The year-end sale season is in full swing in Bangkok.

Text and photos: Chi Linh, Thanh Truc, Que Lan, Duong Thuy

Top shopping destinations in Bangkok

Visitors shouldn't miss these 10 shopping malls holding year-end sales, including: Siam Paragon, Central World, MBK, Siam Center (in the Siam area), Terminal 21, Central Childlom, Gaysorn Shopping Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall, Pantip Plaza (in the Childlom area), and The Emporium (in the Phrom Phong area). All malls open at 10 AM and close at 10 PM, accepting cash or credit cards. Besides their shopping function, these malls also serve as entertainment complexes with cinemas, aquariums, games, and a variety of restaurants located close together inside.

Means of transportation

Hotels in Bangkok don't organize shopping tours for guests. Simply ask the receptionists, and they'll happily guide you with a smile. For shopping malls in the Siam area, you can use the Skytrain (BTS). For shopping malls in the Childlom or Phrom Phong areas, you can use local buses, tuk-tuks, or taxis.

What can I buy there?

The year-end sale at the 10 centers mentioned above usually lasts about two months (from December to the end of January of the following year). The sale discounts range from 10% to 80%, depending on the center and the items.

+ Siam Paragon, Siam Center, The Emporium: These are major shopping malls in Bangkok featuring world-renowned luxury fashion brands and beautiful traditional Thai handicrafts made of silk and silver. With 250 shops inside each mall, visitors can choose from a wide selection of elegant and sophisticated fashion designs or perfumes and cosmetics from famous brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Lancome, Christian Duplex, Prada, Hugo Boss… The discount here is 10%. While this may seem small, for high-end items, 10% is a significant amount. For Thai handicrafts, the discount can reach up to 20%, such as silk fashion from brands like Fly Now III, Koset, Greyhound Original...

+ Central World: This is Bangkok's largest shopping mall in terms of area, with 500 stores inside, featuring mid-range or new fashion brands such as Zara, Miss Sixty, Timberland, Uniqlo, English Brand Next, etc. Those who appreciate modern gardening tools or home decor items can visit here. Sale discounts can reach up to 50%.

+ MBK: With 2,000 stalls inside, MBK can satisfy the shopping needs of all social classes for fashion products, fashion accessories, handbags, leather goods, or electronic devices such as mobile phones, cameras, DVDs, etc. Fashion stores are located on the bottom floor while electronics stores are on the 3rd and 4th floors. Sale discounts at MBK range from 30% (electronics) to 80% (fashion items).

+ Terminal 21: Located near Suvarnabhumi Airport, it's very convenient for travelers who don't have much time in Bangkok but love shopping during sale seasons. Inside, the center is designed with separate sections for fashion items from Tokyo, San Francisco, London, and Istanbul. Discounts here are around 30%.

+ Central Children's Mall, Gaysorn Shopping Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall: Suitable for all fashion lovers, especially Thai fashion brands such as Sretsis, Zenithorial, Senada, Theory… Gaysorn Shopping Mall offers elegant designer fashion brands for gentlemen and Platinum Fashion Mall offers sophisticated fashion brands for ladies. Sale discounts here range from 30-50%.

+ Pantip Plaza: If you're an electronics enthusiast, you shouldn't miss Pantip Plaza when visiting Bangkok. This is the largest shopping mall in Bangkok for electronic devices. From laptops, tablets, phones, software, DVDs, TVs... the latest versions are all available here. The shops are enthusiastic and attentive in packing and shipping goods. The main drawback of the mall, which often confuses tourists, is the inability to verify the authenticity of the electronic accessories inside. To avoid the tempting offers of those selling counterfeit DVDs, tourists should head straight to the 5th floor, known as the "IT city," which focuses on selling genuine products with clear origins. The discount at Pantip Plaza is usually 10%, but depending on your bargaining skills, it can reach 20-30%.

A general tip is, don't rush to buy something you like, even if it's on sale. Take your time browsing stores, checking prices, and comparing options.

THAILAND SHOPPING CELEBRATION

At the end of the year, Thailand attracts tourists from all over the world with a major promotional program called "Thailand Shopping Celebration," applied at all large and famous shopping malls in the country's top tourist cities.

In Bangkok, you can shop for deals at popular shopping destinations such as: Chatuchak Market, Siam Paragon Shopping Mall, MBK Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall, Siam Discovery, Central Childhom, Gaysorn Plaza, Erawan Bangkok, Emporium, Central World, Pantip Plaza, Or Tor Kor Market, Taling Chan Floating Market, Chinatown, Nai Lert Market, Pratumam-Phetchanburi, Silom-Surawong-Patpong…

In Chiang Mai, the Night Bazaar, located along Chang Klan Road and other avenues such as Nimmanahaeminda Road, Wua Lai Walking Street, Tha Pae Walking Street, San Khamphaeng, Bo Sang, Ban Thawai Village, etc., is the biggest shopping destination you can't miss when you're there.

Meanwhile, if you choose to travel to Phuket at the end of the year, you can satisfy your shopping needs with discounted items at the most famous place: Walking Street in the Patong Beach area. Here, discounts of around 10%-15% are applied to products. After wandering among the colorful and glittering stalls, surrounded by the enticing calls of salesgirls in revealing outfits, you can stop by the roadside to enjoy a hot plate of Pat Thai from the traditional Thai food carts.

The Thanh