Hats in Vietnam

[BipgoBumpo]

I know that there are a few of you out there who either live in Vietnam or visit on a regular basis. Do any of you know of anybody in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as you may prefer to call it, who makes custom-made hats? I lament the fact that a fedora or snap-brim hat is no longer a part of a gentleman's outfit, but I am happy that I live in a city where you can get the clothes and shoes a well-dressed gentleman should wear at a fraction of the cost of any place in the US, Australia, or Europe, and if there was a place here that made decent hats, I'd be even happier.

 

[Matt]

that one...no idea. Have a look around Facebook for Adam. Nice guy. He set up the 'another side of Vietnam' Facebook group, which is pretty funny. He - mostly for irony - sports a hat whenever he is out and about...no idea where he gets them.

 

[Etienne]

I'm waiting for the "shoes in Vietnam" one to chime in

 

[whacked]

The only type of hat suitable in Vietnam, IMO:

And yes, I've seen men look good in them.

 

[BipgoBumpo]

Give me a break!

 

[LabelKing]

I read somewhere that pith helmets are popular in Vietnam.

One could indulge their inner colonial.

 

[Matt]

not common but not altogether untrue, although more in the north than the south. BTW whacked - when we hung out, I don't recall you wearing a non la. Youre small, size down 2

 

[BipgoBumpo]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I read somewhere that pith helmets are popular in Vietnam.

One could indulge their inner colonial.

Yes, a pith helmet would be just the thing to wear with my khaki bush jacket and breeches, while I'm draped in a mosquito net and taking my daily quinine dose as I oversee the coolies on my rubber plantation.

Other than a few that I've seen people wear in the countryside, and one or two here in HCMC, the only pith helmets I've actually seen on people's heads are on flights out of Tan Son Nhat airport, where the tourists wearing them couldn't find the room to pack them in their luggage. They do sell them here, most of them have VC or NVA insignia on them, to make them more appealing to tourists who are only familiar with Vietnam through Hollywood films.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

...their inner colonial.

*chortle*

 

[BipgoBumpo]

Well, it looks like for now I'll have to be satisfied with the hats I brought with me: a Panama Stetson fedora ("hand woven in Ecuador"), a cap I bought at a bullfighters' pro shop in Seville, and, most importantly (if only to keep my glasses dry from the rain), a fitted baseball cap from the San Francisco Giants, the greatest baseball team ever. Never mind that they were just eliminated from any playoff contention this season. If anybody has any tips on places that make hats either here in Saigon, or in "tailor-made clothes heaven" Hoi An, or even Hanoi, please let me know. Hell, please let me know if there are any good hatmakers in Singapore, Bangkok, or Hong Kong. Also, I'd appreciate any tips on how to remove the sweat stains on the Panama's hatband. Thanks.