- Wandering Soup
Buying a Laptop in Vietnam! | Wandering Soup
If you are looking at Vietnam as your next home then this blog might be useful to you! We recently went shopping for a laptop and of course we had to share our experience with you. If you didn't know electronics outside of the U.S. can be pricier and there are certain models/brands that you will only find here. That makes the shopping experience "eventful" to say the least.
We went to 4 different stores comparing makes/models and below is what we learned if you will.
1. English speaking associates were not the norm and it was not the easiest to explain what we were looking for. Fortunately all the laptop specs/descriptions are in English and Google Translate is your friend.
2. Shop around. Prices will vary and more importantly stock will vary from store to store, even within the same chain. They have a lot of laptops on display that aren't available for purchase. Weird.
3. We wanted one computer in particular, they said they would bring it in from another store. They did, unfortunately what was on the box wasn't what was in the box. Not sure if it was a switcheroo or just miscommunication. We walked.
4. You can order online here (not as simple as Amazon) but for this particular item I would suggest shopping/purchasing in person as most places/shops do not offer a refund. And remember your warranty is only valid in Vietnam. (Online stores: Lazada, Shoppee)
5. The buying experience is interesting in that you pick a laptop, go to one counter to pay and another to pick it up. They will unbox and plug it in for a test to ensure everything is good to go along with comparing the specs of the box vs your purchased invoice. Because we are wary Americans we asked to see the actual boxed laptop before purchasing...lol All in all this was a three day experience that would have probably taken one day in the states, well after a few hours/days of research on the internet.
Pro Tip: Purchase all new equipment before departing the U.S. if possible. Remember to also bring adaptors, we have two per person in our household.
Our video was our first shopping day. I was to tired to film the last day...lol
Kat