Souvenir Shopping: Exploring Culture & Capturing Memories

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By Gems Of Travel
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Souvenirs – an item representing a checklist on the life-long adventure bucket list.  We glance at our souvenirs on a gloomy day and smile at the memories of an awesome adventure and new experiences .. memories of the smiles and laughs with those we’re closest to.

Convinced that you need to bring home a souvenir or two?  I hope so.

We often think of these last minute.  DON’T!  Strive to bring a piece of your trip home.

Where to shop for trinkets and souvenirs

Souvenir shops are everywhere – they have the typical trinkets.  And, nothing wrong with buying a momento last minute at the airport.

Here’s a challenge:  Think outside the box – bring something from your everyday life experience — no need to go to a store to hunt for trinkets.  Let the momentos be representations of what you discovered and experienced along  the way.

So, to conclude, you can get momentos anywhere.  That’s the point, you don’t have to go to a souvineer shop to get them.  Do not rule anything or anywhere out – it’s all game.

Shopping time

Take your time and shop around, ensure that what you choose is special for you.  The right momento will be calling out to you, “choose me!”, and you’ll know when that time comes.

Also, if you want to learn how to speak the numbers in Vietnamese, Thai, or Cambodian (Khmer) checkout this post of ours!

Shop ’til you drop and enjoy!

Note

HONESTY & PRICES:

Most merchants are fair and honest, but if the price feels overly high to you then walk away.  They do now tactics to pressure you into a sell, don’t feel pressured.

Tip

GETTING YOUR SOUVINIRS HOME:

Within Luggage: If needed, you can buy extra luggage bags with rollers for about $30 that you can load up with things to take home.  They can be found at many places including at a supermarket (Tesco Lotus’, Big C, etc), a shopping mall kiosk or walk-in store, or a hole-in-the wall store along the side of the road.  Keep your eyes peeled, ask around, and you will definitely stumble on a selection of luggage bags.

Shipping Home: Enquire about shipping a souvenir home if it is too large or heavy to carry around.

Shipping from SE Asia to home (UK, Europe, or USA) is cheap.  For whatever reason, shipping from a Western country to SE Asia can be significantly more expensive.

Shipping stores are almost everywhere, and they can provide info and recommendations based on your need.

Luggage for sale in a department store in Southeast Asia.
Luggage for sale in a grocery store in Southeast Asia.
Mom and pop shop storefront in Southeast Asia.
Mom and pop shop storefront in Southeast Asia.

Ideas for momentos, trinkets, and souvenirs

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Unique candies

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Spices (think Kampot peppers)

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Dried mango snacks. Replace mango with jackfruit 🙂

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Milk tea powder (matcha, Thai milk tea, etc)

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Meat marinade

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Sauces for dipping food and meats

Cultural

These might need to be sent home via mail.  Keep in mind that some material – certain kinds of wood- cannot be imported into your home country.

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Wood carvings     Bali and Cambodia have loads of skilled craftsmen pumping out intricate wood carvings.

A very detailed wood carving from Cambodia of the front side of a Bayon Temple entrance gate (that has a human face on it), and several trees and elephants. The wood is a deep brown color.
A wooden frame for a picture or mirror with very detailed carvings from Cambodia. The carvings are describes as a distinct Cambodian style.

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Thai/Lao rest mat

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Bamboo mat that is used as a picnic blanket throughout Southeast Asia.

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Jewelry – a bracelet, necklace, earrings

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Prayer mat (Indonesia)

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Hat made from straw or bamboo  (Vietnamese cone hat, Cambodia and Thais also have their own different version of this)

A Cambodian-style straw hat. These are hand-made. Thai, Khmer (Cambodian), and Vietnamese straw hats all different. Vietnamese are conical, while Cambodian staw hats are like a bucket hat. The Thai version are similar to the Cambodian one, but with some hard-to-describe shape differences.
A table of artisan souvenirs in Cambodia; including a straw hat, hand-waved air fan, and tote bags with various motifs printed on them of local surrounding such as from within Angkor Watt Park.
A Vietnamese-style straw hat. These are hand-made. Thai, Khmer (Cambodian), and Vietnamese straw hats all different. Vietnamese are conical, while Cambodian staw hats are like a bucket hat. The Thai version are similar to the Cambodian one, but with some hard-to-describe shape differences.
A Vietnamese-style straw hat. These are hand-made. Thai, Khmer (Cambodian), and Vietnamese straw hats all different. Vietnamese are conical, while Cambodian staw hats are like a bucket hat. The Thai version are similar to the Cambodian one, but with some hard-to-describe shape differences.

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Music – a CD of the local music. (even though they play Western music to tailor to the tourists.)

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Musical instrument  (a Lao Khaen would be cool!)

A local man playing a Laos Khaen (also written as Khene) instrument during a parade and festival festivities in Korat Thailand. This instrument is similar to a small organ and a flute combined. It has eight bamboo flutes connected together, with one single hole that the player blows into. Each "flute" has one hole that the player can cover with their finger tips to play a note. This instrument is also found in Isaan Thailand, as this region has a historical tie to Laos.

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Fake money for Buddhists offerings (they burn it)

Stacks of buddhist money in the form of fake 100 US dollar bills for sale at a grocery store. The intention is to give this money to those in the after life, where it would be deemed legal tender.

Country Specific

Vietnam

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Take home some local coffee beans  +  phin (Vietnamese poor over to brew coffee with)

A grocery isle of Vietnamese coffee bean brands in Vietnam. The aisle also has a Vietnamese phin brewing filter for sale.
A bag of Vietnamese branded coffee beans.
A shop specializing in selling coffee beans with 10 different varieties shown in this image. The beans are all integrated within a long counter, with staff located behind the counter to assist you.
A bag of coffee beans, and brewing a cup of coffee using a Vietnamese phin filter.
A large amount of harvested raw coffee beans drying on a plastic cover, laying on the ground, in Laos.
Old town white coffee, which is a Malaysian instant coffee brand.

