Today, I brought my digi cam to our little shopping stroll in Saigon.

We went to RUE MICHE, a concept store that exclusively features Vietnamese brands. They actually have three stores in the city, but the biggest one is located at Union Square and is definitely worth visiting for the experience alone. There are interactive elements — for example, we wrote manifestation letters to ourselves that will be sent to us at a random time in the future.

We didn’t shop much, though, mainly because of the lack of quality. I feel like in Vietnam you can find truly unique pieces, and many brands have a strong vision. But a lot of it is still fast fashion, which I’m quite critical of. 

At Rue Miche, especially the one located in Union Square, it’s all about presentation. The brands create a sense of luxury through the way the pieces are staged and displayed. I tried on my dream blazer but ended up not buying it, as it was around €150 while the quality felt comparable to brands like Zara. The basics — like cotton shirts — feel really good and are fairly priced. The more extravagant pieces, though, lack quality in my opinion.