You typed "laundry near me" into Google and ended up here. You're probably a tourist whose suitcase is full of damp clothes, an expat tired of paying hotel prices, or a Saigon resident shopping around. This guide walks through every realistic option in Ho Chi Minh City — what each costs, what to expect, and which one fits your specific situation.
The four real laundry options in Saigon
Whether you're staying for two nights or two years, Ho Chi Minh City offers four distinct categories of laundry. Each has trade-offs in price, convenience, and reliability.
1. Hotel and hostel laundry
The most convenient and the most expensive. Drop a bag at reception, get it back the next day. Prices range from 30,000đ per t-shirt at budget hostels to 150,000đ per shirt at five-star hotels. A typical week's worth of clothes runs 500,000đ to 1,500,000đ ($20-60 USD) — multiple times what other options cost.
Hostels sometimes offer flat per-kilo rates around 50,000-70,000đ/kg, but the laundry is often outsourced to local shops anyway. You pay a 30-50% markup for the hostel's middleman role.
2. Street laundry shops (tiệm giặt)
Small storefronts with washing machines visible from the street. Common in District 1 around Bui Vien, District 3, and Bình Thạnh. Prices are the cheapest in the market — 15,000-25,000đ/kg.
The catch: you walk your laundry there and back, hours are typically 7am-7pm, turnaround is same-day if dropped before 10am, otherwise next-day. Language barrier is real — most shops don't speak English. Quality varies wildly. Some shops do excellent work; others mix loads or use harsh chemicals.
3. Online pickup-delivery laundry services
The newest and fastest-growing category. Book online or by phone, a driver picks up from your hotel or apartment, your laundry goes to a vetted partner laundromat, and clean folded clothes come back to the same address. Pricing is per-kilogram with no per-item markup.
Giặt Ơi! is the largest of these services in HCMC — flat 30,000đ/kg for 24-hour service, 50,000đ/kg for 4-hour express. Pickup and delivery is free within the 14 inner-city districts.
4. Coin laundromats
Self-service laundromats with coin or card-operated machines. Rare in Saigon — only a handful exist, mostly catering to specific expat clusters in District 7 (Phú Mỹ Hưng) and Thảo Điền (District 2). Costs 30,000-50,000đ per wash cycle plus drying. You spend 90 minutes there. Not practical for tourists or short-stay visitors.
What a kilogram of laundry actually looks like
Pricing is mostly per-kg in HCMC, but most travelers have no idea what a kilo of clothes looks like. Some references:
- 1 kg = approximately 4-5 t-shirts, or 3 button-down shirts, or 2 pairs of jeans
- 3 kg = a typical 2-day load for one person (essentials)
- 5 kg = a week's worth for a solo traveler with light clothing
- 7-8 kg = a week's worth for a couple, or one person with heavier items
- 12+ kg = two weeks of clothes, or a family load
Giặt Ơi! has a 5kg minimum. If you're solo and have less, two options: combine with your travel partner's clothes, or wait until you have enough. The 5kg minimum prevents tiny orders from creating delivery overhead.
Real price comparison: a 7kg load
Imagine you have 7 kilograms of mixed clothes — about a week's worth for one traveler. Here's what each option costs:
- Five-star hotel laundry: 1,200,000-2,000,000đ ($48-80 USD). Per-item pricing penalizes you hard.
- Three-star hotel laundry: 500,000-800,000đ ($20-32 USD).
- Hostel laundry: 350,000-500,000đ ($14-20 USD) at 50-70K/kg.
- Street shop: 105,000-175,000đ ($4-7 USD) at 15-25K/kg. Carry both ways.
- Giặt Ơi! standard: 210,000đ ($8.40 USD) at flat 30K/kg. Free pickup and delivery.
- Giặt Ơi! express: 350,000đ ($14 USD) at flat 50K/kg, 4-hour turnaround.
For most travelers, the choice comes down to street shop vs Giặt Ơi!. The street shop is cheaper by 100K (~$4), but requires walking laundry through humid streets twice and managing a language barrier. Giặt Ơi! costs 4-5x cheaper than hotel laundry and saves you the walk.
Which neighborhoods have the most options
District 1 (downtown, backpacker area)
The widest selection. Around Bui Vien and Phạm Ngũ Lão, you'll find 15+ street shops within walking distance of most hostels. Most are tourist-friendly with English-language menus. Giặt Ơi! covers this entire district with free pickup.
District 3 (residential mid-range)
Plenty of street shops serving local families. Quality is generally good — these shops survive on repeat residents, not transient tourists. Slightly less English support than D1.
Districts 4, 5, 6, 8 (older Vietnamese areas)
Cheaper street shops, less English. Good if you speak some Vietnamese or use Google Translate. Giặt Ơi! covers all of these districts.
District 7 (Phú Mỹ Hưng, expat-heavy)
More premium options. Several international-style laundromats and dry cleaners. Prices are slightly higher (30-50% more than D4/5) reflecting the demographic. Giặt Ơi! has strong presence here with same flat pricing as central districts.
District 2 / Thảo Điền (expat enclave)
Mostly expat-focused services with English signage. Some self-service laundromats. Pricing similar to D7. Worth checking Facebook expat groups for current recommendations.
How to book a pickup laundry service
If you decide on a pickup service like Giặt Ơi!, here's how the typical booking goes:
- Visit the website (giatoi.vn/en/order) or message Zalo/WhatsApp at 0397 544 696
- Choose service tier — standard (24h, 30K/kg) or express (4h, 50K/kg)
- Pick a pickup window — typically 1-2 hour slots throughout the day, 24/7
- Enter address — your hotel, hostel, AirBnB, or apartment
- Optional add-ons — separate whites (+80K flat), express upgrade
- Confirm and wait — driver arrives in the chosen window, takes the bag, weighs it on a portable scale, gives you a receipt with weight + total
- Delivery — back in 4 or 24 hours depending on tier
Payment options for tourists
Saigon laundry services accept multiple payment methods:
- Cash on delivery: Universal. Most reliable for one-time tourist orders.
