A Visit to Soai Kinh Lam Fabric Market in Vietnam

Strolling around the hustle and bustle of Chinatown (Cholon) would take you to one of the biggest fabric wholesale markets in Vietnam – Soai Kinh Lam fabric market that nestles at the end of Tran Hung Pao street in District 5.

Known as a mecca for fabrics, this Vietnam fabric wholesale market proudly houses a staggering number of over 500 shops of various sizes. A common scene about the huge fabric market is it never lacks sign of vendors rolling and unrolling bolts and bolts of bright fabric along the chaotic street, making it a recommended venue for tourists who want to gain an insight into business in Vietnam as well as soaking into local culture.

What’s neat about Soai Kinh Lam fabric market is every shop sells one type of fabric, though appear to be similar but differ in colors and patterns. The choices of fabric you have in Soai Kinh Lam is endless, from plain cotton to beautifully printed polyester, fancy embroidered laces, denim in various shades, etc. Whether you’re looking for fabrics for your clothing production in Vietnam or for home furnishing like curtains, sheets, cushions or table cloth, you’ll be spoiled for choices in the paradise for fabrics. The best selling items are fabrics that used to make traditional costumes like Ao Dai and Chinese cheongsam.

The fabric available in Soai Kinh Lam is imported from a number of neighboring countries including India, China, South Korea and Japan. The majority of fabric on sale is imported from China. As it’s easily understandable since the fabric market is located in Chinatown, and most sellers are of Chinese decent who have close trading ties with China.

It’s the prime location for designers, tailors and clothing factories to source various materials at affordable rates. However, if you’re buying a small quantity, prices can be a bit level up. The market is in general a wholesale place, though, some of the shops do have pre-cut fabrics in bundles at different lengths.

Address of Sai Kinh Lam market

465 – 473 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ward 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh

Opening hours of Sai Kinh Lam fabric market

The market is at full swing from early morning 7:30 am to 17:00 pm.

How to get to Sai Kinh Lam market?

With a distance of about 6 kilometers from the city center of Saigon, Soai Kinh Lam market is easily accessible by bus, taxi or motorbike. Taxi is the easiest way to move around, however, for those who prefer a more economic way of travelling, buses No. 01, 45, 56 and 96 run everyday from Ben Thanh bus station to Sai Kinh Lam.

The history of Soai Kinh Lam fabric market

Also known as “Thuong Xa Dong Khanh”, with bright, eye-catching, hard to miss red letters written on the big board in front of the market building, the history of Soai Kinh Lam dates back to the 1970s. However, it’s unclear the exact year when the market was founded. It was not until 1989 the market was rebuilt by the new government, then it started to thrive into a bustling market. Gradually, it attracted more and more businesses to flood in, and establish the biggest textile market in Saigon. With proximity to a luxury, more recognizable Chinese restaurant Soai Kinh Lam, the name of the market was unofficially changed by locals.

Tips for buying wholesale fabric from Vietnam

* Check Pinterest or Instagram for fabric inspiration.

* Check how the fabric is sold in different shops. Some shops sell by kilogram, while others by meter or by yard.

* Double check the fabric color in natural light as in some shops the lighting can make the fabric color appear a bit different.

* Bring cash. Cash is king in most wholesale markets in Asia.

* Watch out for ongoing traffic as the hustle and bustle of the fabric market in Vietnam can be quite overwhelming.