At Ngay Mai Dam Cuoi (Tomorrow’s Wedding) shop in Phu Dinh Ward, HCMC, owner Quynh Nhu and her team of seamstresses are putting the finishing touches to a wedding dress with a two-meter train ordered by a bride from Texas State in the U.S.
The customer wanted the dress to have volume at the waist to conceal certain figure concerns while still looking elegant overall. “This is a tricky design challenge given the measurements of a foreign body type,” Nhu says.
The team had to redesign the paper pattern and rework the standard structure. The inner frame and proportion of fabric layers all had to be recalculated. It is the fourth order the shop has received from foreign brides this month.
A foreign bride tries on a wedding dress in HCMC’s Phu Dinh Ward in May 2026. Photo courtesy of the bride |
Nhu said last year they accounted for around 40% of all wedding dress orders. They were from various countries, but the largest numbers were from the U.S., Australia, the U.K., Singapore, France, and Germany. Many second- and third-generation Vietnamese brides living abroad have also been getting their dresses made here.
“The first reason they come to Vietnam is price,” Nhu says.
“A custom-made wedding dress in Vietnam typically costs under $800, whereas in the U.S. the price can reach $10,000.
International customers discover her shop through social media. To serve clients from abroad, the shop sends video guides instructing customers to take more than 20 measurements themselves and send the figures back to Vietnam. The shop then cuts and makes the dress so that when the bride flies to Vietnam for a fitting, only about a week of final adjustments is needed.
But even more than price, Nhu says, the decisive factor remains the personalization and craftsmanship of Vietnamese seamstresses, and international customers are often surprised that they can have details adjusted to their exact body proportions at a reasonable cost. In many Western countries, such services typically come with significant additional charges.
Having worked extensively with foreign clients, Nhu says the assumption that they only prefer minimalist dresses in plain silk or satin no longer holds, and many brides, particularly from Europe, seek designs inspired by Asian aesthetics, featuring intricate embellishments, handcrafted lace, and long flowing skirts.
A Read survey of several bridal brands in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi found that the number of international customers has increased by 20-40% over the past two years. Data from U.S. wedding market research firm The Wedding Report shows the average cost of a wedding in the country has been rising steadily in recent years to surpass $30,000 in 2025.
Wedding services platform Zola says the wedding dress as one of the costliest items, and drives brides to seek alternatives in Vietnam. Global market analysis firm Grand View Research says the Asia-Pacific region will be one of the fastest-growing wedding services markets in the world in the coming years.
Vu Viet Ha, a designer and lecturer at the Institute of Arts – Hanoi University of Architecture, says the growth in international orders reflects the long-accumulated expertise of Vietnam’s bridal fashion industry.
He points out that many businesses not only serve the domestic market but also manufacture and export wedding dresses and evening gowns to China, Hong Kong, and other markets, with some earning higher revenues abroad than at home. Vietnam’s greatest advantage lies in its skilled seamstresses and embroiderers, he says.
Crafts such as stone setting, lace embroidery, structural tailoring, and complex silhouette construction cost a lot in the U.S. and Europe, but can be done in Vietnam at much lower prices, he says.
“Not every country still has a large and highly skilled workforce of artisans like Vietnam does.”
Kim Thoa, founder of SYE Bridal in Ho Chi Minh City, says the shop’s international customers come mainly from the U.S., Canada, Dubai, and Japan, and tend to prefer handcrafted details such as beadwork, feather embellishments, and strung bead sequences.
At her place, reception dresses are priced at $400-$600, ceremony dresses at $600-$1,200, and bespoke designs at $1,200-$2,000, she lists.
“Many customers are looking for a design that reflects their personal story, not simply buying a wedding dress.”
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Amy wears her Vietnam-made custom wedding dress at her wedding in April 2026. Photo courtesy of Amy |
Amy, a teacher from the U.S., speaks about ordering two wedding outfits in Vietnam two months ago, one a lace mermaid dress and the other featuring hand-sewn beadwork. The total came to around $1,600, less than half the price of a single custom-made dress in her country.
She says the ability to personalize every detail was the standout strength of Vietnamese bridal shops. During her fittings, she was given banana cake and a set of undergarments to wear beneath the wedding dress.
“But customers should also be aware of the risks that can come with having a wedding dress made abroad, especially time-related risks,” Nhu of Ngay Mai Dam Cuoi says.
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