked here are some simple (and easy to pack) arts for my in-laws and friends. There are more beautiful ones in stores.

4. Others (not what she bought)

Other than the safe options above, people also get these as gifts:

• Silk / Traditional clothes – Áo dài: From my personal experience, buying silk and Áo dài in Vietnam is much cost-effective and the products are in much higher quality than getting it at the US. The Áo dài, when it is tailored just for you, will emphasize your curves and body shape. You will look elegantly beautiful without even trying. No wonder why many tourists want to buy them in Vietnam.
• Nón lá (so called “leaf hat”): One of the complementary accessories for Áo dài is this special “Nón lá”. The name comes from the material, which is literally… dried leaves. Even though you don’t have Áo dài, you still can have it as a very cute decor for your house!
• Dried food snack (not recommended due to TSA rules and regulations): Vietnam has a huge variety of fruit jams, dried fruit snacks, dried vegetable snacks, dried seafood and jerky. While they are really delicious and tempting, however, most of them are not allowed by TSA, so check carefully before getting them. You still can get some if you finish them within your vacation in Vietnam.