House Prices in Saigon

One way I think you are mistaken is in blaming tourists for prices, even in D1.  Tourists are eating in restaurants and hotels, not buying crab legs in the supermarket and eating in their room.  The upward pressure comes from the aspirational new middle class, many of whom are under 40.  I am fairly certain that all of my private lesson clients made more money than I did at 24 million a month.  Of course I didn't work a 50 hour week either.

You can complain about the pricing in the official Nike store but don't expect the fake Air Max's that you bought in Ben Thanh Market to last long.   Those rising middle class locals are not even thinking of shopping there.

1willy1 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Tell us where you are shopping, got a feeling it may be Thao Dien or similar overpriced areas.

I thought so as well at first, I shop at  Annung gourmet shop in the basement of Saigon centre, and thought its a specialty store but other markets have similar prices  with certain products.

I started shopping a little in vincom centre , vinmart I think its called, its a lot better for seafood and some things, but not much better with others.

Anyways for me its fine, I mostly eat sweet potatoes or taro with greens, soups and stuff, I cook at home, but I was a little shocked.

Have you checked out the NIKE store in district 4? They carry all the stuff no one wants in north America, and are charging twice as much as what I would pay in Canada

considering the nike products are made here in Vietnam and asia, and that its in a less developed nation you would think the prices would reflect that , but NOPE

Bought a pair of nike air max for $9.00 Canadian from ben thanh market, ill see how well they hold up.... wouldn't mind seeing them put the nike store out of business to be honest

Seeing as you are quite new to Saigon you don't know where to shop. The places you mentioned are not where I would be shopping. Get away from those stores and head to the outer areas and you will notice the difference.

I recall that when the first Starbucks opened in the New World Hotel, the lines came out the building and stretched around the block.  This was to get a cup of coffee that can be beat for both price and quality at any roadside coffee shop in the country.  For the young in Saigon, it's all in the image.

I never bought a cup of Starbucks in Vietnam, but I would wager that it is more expensive in HCMC than it is in Seattle.

THIGV wrote:

One way I think you are mistaken is in blaming tourists for prices, even in D1.  Tourists are eating in restaurants and hotels, not buying crab legs in the supermarket and eating in their room.  The upward pressure comes from the aspirational new middle class, many of whom are under 40.  I am fairly certain that all of my private lesson clients made more money than I did at 24 million a month.  Of course I didn't work a 50 hour week either.

You can complain about the pricing in the official Nike store but don't expect the fake Air Max's that you bought in Ben Thanh Market to last long.   Those rising middle class locals are not even thinking of shopping there.

well there definitely could be some truth to that , 95% of the people shopping in Saigon centre and the markets I go to are Vietnamese people …… but yea its surprising .

Regarding the nikes, ive been buying nikes now pretty much exclusively for 20 years or more, and they don't last much longer then 2 months anyways.

sometimes I use a pair for a month and then they become work shoes because they lose their luster so fast.

I will say the ben thanh nikes are better quality then people might think , if I can get a solid month out of them id be happy, and would be a regular customer

I know a few people viet people here and none of them will shop at ben T market , but to me I think its more of a social posturing.... "only poor people shop there" or "that place is beneath me" type thing

Like me in Canada I wont shop at Walmart, I just hate it, even though im sure there are some decent products and sales there at times.

colinoscapee wrote:

1willy1 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Tell us where you are shopping, got a feeling it may be Thao Dien or similar overpriced areas.

I thought so as well at first, I shop at  Annung gourmet shop in the basement of Saigon centre, and thought its a specialty store but other markets have similar prices  with certain products.

I started shopping a little in vincom centre , vinmart I think its called, its a lot better for seafood and some things, but not much better with others.

Anyways for me its fine, I mostly eat sweet potatoes or taro with greens, soups and stuff, I cook at home, but I was a little shocked.

Have you checked out the NIKE store in district 4? They carry all the stuff no one wants in north America, and are charging twice as much as what I would pay in Canada

considering the nike products are made here in Vietnam and asia, and that its in a less developed nation you would think the prices would reflect that , but NOPE

Bought a pair of nike air max for $9.00 Canadian from ben thanh market, ill see how well they hold up.... wouldn't mind seeing them put the nike store out of business to be honest

Seeing as you are quite new to Saigon you don't know where to shop. The places you mentioned are not where I would be shopping. Get away from those stores and head to the outer areas and you will notice the difference.

Thanks, if you can recommend a few id be very interested in checking them out

But for me I actually like Annung gourmet and will continue to shop there, most of the items I mentioned are things I don't buy anyways, but I did a lot of eye shopping and price comparisons and its crazy.

I paid $12.00 Canadian for a 750ml bottle of olive oil that was already marked down by 50% ...other then that I I mostly buy organic greens which are priced very reasonably , and fruits.


I tried buying from some local markets , even street vendors and they try to hit you with tourists prices so I just walk, I don't even bargain.


There are a few outside of my hotel who have great deals on fresh fruits, so I buy a few bags from them and im good for a few days.

