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Glasses in Hanoi: 23 questions, answered plainly

Manh Long Optical · 147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, Hanoi · Open daily 8:00 – 21:30 · Updated 10 September 2026

Timing, and leaving Hanoi

Can you make glasses on the same day?

Single-vision lenses are held in stock here and are normally cut, fitted and ready the same day. Whether that holds for you depends on your prescription and the lens you choose. Tell us the date you leave Hanoi and we will say plainly whether it fits.

How long do progressive lenses take?

Standard progressives take about 24 hours. Essilor and ZEISS progressives are cut at the lab and take three to four days. Those are working estimates, not promises stretched to win an order. High prescriptions or strong astigmatism may need custom-surfaced lenses. Those take 10 to 15 days. If you leave Hanoi before then, tell us at the eye test and we will say what is possible.

I am leaving Hanoi tomorrow. Can you still help?

Often yes, if a single-vision lens suits you. We are open from 8:00 to 21:30 every day, which leaves a wide window even in a packed trip. If the lens you need cannot be finished safely in time, we will say so rather than take the order and hope.

Can you deliver the glasses to my hotel?

Yes. Delivery within inner Hanoi is free, hotels included. Tell us the hotel and a time that suits you when you order.

What happens if I leave Hanoi before the glasses are ready?

International shipping can be arranged. We confirm the destination, the cost and a realistic delivery time before you order, so nothing gets decided after you have already paid.

What time do you open and close?

8:00 to 21:30, every day of the week, holidays included. An eye test at 20:00 is the same test as one at 10:00, so an evening visit costs you none of your daylight.

The eye test and your prescription

Do I need to bring a prescription from home?

No. The eye test here is free, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and you are not expected to buy afterwards. You keep your numbers whether or not you order anything.

Can you copy the prescription from my current glasses?

We can read your current lenses and use them as a reference, which genuinely helps. We will still test rather than copy, and we will not work from a prescription more than a year old without re-testing, because the numbers move.

Is the eye test really free?

Yes, whether or not you buy, and re-checks stay free for as long as you wear the pair. It is a full refraction test in the testing room, not a quick reading taken off your old lenses at the counter.

Can you make lenses for a strong prescription?

Yes. Thinner high-index lenses are stocked for stronger prescriptions, and the Essilor progressive range is made to roughly -14 by the manufacturer's own specification. Bring your numbers and we will confirm what is available and how long it takes before you commit to anything.

Frames and lenses

Do you have frames that fit a larger face?

Yes, in several sizes, including wider fronts and higher bridges. There are roughly a thousand frames in store, so this is one of the few optical questions better settled by trying than by asking.

Can you put new lenses in the frame I already own?

Yes, and you are welcome to bring it. We inspect the frame first and say plainly if it is too brittle or too worn to survive a re-fit, before anything is cut.

What are the frames made of?

Acetate, flexible plastic, metal and titanium, including a large selection of Korean designs. Titanium is the light, durable option; acetate gives more shape and colour to the face.

Can you make prescription sunglasses or photochromic lenses?

Yes to both. Photochromic lenses darken outdoors and clear indoors, so one pair covers the day; prescription sunglasses with a fixed tint stay darker and hold their colour. Which suits you depends on how much of your day is spent outside.

Are blue-light filtering lenses worth buying?

We will give you the evidence rather than the sales line. A 2023 Cochrane review found no clear benefit for eye strain, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology attributes screen fatigue mainly to blinking less while concentrating. The anti-reflective layer does cut glare, which many wearers notice. It treats no eye condition.

Price and payment

How much does a pair cost?

A finished single-vision pair runs from 850,000₫ to 3,500,000₫. That is one figure covering the frame and the lenses together, not a lens price with the frame added afterwards. An Essilor blue-light filtering lens, as one concrete example, is 1,298,000₫ a pair. Progressive, photochromic and branded lenses cost more.

Why does a custom-surfaced lens cost so much more than a stock lens?

Take Chemi 1.67 ASP U2, priced per pair of lenses without a frame: the stock lens starts at 1,186,000₫ and the custom-surfaced one is 3,468,000₫. That is close to three times the price. The material is the same. What differs is how the lens is made. The manufacturer makes stock lenses in bulk to the common prescription steps, so we take them off the shelf and cut them the same day, but only if your prescription falls inside the stocked range. A custom-surfaced lens starts as a blank, and the lab grinds one surface to your exact sphere, cylinder and axis. It takes 10 to 15 days and is needed when the prescription is high, the astigmatism is strong, or the combination falls outside what is stocked. If your prescription sits in the common range, the stock lens does its job, and paying more buys you nothing you will use. After the eye test we will tell you which group you are in.

Will I know the full price before you start?

Yes. The complete price is confirmed before anything is cut, and any optional upgrade is priced separately so you can decline it.

Can I pay by card?

Card and cash are both accepted.

For travellers

Do the staff speak English?

Yes, on every shift, including evenings. The eye test, the lens explanation and the fitting all happen in English if you prefer.

Can I message you before I arrive?

Yes, and it saves you a trip across town. WhatsApp is on +84 777 986 999; the same number takes calls and Zalo. Send a photo of your prescription and the date you leave Hanoi, and we will tell you what is realistic before you set out.

Where exactly is the shop?

147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, Hanoi, a short walk from Hanoi railway station and about fifteen minutes from the Old Quarter.

What if the glasses need adjusting after I get home?

Adjustments, cleaning and new nose pads are free here for as long as you own the pair, so come back any time you are in Hanoi. Once you are home, any optician can adjust the fit; the frames are standard and need no special parts. A genuine manufacturing fault is replaced.