Shopping in Hanoi is mostly at street level. Souvenir shops line up the streets especially near Hoan Kiem Lake. In the old quarter, the shops are typically aggregated. One street would have shops selling only shoes, then tyou turn into the next corner and you see only clothes. There is even this street that seels only bridal gowns and groom's suits.
Having said that mall-type shopping is pretty much limited. Vincom Towers in Ba Trieu St. is the most popular one. It even has cinemas (they call "phim", which of course sounds like film). You aks for a movie house or a cinema, they will stare back at you with blank faces. You have got to say "phim!", and then they go, "ahhh...Vincom!".
Trang Tien Plaza is the other mall they have. It is a block away from Hotel Metropole. Shopping there is "bin thung", or so-so, in their native tongue. There is no decent food court, and you would end up choosing between two battered-looking local snack bars if not for the fact that they have Highlands Coffee at the 3rd level where you can have a nice choice between pasta or rice meals for about VND 75,000.
Parkson is the name of the other nice mall that they have, albeit this one is located about 25 minutes away. Located in the intersection of Tai Son St. and Thai Sa St., this place has the nicest boutiques. It can be a little pricey to shop for clothes here, but the food court at the 7th floor is super! There are about 12-15 food shops to choose from. And yes, they have "kem", the branded one too, from New Zealand. Hence with a great stroke of imagination they called it NZ Kem.
I was told there is this other place called Garden Mall in Cua Giay dsitrict some 45 minutes away, but I have not been there yet.
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