THIGV wrote:

I recall that when the first Starbucks opened in the New World Hotel, the lines came out the building and stretched around the block.  This was to get a cup of coffee that can be beat for both price and quality at any roadside coffee shop in the country.  For the young in Saigon, it's all in the image.

I never bought a cup of Starbucks in Vietnam, but I would wager that it is more expensive in HCMC than it is in Seattle.

lol thank you for mentioning that , yes it is more expensive , and the quantity is smaller.

The worst of all is HIGHLAND COFEE , they are everywhere , higher priced and lower quality , I took my friend once when we first arrived and I refuse to ever go back.

With all that said I still love it here Gonna go out now and cruise around the city a bit

SteinNebraska wrote:

The same house I'm in now (There are a lot of identical units) sold for 1.5B in 2015, 2.6B in 2016 3.9B in 2017 and 4.3B in 2018 and are now asking close to 5B and apparently getting it.  The amount of increase on a percentage basis is ridiculous.

As long as there are stupid people who pay these prices, the prices will rise.

Foreigners buying apartments in Vietnam is one big Ponzi scheme.

You've been warned.

van88 wrote:

got today this link, the price for apartment at District 2, Novaland buildings
http://thesunavenue.com.vn/?utm_source= … aign=Link1
max 4,5bill VND ~ 200.000usd   for a 3 room apartment

Novaland is a high end developer. 4.5T for the biggest 3 bedroom 109 sq meters in a new building in D2 expat zone with pool, gym, full of expats is normal. Accept normal, you can't fight it.

And then you shop in Vincom and Takashimaya, high end malls with genuine retail stores like Nike, where you have to pay full retail plus any import duty. Rare to see products on sale there like in the states.

I like having the option of modern malls and developments, sometimes I crave food from home, and appreciate name brand running shoes, but that wasn't what attracted me to SE Asia. What attracted you? I suggest seeing if you can downsize your life a little. Substitute Viet coffee for Nestles, soy oil for olive, potato chip clones cost 4.000 vnd, cream cheese??, regular fish for king crab and caviar, beer for wine. When in Saigon ...

van88 wrote:

I blame the tourists , (not china) , westers white people (im western white) are usually the dumbest of all, they are considered cash cows and suckers no matter where they go on earth , and the rest of us have to suffer for this

I'm a western white person, I'm not a sucker, I don't blame anyone for higher prices for imported products, viva la free market. I'm adapting to a new better diet, smaller apartment vs house, I'm car-less, less worries (except traffic grr), enjoying a different new exotic life, not crowbarring my old life into a different place.

gobot wrote:

van88 wrote:

got today this link, the price for apartment at District 2, Novaland buildings
http://thesunavenue.com.vn/?utm_source= … aign=Link1
max 4,5bill VND ~ 200.000usd   for a 3 room apartment

Novaland is a high end developer. 4.5T for the biggest 3 bedroom 109 sq meters in a new building in D2 expat zone with pool, gym, full of expats is normal. Accept normal, you can't fight it.

And then you shop in Vincom and Takashimaya, high end malls with genuine retail stores like Nike, where you have to pay full retail plus any import duty. Rare to see products on sale there like in the states.

I like having the option of modern malls and developments, sometimes I crave food from home, and appreciate name brand running shoes, but that wasn't what attracted me to SE Asia. What attracted you? I suggest seeing if you can downsize your life a little. Substitute Viet coffee for Nestles, soy oil for olive, potato chip clones cost 4.000 vnd, cream cheese??, regular fish for king crab and caviar, beer for wine. When in Saigon ...

van88 wrote:

I blame the tourists , (not china) , westers white people (im western white) are usually the dumbest of all, they are considered cash cows and suckers no matter where they go on earth , and the rest of us have to suffer for this

I'm a western white person, I'm not a sucker, I don't blame anyone for higher prices for imported products, viva la free market. I'm adapting to a new better diet, smaller apartment vs house, I'm car-less, less worries (except traffic grr), enjoying a different new exotic life, not crowbarring my old life into a different place.

yep, the whole fun is adapting and enjoying the new twists and turns this country throws at you

taking a taxi drive here is nearly as fun as a roller coaster, the thrills, the sudden twists and turns....oh man what a rush (im half serious lol)

And yea I don't eat ANYof the products I mentioned, i was just commenting on it that's all

I love it so much here that ive tried to change my flight date so i can stay another 2 weeks, but sadly its not possible due to the fees they wanna charge me...….so i will be back sometime soon i hope

meantime ill be trolling these forums learning and sharing what i can

1willy1 wrote:

And yea I don't eat ANY of the products I mentioned, i was just commenting on it that's all

I love it so much here that ive tried to change my flight date ...

Oh good, I misunderstood, thought you were missing that cream cheese, instead these were just points of cost references!  Get down to District 5 for the Tet market before you go, it's a once a year thing, lots of people, lights, lanterns, posters of red pigs.

map