- Bank transfer: Vietnamese banks (Vietcombank, VPBank, BIDV). Wise transfers work for international users.
- MoMo: Vietnamese mobile wallet. Requires a Vietnamese phone number.
- Zalo Pay: Similar to MoMo, common with Giặt Ơi!.
- Credit card: Rare for laundry services. Premium services in District 1 may accept.
Common tourist mistakes to avoid
- Trusting hotel laundry to be reasonable. Five-star hotels in Saigon charge per item and the totals are shocking. Always ask for a price list before sending.
- Bringing wet clothes to a street shop expecting same-day return. Most shops need 6-8 hours to wash and dry. Dropping off at 5pm means tomorrow.
- Not asking about white-separation. If you mix whites and colors in one bag, expect grey results. Either pack separately or pay the +80K surcharge for separation.
- Underestimating the rainy season impact. April through October is monsoon season. Drying outdoors fails. Always check that the service uses indoor dryers, especially if you need clothes fast.
- Not carrying enough clothes. Many travelers pack 3 days of clothes thinking they'll wash mid-trip — then discover hotel laundry costs more than their entire trip budget. Pack a week's worth, then use a pickup service once.
Recommendations by traveler type
Solo backpacker, 1-2 weeks
Use a street shop near your hostel for first wash. If quality is good, continue. If frustrated, switch to Giặt Ơi! for next wash (free pickup means no walking through humid streets).
Couple or family, 1-2 weeks
Skip hostel laundry. Combined laundry hits 5kg minimum easily. Pickup service makes most sense — schedule one wash mid-trip when you have 7-10kg accumulated.
Business traveler, 3-5 days
You probably don't need laundry for one trip. If you do, hotel laundry is fastest for 1-2 shirts. For more, a 4-hour express pickup service gets clothes back same-day without leaving the hotel.
Long-stay expat, 1 month or more
Set up a regular weekly pickup with a service. Costs ~800K-1.2M VND/month for one person, way below maintaining your own washing machine. Frees you from laundromat trips and apartment-building rules about laundry.
Tourist in transit (flight in 12-24 hours)
Express 4-hour service is the only realistic option. Book as soon as you check out of one accommodation, with delivery scheduled at your departure point (next hotel, the airport hotel, etc.).
The bottom line
For most travelers in HCMC, the smart move is using a pickup laundry service like Giặt Ơi! once mid-trip, then again before flying home if needed. You pay 4-5x less than hotel laundry, never leave your room, get same-day or next-day return, and avoid the language barrier and walking burden of street shops. The whole transaction takes 5 minutes to set up and the clothes come back in a sealed bag, folded and ready to repack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is laundry expensive in Saigon for tourists?
It depends on which option you choose. Hotel laundry is expensive — 30,000-150,000đ per item, easily 1-2 million VND for a week's clothes. Pickup services like Giặt Ơi! charge 30,000đ/kg, so a week's clothes (5-7kg) costs only 150,000-210,000đ ($6-8 USD). Street shops are cheapest at 15,000-25,000đ/kg but require walking and managing language.
Where can I find laundry near my hotel in District 1?
District 1 has the most laundry options in Saigon. Around Bui Vien and Phạm Ngũ Lão you'll find 15+ street shops within walking distance of most hostels. For convenience, pickup services like Giặt Ơi! cover all of District 1 with free pickup and delivery — book online or via Zalo 0397 544 696.
How long does laundry take in Ho Chi Minh City?
Standard service is 24 hours from pickup. Express service is 4 hours, available 24/7 for an additional fee. Hotel laundry is usually next-day. Street shops are same-day if you drop off before 10am, otherwise next-day. The 4-hour express service is the fastest legitimate option in the city.
Do laundry services in Saigon speak English?
Pickup services like Giặt Ơi! have English-speaking staff for booking and customer service. The booking website is fully in English. Street shops vary — most in District 1 (tourist area) have basic English; shops in residential districts often don't. Hotel laundry is always in English.
Can I get my laundry separated by color?
Yes. Pack white items in a separate inner bag or pouch inside your main laundry bag. Pickup services charge a flat 80,000đ surcharge for separate whites wash. Without separation, mixed loads may transfer color slightly between items — common with new dark-colored clothing.
Is it safe to send my clothes with a pickup laundry service?
Yes, when using a reputable service. Giặt Ơi! provides a sealed bag with a tracking number, weighs your clothes in front of you, gives you a receipt, and has a customer service line for disputes. The service insures against loss. Item-by-item inventories aren't standard for wash-and-fold but you can request one for high-value items.
What's the minimum order size for pickup laundry?
Most pickup services in Saigon have a 5kg minimum. Below that, you pay the 5kg rate even if your actual weight is less (e.g., 3kg gets charged 150,000đ standard). For solo travelers with small loads, options are: wait until you have 5kg, combine with a travel partner, or use a hostel/street shop with no minimum.
How do I pay for laundry as a tourist in Saigon?
Cash on delivery is universal and the easiest for tourists. Bank transfer to Vietcombank works if you have a Vietnamese account or use Wise. MoMo and Zalo Pay require a Vietnamese phone number. Few laundry services accept credit cards. Most foreign-card-friendly options are in District 1 or Thảo Điền.
Ready to give Giặt Ơi! a try?
Book a pickup at /en/order/ or call 0397 544 696. The team operates 24/7 and replies on Zalo, WhatsApp, and SMS. First-time customers in HCMC inner districts get free pickup and delivery.