Travel & Nomad

Paying a Hoi An Tailor in 2026: How Much Deposit, the Card Fee, and Paying by QR

Every Hoi An tailor asks for a deposit before the first cut, and most add a fee if you pay by card. Here is how much to put down, why less is better, and how a visitor pays the shop's own QR code and keeps a record of it.

Quick answer: Hoi An tailors usually ask for a 30 to 50% deposit when you order and the rest at the final fitting, and most add 3 to 4% if you pay by card (traveller guides, May 2026). Put down as little as the shop will accept, get the deposit written on the order slip, and pay in dong by cash or by the shop's bank QR code; foreign visitors can pay that QR with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain.

Key takeaways

Deposit: 30 to 50% is normal, 100% up front is a red flag. A smaller deposit keeps your leverage if the fit is wrong.
Card payments usually cost 3 to 4% extra. Cash in dong carries no fee; ask whether a bank transfer gets the cash price.
Visitors can pay the shop's VietQR code with Fizen QR Pay. USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week, no daily limit.
Keep proof. Write the deposit on the order slip and screenshot the payment with the shop name.

Day one in Hoi An, a fabric wall the length of a bus, and a tailor with a tape measure already around your shoulders. Then the question: "Deposit, fifty percent?" Your card works, but there is a 3% sign by the till, and you have not decided whether you trust this shop with half the money before you have seen a single seam.

This guide is about that conversation: how much deposit is normal, how to pay it as a visitor, and how to keep the upper hand until the last fitting.

How much deposit do Hoi An tailors ask for?

There are more than 200 tailor shops in Hoi An, so you have bargaining power. Traveller guides updated in May 2026 put the standard at 50% up front and 50% on pickup, with 30 to 50% common and a demand for 100% up front flagged as a warning sign. One traveller who paid 80% on her first order wrote that she should have paid 30% or less, because a small deposit is what lets you walk away if the shop will not fix the fit.

Item (May 2026 guide prices)	Typical price in dong	Roughly in US$	A 30% deposit
Two-piece suit, budget	1.5M to 2.5M	US$58 to US$97	450,000 to 750,000
Two-piece suit, mid to high end	2.5M to 4M+	US$97 to US$155+	750,000 to 1.2M+
Dress	500,000 to 2M	US$19 to US$78	150,000 to 600,000

US$ figures use about 25,790 dong to the dollar (2 November 2026). Premium fabric costs more; prices cover labour and basic fabric.

If you are ordering this week: the Fizen app lets a visitor pay the tailor's own bank QR code in dong, deposit today and balance at the last fitting, without a Vietnamese bank account and without the card surcharge sign. You need USDT in the wallet first, so set it up at your hotel tonight; the deposit then takes ten seconds at the counter, and the payment record sits in the app with the shop's name on it.

What does paying by card cost at a Hoi An tailor?

Most tailors take Visa and Mastercard but add a bank fee, usually 3% and sometimes 4%. On a 3 million dong suit that is about 90,000 to 120,000 dong, roughly the price of a good dinner on An Hoi. Cash in dong carries no fee. Some shops also show a VietQR code, which is a bank-to-bank transfer, not a card payment, so a foreign card cannot scan it. Ask whether a transfer gets the cash price before you pay.

What do people who have done it say?

Pay a small deposit. The traveller who paid 80% up front lost her leverage; 30% or less keeps the shop motivated to get the fit right.
Bring specifics, not "a dress". Photos, the cut, the fabric, front and back details. Vague orders produce vague results.
Plan for about three fittings, sometimes more. Fittings can eat a whole day, so order on your first day in town, not your last.
Check it is your garment. One traveller was handed someone else's dress at a fitting more than once; front shops sometimes send work to outside workshops.
Decide your list before you walk in. Sales staff are good at turning one suit into three shirts and a coat. Bargaining is accepted at budget shops, less so at established ones.

How does a visitor pay the tailor's QR code?

Fizen QR Pay is for foreign visitors in Vietnam and the Philippines; people who live in Vietnam cannot use it in Vietnam. It pays VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes, and in Vietnam only codes of Vietnamese account holders, which a local tailor's shop code normally is. In order:

Create or import your Fizen wallet, which is self-custody.
Get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it. USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited into QR Pay, so use Swap and Bridge in the app first if yours sits elsewhere.
Deposit from the wallet into QR Pay: no gas on BNB Chain, a little SOL needed on Solana. KYC applies per wallet and per device.
Scan the shop's code, check the name and the dong amount, and swipe to confirm.

Moving USDT from an exchange: in the Fizen app tap Receive, choose USDT and BNB Chain (or Solana), copy the address; on the exchange withdraw USDT on the matching network (often shown as BEP20 or BSC, or SOL), paste, and send a small test first. Some exchanges ask you to confirm the address is your own wallet.

Limits are US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week, no daily limit: plenty for a suit and a few shirts, though a whole wardrobe can run past the weekly limit, so pay the rest in cash or by card. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. Screens are in the QR Pay getting started guide.

How do you keep proof of the deposit?

Get an order slip with the items, the fabric, the total, the deposit paid and the pickup date, and photograph it.
Screenshot the payment showing the shop name, the dong amount and the time. A QR payment leaves that record; a handful of cash does not.
If it says processing, do not pay again. Wait for the final status so you do not pay the deposit twice.
If it fails, the usual reasons are bank maintenance, an old code, or special characters in the message; see why a QR payment fails in Vietnam.

Shipping home is a separate cost: the Hoi An post office ships parcels routinely, and travellers who sent clothes by sea waited a couple of months.

What does the trip look like once this is sorted?

Deposit on day one, three fittings between the beach and the old town, balance paid at the final fitting with the suit on your back. QR payments need data in the shop; the Fizen app also sells a data-only eSIM for Vietnam, payable with USDT or by card via Stripe, and as a new Fizen programme a US$10 eSIM credit waits in the app's eSIM tab, taken off the bill at checkout (up to 30% of each plan), no code needed.

Frequently asked questions

How much deposit should I pay a Hoi An tailor?

30 to 50% is normal. Pay as little as the shop will accept, 30% if you can, and treat a demand for 100% up front as a warning sign.

Do Hoi An tailors take credit cards?

Most take Visa and Mastercard but add a fee of about 3 to 4%. Cash in dong has no fee, and some shops also show a VietQR bank code.

Can a tourist pay a Hoi An tailor by QR code?

Not with a foreign card or a foreign banking app. A foreign visitor can pay the shop's VietQR code with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain.

How many days do I need for a tailored suit in Hoi An?

Travellers say most people need about three fittings, sometimes more. Order early in your stay so there is time for changes.

Is there a limit on paying by Fizen QR Pay?

Yes: US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week per user, with no daily limit.

Pay the tailor's QR in dong

Foreign visitors in Vietnam can pay a shop's VietQR, VNPay, MoMo or ZaloPay code with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. Deposit today, balance at the last fitting, with the shop name on every record.

Get the Fizen app

Terms and conditions

Information only. This article is information only, not an offer or sale of any product, and not financial, legal or tax advice. Tailor prices, deposits and card fees vary by shop and change; agree terms with the shop in writing.
For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. KYC, KYT, AML and sanctions checks apply. Use of QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms.

Sources

Tailor prices and deposit norms from traveller guides verified May 2026; exchange rate checked 2 November 2026; Fizen QR Pay facts as of November 2026.