A mosaic of skyscrapers, colonial mansions, and aging shophouses, Qun 1—or District 1—forms the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, still referred to by its former name, Saigon. Once the cultural and administrative hub of French Indochina, the area has evolved into Saigon’s luxury corridor, where international boutiques, art galleries, Michelin-starred restaurants, and some of the city’s most expensive retail real estate now cluster within a few dense, walkable blocks.
In the last decade District 1 has also become the clearest stage for Vietnam’s fashion transformation. For years the country was known globally as a manufacturing powerhouse, producing garments for brands like Nike and Calvin Klein, but few outside the region could name a Vietnamese designer. That has changed. A new generation of labels—drawing from Saigon street culture, contemporary art, and heritage textiles—has repositioned Vietnam from production base to cultural exporter.
That shift is increasingly visible with domestic brands like Latui Atelier and Lsoul appearing on such celebrities as Katy Perry and Blackpink’s Jennie, while Ho Chi Minh City itself has emerged as a shopping destination for international travelers. Fueling this renaissance is the country’s youthful optimism: Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and more than half its population is under 35.
A new era of creatives and consumers
A new era of creatives and consumers is forging a fashion identity that is distinctly Vietnamese yet globally minded. Along streets like Đng Khi and Lê Li, locals and clued-in tourists hunt homegrown labels in stores once dominated by Western brands. From youth-driven collectives to refined tailoring studios, here’s a curated guide to shopping in District 1. The multibrand retailers
The new luxury anchor of the scene, Rue Miche is often compared to Dover Street Market for its gallery-like staging of local talent.
The original boutique on Phùng Kh c Khoan street was joined in late 2025 by Rue Miche L’Édition, a roughly 50,000-square-foot flagship in the basement of the sprawling Union Square mixed-use complex. Since opening, the store has amassed nearly 90 Vietnamese labels across both locations; standouts include Americana-inspired Aah Midnight Club and Latui Atelier, known for shredded denim and provocative cuts.
Built on a philosophy its founders sum up as “beautiful fashion and beautiful people,” the fast-growing, sustainability-minded concept store Compound Garment now houses 22 local brands within two adjacent shophouses on Nguyn Công Tr. Showcasing labels that share a visual language of oversized silhouettes, gender-fluid styling, and streetwear-inflected design, it’s the most reliable read on what young Saigonese are wearing.
The OG of multiconcept retailers in Vietnam since
The OG of multiconcept retailers in Vietnam since 2017, the New Playground boasts 70-plus Vietnamese labels, including Hades and Dirty Coins, across two District 1 locations (plus one in Hanoi). The original 26 Lý T Trng mainstay, with 40-plus stores, feels like a street market crossed with a concept mall kitted out in industrial mesh, neon, and Gen Z energy. The indie standouts
At Gia Studios, fourth-generation tailor Lâm Gia Khang, a Project Runway Vietnam alum, translates regional craftsmanship into globally fluent looks.
Traditional materials like Lãnh Mỹ A, a black dyed silk, appear in sharply modern cuts: double-breasted blazers, flowy trousers, and draped skirts. Now stocked at Lane Crawford and Ssense—and recently worn by Zoe Saldaña and Emma Stone—it’s among Vietnam’s most internationally recognized labels. Gia means “home” or “family”; fittingly, the designer’s mother oversees production.
On the more experimental end, Parsons-trained designer Tom Trandt’s Môi Điên (literally, “crazy lips”; figuratively, “outspoken”) has built a cult following around pleating, sculptural minimalism, and gender-fluid silhouettes that feel both futuristic and traditional. Since launching a decade ago, the label has mined Vietnamese folk imagery, street culture, and dead stock textiles for its collections.
Rather than treating the men’s traditional áo dài
Rather than treating the men’s traditional áo dài as ceremonial dress, photographer-artist Thiên Minh’s Mêman reframes it for everyday life. The label works primarily in Japanese linen and neutral palettes, producing collections that reinterpret Vietnamese heritage through a practical minimalist lens. New-school rebels
Keep Fashion Weird is the motto of Duc Studio, whose voluminous, deconstructed pieces evoke a sense of daring.
Think full-print riffs on Vietnam’s national dress, the áo dài, and handcrafted denim and layered silhouettes. Designer Nguyn Minh Đc started the label in 2019 and entered ready-to-wear in 2021. A puffy bag of his was later spotted on Bella Hadid; more recent pieces have been worn by astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen and the Vietnamese rapper Hieuthuhai. Nguyn Trng Lâm’s Lsoul focuses on hyperfeminine glam: corsetry, lace, and shapes that seem engineered for svelte pop stars.
To wit, the members of the pop group Blackpink and singer Madison Beer have all worn the brand, which also recently debuted a runway collection at Shanghai Fashion Week. The label Victim of the Prime launched at a small District 1 boutique in 2022; two years later it opened a larger flagship store right around the corner. The gender-neutral aesthetic is clean, youthful, and slightly cerebral—the brand’s slogan is We’re All Victims of Something Bigger Than Us.
Source: www.cntraveler.com
