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GLASSES IN HANOI

Getting Prescription Glasses in Hanoi

Written by Alvin, Store Manager · Manh Long Optical, 147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, Hanoi · Updated 2 September 2026

Most people who walk into our shop have the same four questions, usually in the same order: how much, how long, do you need my prescription, and will someone speak English. This page answers them.

We are an optician at 147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, a short walk from Hanoi railway station. We have been in eyewear for twenty-five years, supplying frames to the trade long before we sold a single pair at retail.

How long does it take?

Single-vision glasses are usually ready the same day. We hold single-vision lenses in stock and cut them in store, so for a standard prescription you can be measured in the morning and collect in the afternoon.

Progressive (multifocal) lenses take longer, and how much longer depends on the lens.

• Standard progressives: about 24 hours. Ordered in the morning, ready to collect the next day.
• Premium progressives from Essilor or ZEISS: three to four days. The lens surface is cut to your exact measurements at the manufacturer's lab, not in our store. That is the reason for the wait, and it is also the reason those lenses hold their sharpness towards the edge.

High powers and some coatings can add time as well. We will tell you which case you are in before you pay, not after.

If you are passing through Hanoi on a tight schedule, say so when you arrive. It changes what we recommend.

Do I need a prescription from home?

No. We run a full eye test in store and it is free, whether or not you buy anything.

If you do have a recent prescription, bring it. We will measure anyway and compare. Prescriptions written abroad use the same notation, so there is nothing to translate.

Bring your current glasses too, even if the lenses are scratched. The frame tells us how you like things to sit, and the old lenses tell us how far your eyes have moved.

What does it cost?

You are buying a finished pair — frame and lenses together — so that is how we quote it.

A finished single-vision pair — frame and lenses — runs from 850,000₫ to 3,500,000₫. The spread is mostly the frame and the lens material: a simple acetate frame with a standard lens sits near the bottom, titanium with a thin high-index lens near the top.

Most visitors from abroad end up spending between 1,500,000₫ and 4,000,000₫, which is a little above that band. The reason is what they choose rather than what things cost here: photochromic lenses, progressives, and branded lenses from Essilor all sit higher up.

Above that, price depends on two things: the lens material and what you want the lens to do. Thinner lenses for stronger prescriptions cost more. So do progressive lenses, photochromic lenses, and premium coatings.

Branded lenses from Essilor and ZEISS sit at the upper end. We stock both, with the manufacturer's authenticity markings, and we will show you the packaging before we cut. As one marker: an Essilor blue-light filtering lens is 1,298,000₫. Visitors regularly tell us the same lens at home costs several times that, and takes one to two weeks rather than a day — see Buying Glasses in Hanoi vs at Home.

What actually changes between a cheap lens and an expensive one?

Four things, in rough order of how much they matter for most people:

1. Thickness for your prescription. A stronger prescription in a basic lens comes out thick and heavy at the edges. Higher-index materials make the same prescription thinner and lighter. If your power is low, you may not need this at all.
2. Coatings. Anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, water-repellent. The difference is most visible at night, under screens, and after six months of cleaning.
3. Optical design. Premium single-vision lenses are shaped to stay sharper towards the edge; premium progressives give a wider clear zone for the middle distance. This is where the branded names earn their price.
4. Manufacturer. Essilor and ZEISS lenses cost more than house brands for the same specification. What you are paying for is consistency and the design work above.

A cheap lens is not a bad lens. It is a lens with fewer of these. We will tell you which ones your prescription and your day actually call for.

Visitors are often surprised by the gap with prices at home. We would rather you understood what you are paying for than simply that it was cheap, so ask us to explain any line you do not recognise.

Offers change through the year. Call 0777 986 999 or ask in store for what is running today.

What kind of lenses can I get?

The common requests:

• Single vision — one prescription across the whole lens. The standard pair.
• Progressive (multifocal) — distance, intermediate and reading in one lens, without a visible line. Takes some adjustment; we will explain what to expect in the first week.
• Blue-light filtering — a coating that filters part of the blue end of the visible spectrum. Often requested by people working long hours at a screen.
• Photochromic — clear indoors, darkening in sunlight. Useful in Hanoi if you would rather not carry two pairs.
• Prescription sunglasses — tinted lenses made to your prescription, for driving and daylight.

We fit all of these with lenses from Essilor, ZEISS and other manufacturers we stock. Which one suits you depends on your prescription and how you spend your day, so the conversation happens after the eye test, not before.

