Camera stores in Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I am interested in findng out the names and addresses (and web

addresses???) for reputable camera stores in Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh

City, Vietnam that carry Nikon equipment.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

My experience - now about two years old - was that prices in camera stores were a bit high and selection was almost all point and shoot digital. The only reason I was in stores was that I ran out of black and white film fairly quickly, and I had a hard time finding more.

 

Also, be aware that a lot of what is sold in Vietnam under brand names is not what it says it is. The economy isn't really strong enough to support good sales at normal prices, so a lot of cheap Chinese products have brand names slapped on. I can't say that I saw this on cameras - I didn't look close enough - but I saw it on electronics, clothes, luggage, and purses. There are "brand" stores - Sony and Samsung both have company stores there, but prices will probably be much higher than other places as these seem to be boutiques.

 

Vietnam is a great place to buy clothing, fabric, non-perishable food items, and some really weird stuff, along with fake brand name stuff (I bought a "Nike" rolling bag for $7 that lasted until last weekend) but I wouldn't recommend looking for consumer electronics or cameras there.

what jeff said.

you would be better off looking in bangkok if you are traveling through on your way to vietnam. my brother lives in VN and i have been there recently. they can do E6 and C41 and they have a pretty good selection of films available (if you need film). it is amazing how the pricing is different from a local and a foreigner. i let my VN friend bring in the film for processing and i pay half as much. again, be aware that many of the VN goods are not what they appear, so shop carefully, enjoy your visit.

 

eddie

You guys were correct, Vietnam is not really a place to look for serious camera equipment oriented stores. The economy does not support much in the way of better DSLR level system sales or accessories etc. There were plenty of Point & Shoot's available (and a couple of lower end DSLR's and lenses) but little beyond that with few exceptions and no bargains worth mentioning etc.

 

On the other hand Vietnam was a very interesting place to visit and I recommend it.

Are there somebody who has an update of this?

I'm in Hanoi right now.. and looking for used camera shops, and I can safely say.. nothing is to be found here that I have seen. I'm heading out again tomorrow in the morning to see what I can find.. I'll send an update tomorrow night, but it aint looking good.

 

What is interesting, is the cheap color film (that I may have to try!) ..stay tuned on that also!

<p>Spent some time travelling around Hanoi today looking for a decent camera shop. i eventually found the official Canon store where I discovered that they don't sell any top end stuff from there except by order. he pointed me to a street called Vong Duc... it is a couple of blocks away from the southern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, a tiny street that runs parallel to thuong kiet, near the corner of hang bai. This little street had about 10 camera shops which sold everything from bodies and lenses to studio lighting. New and second hand. The prices are slilghtly cheaper than elsewhere but no huge bargains.</p>

<p>An update for anyone interested.<br>

Around the junction of 'Hai Ba Trung' and 'Hang Bai' just South of Hoan Kiem Lake (tourist district) there are many new and second hand dealers selling budget through to top end equipment (I don't know how top end for real pro's but they have huge ranges)<br>

I have been looking to buy a beginners digital SLR and the choices are very good but maybe not as cheap as Europe.</p>

<p>In Ho Chi Minh City the below shops have or obtain any Nikon/Canon camera<br>

and Khanh Long Photo also has a lot of second hand equipment<br>

http://www.vinhhungcamera.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=4<br>

http://www.khanhlong.com/<br>

plus at quite a few shops at Huynh Thuc Khang, which is very close to Ben Thanh Market</p>

 

<p>Try Kiet Camera in the Tax department store 135 Nguyen Hue Str, Dist 1. Near to the Opera House. Good range and prices better than Singapore. Accept all credit cards. There are more camera shops down the big street than runs towards the river but not as good.</p>

<p>Can't speak to the OP's question about buying gear but I was there some years back and during a walking tour around the Ben Thanh Market I came upon a little side street full of antique shops and the like... anyway right smack in the middle of this block of shops was a nice, bright, modern glass fronted place that looked very out of place. You could see inside the whole place from the sidewalk. They were working cameras!!! I looked up and sure enough this was an Authorized Nikon Service Center. What luck... I had two Nikormat FT bodies an older, used F4 that I'd just bought in Hong Kong and 4 non-AI lenses with me.<br>

I had the lot cleaned and serviced overnight for $50usd.<br>

From what I remember the place was on Le Cong Kieu (just east off the round-about near Hen Thanh Market) but Google Maps says the service center is now on Ho Tung Mau about 4 blocks due East from the round-about.</p>

Recently, my camera's LCD screen got damaged and most of the screen is black now. Are the places you guys mentioned (especially the last post by J Williamson) reputable enough to have Nikon cameras serviced? Any tips you have to make the repair successful like ways to get thru the language barrier? I'll be in Saigon in a few days so wanted to do all my homework before trying. Thanks for your help, much appreciated!

<p>I would try one of the following shops:</p>

<ul>

<li>Khanh Long Camera, Le Loi Street, HCMC</li>

<li>Vinh Hung Camera Shop, Thuong Xa Tax Center - Corner Nguyen Hue/Le Loi Gr.floor HCMC </li>

</ul>

 

<p>Thanks for the extra info! Everything worked out great: Khanh Long Camera replaced my LCD screen for just US $75. They had one remaining screen in stock that fit my camera, so it was complete luck. The mechanic appeared to be very knowledgable/reliable, and he fixed it in no more than 30 min.<br>

FYI, the address is: 35 Lê Lợi, Q1 [District 1], HCMC, right on the main st. The Authorized Nikon Repair Shop seemed even more professional and reliable, but since they didn't have the part in stock, it would have taken a month to ship it in from Hong Kong.</p>

<p>And I thank everyone for the information. I, too, went to Khanh Long Camera and they replaced the pop-up flash on my D700 for $55, in about 2 hours.</p>

<p>I was in HCMC in late-Feb/early-Mar of this year, ambling around, and passed the HUY CAN store on 13 TRAN HUNG DAO, District 1, a street that runs south-west from the BEN THANH Market and they buy, sell and trade cameras and digital.<br>

What caught my attention was a display case with a Foca, LTM Leica IIIf or IIIg and newer Leica Ms. After a week in the city all I had seen were new Canon/Nikon digital SLRs and a few used older Nikons.<br>

Contact #s from their business card: shop tel. (08) 39142788-35081046; cell 0903.715046 and 0903.801346; www.fotothing.com/huycan; huycanth@yahoo.com.vn<br>

Good luck!</p>

I have been living in Saigon for a year... and I am still looking for this ideal camera shop in town.

 

However, one thing I can tell you is:

 

AVOID AT ALL PRICE the "Thanh camera shop" on 45 Le Loi.

 

 

This dishonest and discusting person sold me an assumingly brand new Canon EOS that turned out to be a second hand, having more than 9800 shots (after software check); and he refused to admit the trick.

<p>Thanh Long on 45 Le Loi is probably the one with the best selection, however, I fully agree with you, that you cannot trust them. I left them 3 years ago when I wanted to exchange a Speedlight 800 with 900 and we had agreed a price. Next day I brought my 800 along and the price difference had increased considerably. He does not say hello anymore.<br /> Try Vinh Hung on the ground floor of the old Russian Market - corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue - it should be possible to negotiate a good price with him, who is also knowledgeable. The other staff are polite but their knowledge only relates to consumer goods.</p>