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Send home a post card  (HCMC post office)

Thailand

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Dry fit Chang/Singha/etc. shirt

An assortment of dry-fit t-shirts or jerseys at store in Thailand. Some shirts have the chang beverage company logo on them, which is well known for producing Change beer.
An assortment of dry-fit t-shirts or jerseys at store in Thailand. Some shirts have the Chang beverage company logo on them, which is well known for producing Change beer. Others have the Pizza Hut logo, Hershey logo, and various other prints.

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Elephant (Chang) pants

Chang pants being sole in Thailand. Chang means elephant in Thai, so these pants have imprints of elephants on them. The pants in this image are being sold for 99 Thai Baht, and the shorts are 89 Thai Baht.
A couple walking together down the street in Thailand wearing chang pants. Chang means elephant in Thai, so these pants have imprints of elephants on them. These pants are the quintessential tourist clothing.

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a Amulet (Thai Buddhist style)

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Thai gold

The usual:  Small momentos that fit in your bag and are cheap.

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Figurines of sites (like a mini Angkor Wat, mini Petronas Towers in KL)

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Post cards – send some home, but also keep some as a momento

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Bottle openers

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Magnets

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Key chains

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T-shirts

Weird But Okay

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Darlie toothpaste or a funny flavored toothpaste

Clothing – Local Styles

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Shirt – Bali Indonesian style (Thai and Cambodia, too)

A store selling to tourists. A typical Cambodian-style short-sleeve men's shirt, women's shirt and pants. Both mannequins are wearing Cambodian-style straw hats.
A formal Cambodian-style short-sleeve men's shirt.
Three formal Cambodian-style long-sleeve men's shirts of various color and pattern imprints.

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Cambodian-style scarf (the scarf is very cultural)

A traditional Cambodian scarf called a Krama, which is and has been worn in various cultural contexts.

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Tailor made

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Ao Dai  (Veitnam – for women)

A Vietnamese female wearing an ao dai dress, posing in front of the Japanese bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam.

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a Dress (for Women)

Several formal Cambodian-style women's dresses, all of which are solid color. All are the same design, but with different colors.
A display of formal Cambodian women's dresses with various patterns and colors.

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a Suite  (for Men)

A formal Cambodian-style men's suite with best and long-sleeve shirt of yellow color and pattern imprints on a mannequin.
A formal Cambodian-style long-sleeve men's shirt of yellow color and pattern imprints on a mannequin.

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Knock-off brands

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An Adidas Gucci t-shirt, perhaps?

A knock-off t-shirt with Adidas and Gucci logos imprinted on it.
A knock-off Luis Vuitton brand wallet for sale in Southeast Asia.
Many womens shoes on display at a department store in Southeast Asia. The shoes a fake Channel, Gucci, and Luis Vuitton branded.
A knock-off Luis Vuitton brand jean jacket for sale in Vietnam.
A female wearing a set of knock-off Christian Dior pajamas, walking down the street in Cambodia.
A knock-off Gucci sweat pants for sale at a department store in Southeast Asia for about ten US dollars.
Cambodian bucket hats. Some hats have fake Chanel branding, others have Christian Dior branding.
A knock-off Luis Vuitton brand t-shirt for sale in Southeast Asia.
A feamle riding a small electric scooter with fake Gucci branding in Vietnam.
Fake Gucci-branded and Armani-branded bags for sale for nine US dollars in Southeast Asia.

Footwear

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Pairs of comfy sandals or knock-off Crocs

Adda-brand imitation Croc sandals.
A rack of sandals for in Thailand.
Women's Croc-style sandals for sale in Southeast Asia.
Fake Givenchy branded men's sandals in grey and red color for approximately five dollars and fifty cents in Cambodia.

Adventure findings

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A small rock or shell from the beach

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A vile of sand

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Stickers

Everyday life

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Coffee mug with the country or city on it

A rack of coffee mugs for sale at Starbucks coffee shop in Malaysia. Some mugs are stylized with the name of the country, Malaysia, on it. Other mugs have the name of a Malaysian city. Cities include: Penang, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, and Kuching.

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Tickets – bus or entry tickets as a memo of where you’ve been and how you got there

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Cute mobile phone case (SEA has a bunch of neat ones)

iPhone phone case. A Toy Story phone case for iPhone sold in Southeast Asia. It has a few characters on it from the Toy Story movie. It is a slimy green color, and says "Alien" and "Toy Story" on it.
iPhone phone case. A phone case for iPhone with fake Louis Vuitton branding sold in Southeast Asia.
iPhone phone case. Two cute phone cases for iPhone sold in Southeast Asia. One is pink with a two faces of a pig and the bubbly rear side of a pig, and says "Piggy" on it. The other is a poodle dog with clothing and a bow tie that says "Fun Puppy" on it.
iPhone phone case. A phone case for iPhone with fake Versace branding sold in Southeast Asia.
iPhone phone case. A phone cute case for iPhone sold in Southeast Asia. It has a mural of Hello Kitty on an island consisting of sand (in a yellow solid color), a tree with three coconuts on it, and ocean water (in a solid light blue color). It says "Happy" on it.
iPhone phone case. A phone cute case with fur on it for iPhone sold in Southeast Asia. It is a fury cat with a blue shirt on, four puffy balls stuck onto the case to represent paws, a pink bowtie in the upper right-had corner, and two puffy balls stuck on the case to represent ears in the upper left & right-hand corners.

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Something with foreign script on it that… is just intriguing.

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