Women’s clothing recommendations for Southeast Asia (mainly Vietnam)

[sboussios]

Adding one more recommendation

I love Keens for wet weather, they dry quickly and some models are super light and supportive, dry quickly etc, my favorite is the Damaya Lattice. My latest go-to travel shirts that are super light, not clingy and dry quickly, some made from hemp, Prana Foundation T, Cozey Up T and my latest obsession that looks and feels like linen but doesn’t have the super wrinkles: Prana’s Aster Tunic. also love my Columbia light and super fast drying shirts too.

[Duggy'sMom]

Hi! I live in Singapore which is hot humid and rainy year round. For me even the thinnest merino is too warm.

I use Uniqlo t shirts as my go to travel shirt. Not the cool tech, instead it’s a cotton blend so it’s very light.

For shoes I live in my teva Tirra. Literally everyday in Singapore and when i travel to warm climates. I have wide feet and they fit me just fine since all the straps are adjustable. They look a bit dressy so I wear them with skirts and dresses all the time. I’m currently hiking in Tasmania in them.

I highly recommend skirts though for me being 4’11” the Macabi skirts didn’t work.


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[SarahJaneMakes]

Oh you are going to have a fabulous time!
I traveled to VN for work and learned a ton about what seemed like a good idea at home and what reality was in the ground.
First- everyone wears sandals, in all kinds of setting. I visited factories and expected to have to be in closed-toe shoes but sandals are a way of life.
I love Chacos. If you enjoy arch support and stability on mutli-terrains I’d try them out. They are great in hot, dry, wet, smooth and rough situations.

This may sound strange but... if you are white person you will likely get touched a lot. Personal space is nearly non-existant in crowded places and it’s completely normal for vendors and hawkers to touch your shoulder/arm/hand. Why bring it up? Sweat. I didn’t struggle much with the constant heat but I DID struggle with getting touched and the weird feeling of someone grasping my sweaty arm and disturbing my sweat-sheen. So. If being touched is a game-changer for you you may want longer sleeves, even in the heat. I mainly wore woven cotton dresses and always had a scarf and a light cardigan with me.

Quantity- wearing the same few things over and over again will only be noticed by you. So if you have rinsed something out and hung it to dry overnight and wake up to it being slightly damp? Wear it again. Better than packing it in with other clothes that are dry. Keep your total items small. Enough to keep feeling clean and small enough that you won’t end up not wearing things because of the above.

I’m not generally a fan of money belts or enhanced anti-theft items but I would recommend a small cross-body bag (worn on your front) and keeping ultra-valuables (passport, for instance) tucked into an inner layer (bra, for instance).

Lastly, keep the name of where you are staying written in the local language with you at all times. It makes a world of difference for getting a cab or finding your way. English is not widely spoken.

[b1gsky]

Thanks to everyone else who commented! Sorry for not coming back sooner, I've been travelling. I'll come back to answer more fully next week.

I did order a Macabi skirt in the sale, I'll report back when it arrives. Fingers crossed it fits. I went for the Midnight Blue.

[b1gsky]

My Macabi skirt arrived and unfortunately the sizing was off. I’ll get an replacement, but I need to pick another color. I’m rather unsure what to get, I posted about it in the Macabi skirt thread:

https://forums.tombihn.com/not-about...tml#post185270

If any of you have a Macabi skirt and seen the colors IRL I would be grateful for advice.

(I’m coming back to this thread tomorrow, promise...)

ETA
I'm getting the Charcoal. Fingers crossed that the sizing is right this time and the color works.

[b1gsky]

The Charcoal Macabi skirt arrived yesterday and I’m happy to say that the fit is much better this time. I also like the grey - it definitely has a warm undertone to it, which makes it work quite well with my things. Now I just need some shirts I can wear with it without looking too dumpy.

I also used the sales to order a linen shirt and some long linen trousers for very little money, fingers crossed they fit. And I remembered a pair of wide legged trousers I have, they are a thin hemp and cotton blend and quite breezy. I think they should go well with all shirts that go with the Macabi skirt, as the cut is similar. I just need to find some that work with both colorwise (the trousers are patterned and the colors are a bit Aubergine/Wasabi like).

[b1gsky]

My latest go-to travel shirts that are super light, not clingy and dry quickly, some made from hemp, Prana Foundation T, Cozey Up T and my latest obsession that looks and feels like linen but doesn’t have the super wrinkles: Prana’s Aster Tunic. also love my Columbia light and super fast drying shirts too.

Thanks for the shirt recommendations! The aster tunic looked great at first glance, but then I discovered the slit in the back - kind of ruins it for me. The Cozey up T looks promising though, I might give that one a try.

Hi! I live in Singapore which is hot humid and rainy year round. For me even the thinnest merino is too warm.

I use Uniqlo t shirts as my go to travel shirt. Not the cool tech, instead it’s a cotton blend so it’s very light.

For shoes I live in my teva Tirra. Literally everyday in Singapore and when i travel to warm climates. I have wide feet and they fit me just fine since all the straps are adjustable.

Are these shirts available regularly at Uniqlo? I’ll have a look next spring if I see them. I think my sister had the Teva Tirra once, I remember that they didn’t work for me (we have the same shoe size, but my feet are wider). I think I’m simply going to go into a store once they have the spring/summer stock and then try some sandals in person.

Oh you are going to have a fabulous time!
I traveled to VN for work and learned a ton about what seemed like a good idea at home and what reality was in the ground.
First- everyone wears sandals, in all kinds of setting. I visited factories and expected to have to be in closed-toe shoes but sandals are a way of life.
I love Chacos. If you enjoy arch support and stability on mutli-terrains I’d try them out. They are great in hot, dry, wet, smooth and rough situations.