Are Essilor and ZEISS lenses worth it?

Not always. It depends on your prescription and what you do all day, and any optician who says otherwise is selling.

Where a branded lens earns its price:

• Progressives. The width of the clear middle zone is the whole product. This is where the design work shows.
• Strong prescriptions and astigmatism. The stronger the power, the more the lens design has to do to keep the edges usable.
• Photochromic. How fast it darkens, and how fast it clears again indoors, is what you are paying for.

Where it may not: a low, simple prescription in single vision. A well-made standard lens does that job, and we will tell you so rather than sell you up.

What matters more than the brand

Read any long argument about lens brands and you find that the complaints are rarely about the glass. They are about a prescription copied instead of measured, a pupillary distance taken from an old record, or nobody asking what the glasses are actually for.

A mid-range lens measured properly will beat a premium lens measured carelessly, every time. So before you decide how much to spend on the lens, ask how the measuring is done. Here it is a full refraction test, free, with the pupillary distance taken for the frame you actually chose, and questions about how you spend your day before anyone recommends a design.

One honest caveat

Coatings can fail. It is not common, but it happens, on branded lenses as well as cheap ones. If a coating on a lens we sold you crazes or peels, bring it back — a manufacturing fault is replaced. Ask any shop what happens in that case before you pay, not after.

Can I choose from a decent range of frames?

We hold roughly a thousand frames in store: acetate, flexible plastic, metal and titanium, including a large selection of Korean designs.

That number exists for a reason. We spent twenty-five years supplying frames to the trade before opening to the public. Handle that many frames and you learn which hinge gives out after a year and which one still sits right after ten.

You are welcome to bring your own frame if you are attached to it. We will tell you honestly whether it will take the lenses you need.

Will someone speak English?

Yes. Every member of staff speaks English, on every shift, so you will not need to wait for a particular person to be in. A large share of our customers are visitors staying near the Old Quarter and residents living in Hanoi.

If you would rather write your prescription down than say it out loud, that is fine too.

Can I pay by card?

Yes. We accept card payment as well as cash.

What happens after I leave?

Adjustments, cleaning and new nose pads are free for as long as you wear the pair. So are re-checks of your eyes.

If a frame or lens fails because of a manufacturing fault, we replace it.

This matters more than it sounds. Glasses shift with wear, and a pair that fitted perfectly in March will sit differently by September. If you live in Hanoi, come back and we will straighten them while you wait. If you are travelling, come back before you fly out and we will check the fit once more.

Where we are

147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, Hanoi. A short walk from Hanoi railway station, close to the edge of Hoan Kiem district.

Open 8:00 – 21:30, every day. We are open late, which is worth knowing if your day is full. The quietest hours are usually mid-morning and after 20:00.

Common questions

How long does it take to get glasses made in Hanoi?

Single-vision glasses are usually ready the same day, because those lenses are held in stock and cut in store. Standard progressive (multifocal) lenses take about 24 hours. Premium progressives from Essilor or ZEISS take three to four days, because the lens surface is cut to your measurements at the manufacturer's lab. High powers and certain coatings can add time.

Do I need a prescription from home to buy glasses in Hanoi?

No. A full eye test is run in store and is free, whether or not you buy. Bringing a recent prescription and your current glasses is useful but not required.

How much do prescription glasses cost in Hanoi?

A finished single-vision pair — frame and lenses — runs from 850,000₫ to 3,500,000₫. Most visitors from abroad spend between 1,500,000₫ and 4,000,000₫, because they tend to add photochromic, progressive or branded lenses. Price rises with lens material and lens type; Essilor and ZEISS lenses sit at the upper end.

Are Essilor or ZEISS lenses worth the extra cost?

It depends on the prescription. The design work shows most in progressive lenses, in strong prescriptions and astigmatism, and in how quickly a photochromic lens darkens and clears. For a low, simple single-vision prescription a well-made standard lens does the job. What matters more than the brand is that the eye test, the pupillary distance and the fitting are done properly — a mid-range lens measured well beats a premium lens measured carelessly.

Is there an English-speaking optician in Hanoi?

Yes. At 147A Le Duan, Cua Nam, every member of staff speaks English on every shift. Card payment is accepted.

Can I get progressive or photochromic lenses in Hanoi?

Yes. Single vision, progressive (multifocal), blue-light filtering, photochromic and prescription sunglass lenses are all available, using lenses from Essilor, ZEISS and other stocked manufacturers.