Tan My (www.tanmydesign.com) is a name familiar and respected among visitors and locals alike, having been a benchmark of quality, service and tradition in Hanoi’s hand embroidery business for 40 years. But it is younger sister Tan My Design, which has made its mark as a unique and world-class shopping destination in Hanoi.

Set opposite the old Tan My on Hang Gai, in the centre of Hanoi’s old quarter, it is easy to think that Tan My Design, or ‘TMD’, is just another shop. But a closer look at the façade, and what lies behind it, reveals a shopping wonderland.

Set in 3 floors and covering almost 800 sq meters of floor space, TMD unfolds before you as you go upstairs from the attractive but modest entrance. There are displays of works from many of Vietnam’s top designers – fashion, homewares, accessories and art. Staffs are polite and helpful, not in your face, but there to assist.

The focus is clearly on ‘design’ and there are so many unique and interesting pieces, it is hard to know where to start. Every corner has something new, it needs to be explored carefully. On the way upstairs is a cute little mezzanine, showing jewelry and accessories, before you reach the first main level, which gives an instant ‘wow’. There is Jewelry, Accessories, Artworks, and Tan My Design own label homewares – with some very modern contemporary embroidery. Famous names such as Pascale Dang, My Way Deco, Grace, Ipa-nima are all there, and around a corner is the wonderfully ethnic fashion of Minh Hanh. Not to forget nice smelly things from Cochine.

Upstairs to the fashion floor, and beautifully presented are current season pieces from designers such as Bianco Levrin, Ha Linh Thu, Ha Truong, Quang Huy, Thuy, Ngoc Tu, ect. There are works of art throughout, on the walls, as installations, and just pieces here and there. All for sale, all to be admired. Artists such as Dinh Cong Dat, Mai Anh, Cong Quoc Ha and Phi Phi Oanh show their arts with pride and a sense of ownership in TMD. There is a real feeling of participation from everyone involved.

And if all that is not enough, there is a wonderful café inside, where shoppers and visitors can relax, take a break from shopping, enjoy real espresso, gourmet sandwiches, or just a bowl of pho or bun cha.. At the weekend the piano upstairs is in action, adding another dimension and level of enjoyment.

Every time you enter TMD there are changes. It is constantly evolving and developing, introducing new designers and concepts.

Do Thanh Huong and her daughter Nguyen Thuy Linh are behind this retail paradise and you will find them on the floor every day. That is part of the charm that the owners are there and are directly involved in the business.

We should not forget the original Tan My, which still provides the traditional hand embroidery. Its bed linen and table linen are seen all over the world, and the quality and value is surely second to none.

Is there anything else like TMD in Hanoi? Certainly not, in fact there would be few shops like it anywhere.

Should TMD be seen elsewhere? Certainly not, it is a uniquely Hanoian creation, and we love it.