This may sound strange but... if you are white person you will likely get touched a lot. Personal space is nearly non-existant in crowded places and it’s completely normal for vendors and hawkers to touch your shoulder/arm/hand. Why bring it up? Sweat. I didn’t struggle much with the constant heat but I DID struggle with getting touched and the weird feeling of someone grasping my sweaty arm and disturbing my sweat-sheen. So. If being touched is a game-changer for you you may want longer sleeves, even in the heat. I mainly wore woven cotton dresses and always had a scarf and a light cardigan with me.

Quantity- wearing the same few things over and over again will only be noticed by you. So if you have rinsed something out and hung it to dry overnight and wake up to it being slightly damp? Wear it again. Better than packing it in with other clothes that are dry. Keep your total items small. Enough to keep feeling clean and small enough that you won’t end up not wearing things because of the above.

I’m not generally a fan of money belts or enhanced anti-theft items but I would recommend a small cross-body bag (worn on your front) and keeping ultra-valuables (passport, for instance) tucked into an inner layer (bra, for instance).

Lastly, keep the name of where you are staying written in the local language with you at all times. It makes a world of difference for getting a cab or finding your way. English is not widely spoken.

Thanks so much for all the great tips! Good to know that sandals are worn everywhere, I’m still thinking about the shoes I want to take. Interesting about the touching - I’m honestly not sure how I would feel about it. I think I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but who knows. I’ll have a look if I find a nice woven cotton dress - that sounds like a great option to have. And I totally agree about keeping the total items small. It’s going to be a bit of a mental challenge because I know myself and I tend to overpack if I don’t know a destination, but I really want to travel light for this one. Especially because I’ve had some back trouble recently, so I can’t afford to lug a heavy bag around. I’m not sure yet what bag(s) to take, but I thought about carrying my Travel Cubelet for the essentials. The only downside is that I can’t fit my camera inside that bag. And I can’t really imagine leaving my camera at home on a trip like this. I normally travel with a DLBP, but I’m not sure if that’s the best option for this trip. And the MCB fits my camera, but I’m not sure how secure it is...

[Kirri]

I used a MCB in Vietnam and it was just right for carrying an umbrella and a sarong which covered the weather as well as sudden cold air con.

I wore a loose bamboo dress the whole time which was perfect and sandals.

I didn’t notice anything different about how people touch.

A fascinating country to visit and the coffee is amazing! And that is coming from Australia where coffee is an obsession.


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[Kirri]

Btw my Olukai sandals have leather uppers but were still fine in the wet.

I worried about what to take before I went and it was really simple once there. Take something comfortable in hot weather, a layer (sarong or scarf) if going to air con, and wash and re-wear.


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[b1gsky]

Thanks - I think I'll test pack my MCB then. If I find a way to carry my things together with the camera it would certainly be a good option. I do like that it looks like a fairly normal bag, not like a camera bag. And I'm definitely going to take a scarf, I don't think I've ever travelled without one. Good to know about the leather uppers on your sandals, I do prefer leather if I have a choice.... And I'm looking forward to the coffee! I'm a bit of a coffee addict.

[Duggy'sMom]

Sadly the tshirts are not always in stock at Uniqlo. They seem to come in every two years.

This is what it is called. It is weirdly packaged and not on a hangar.



for what it’s worth my feet are extremely wide size 5 and my daughter has narrow feet. We can both use the tirra sandal because every strap is adjustable.

Good luck!


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[kathryn]

Are these shirts available regularly at Uniqlo? I’ll have a look next spring if I see them.

Uniqlo is super seasonal in their offerings--if you want to snag some merino or cashmere sweaters, do it soon. Once the spring/summer items come in, the winter ones disappear for the most part. It may be that in stores items are available on a more year-round basis, but there isn't one near me.

Unrelated: I have a new pair of technical trousers on the way, that I ordered over xmas. I will post a review here when they come!

[b1gsky]

Sadly the tshirts are not always in stock at Uniqlo. They seem to come in every two years.

[...]

for what it’s worth my feet are extremely wide size 5 and my daughter has narrow feet. We can both use the tirra sandal because every strap is adjustable.

Good luck!


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Thanks! I’ll definitely give the sandals a try again if I see them in store. Also thanks for the screenshot - so it’s a cotton rayon blend? If I see them around this spring I’ll give them a try.

Uniqlo is super seasonal in their offerings--if you want to snag some merino or cashmere sweaters, do it soon. Once the spring/summer items come in, the winter ones disappear for the most part. It may be that in stores items are available on a more year-round basis, but there isn't one near me.

Unrelated: I have a new pair of technical trousers on the way, that I ordered over xmas. I will post a review here when they come!

Thanks - I just had a look because I moved recently, but we do have a store here. Not sure how big it’s going to be, but I’ll have a look when I’m in the city next. What kind of trousers did you order?

[kathryn]

What kind of trousers did you order?

They’re the Wyldcat pants from 5.11 tactical. Basically skinny cut with a ton of pockets and zips at the ankles so you can wear them inside or over boots.

I’m not at all into tactical gear or weapons, so I really can’t remember how I stumbled across them... weird Google rabbit hole, maybe, or a rec from r/HerOneBag on reddit? In any case, I figure the magazine pockets will work just as well for other stuff I want to carry.


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[AlaskaGirl]

Uniqlo is super seasonal in their offerings--if you want to snag some merino or cashmere sweaters, do it soon. Once the spring/summer items come in, the winter ones disappear for the most part.

Greetings,
After seeing so many recommendations for Uniqlo products here over the past few years, I decided to check out the merino wool shirts.

THANK YOU so much for the suggestion! The regular prices are very nice, but the sale prices are incredible. I'm amazed at how many colors they offer compared to other merino wool suppliers. I signed up for their email, too.

I appreciate the suggestion. Thank you again! elisa