Where can you get 35mm and medium format films developed in Ho Chi Minh City? Do the photo labs also sell film?
Despite increasing digitalization and the spread of smartphones, you can still find some analog photographers in Vietnam. Film photography is especially popular among young people. Fortunately, the necessary "infrastructure" is also available, mainly in the big cities of the Asian country.
The prices for consumables are not significantly cheaper than elsewhere. Especially compared to German offerings and price levels. Therefore, it makes sense to stock up on film before the trip. Development, especially of C-41 films, is significantly cheaper, particularly for the service provided.
The price for development is usually between 1.60 and 2 euros. In some cases, this is comparable to the pure development costs in Germany, but significantly higher than in the USA or Canada.
In most labs, scanning of the negatives is included in the price. Scanners from Noritsu and Fujitsu are typically used for this. In other countries, you might easily pay a double-digit amount for this service. For this reason, having your images developed locally makes a lot of sense.
Photo Labs in Ho Chi Minh City
In Vietnam's largest city, there are several photo labs that offer film development. In this article, I want to focus on two: CropLab and LLab. Both labs deliver reliable results and are in the same price range.
The process is very similar for both. You drop off the films on-site and provide your contact information. Within the specified time, which varies slightly depending on the film type, you receive a Google Drive link with the images for download. After that, you can pick up the negatives on-site; they are usually held for a little over two weeks.
CropLab
Croplab offers film development and scanning. You can also buy fresh film stock. They have branches in the north (Hanoi), south (Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon), and Da Lat.
Negatives are scanned with a Frontier SP-3000 or a Noritsu HS-1800. The scanners differ in resolution and slightly in color characteristics. You can also choose the file format: JPEG or TIFF/BMP. The latter option is slightly more expensive.
| Film/File Format | C-41 | Black & White | E-6 | Movie Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35mm / JPG | 40,000 | 70,000 | 170,000 | 60,000 |
| 35mm / JPG (Big) | 55,000 | 85,000 | 185,000 | 75,000 |
| 35mm / TIFF | 55,000 | 85,000 | 185,000 | 75,000 |
| 35mm / TIFF (Big) | 105,000 | 135,000 | 235,000 | 125,000 |
| 120 / JPG | 50,000 | 70,000 | 170,000 | 60,000 |
| 120 / TIFF | 65,000 | 85,000 | 185,000 | 75,000 |
Prices as of December 2019 / Amounts in Vietnamese Dong / 1 Euro ≈ 25,000 VND
Resolution 35mm Normal: 3944 x 2645 / 3130 x 2075
Resolution 35mm Big: 5444 x 3649 / 6774 x 4492
Address in Da Lat: 11/3 Trần Phú, p.4, Đà Lạt
Address in Hanoi: Số 102A3 ngõ 72 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Đống Đa, Hà Nội / 108D3, 215 Tô Hiệu, Cầu Giấy District, Hanoi
Address in Ho Chi Minh City: 525/74 Huỳnh Văn Bánh, Ward 14, Phú Nhuận District, HCMC
LLab
LLab also offers film development and scanning. Printing photos is also possible. Like CropLab, it has an attached cafe. LLab is located in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, close to the city's attractions, such as the Backpacker Street. Depending on your location, you can reach it on foot. Or you can use Grab or a taxi.
The development time for C-41 films is up to 48 hours. For black and white films, it's 72 hours. For E-6 films, you have to wait up to 15 days.
| Film Format | C-41 | Black & White | E-6 | Movie Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35mm | 40,000 | 80,000 | 250,000 | 60,000 |
| 120 | 50,000 | 80,000 | 250,000 | - |
| 110 | 80,000 | 80,000 | - | - |
| APS | 60,000 | 80,000 | - | - |
| 4 x 5 | 150,000 | 100,000 | 250,000 | - |
| 8 x 10 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 350,000 | - |
Extras like push and pull or BMP/TIFF cost an additional fee.
Prices as of December 2019 / Amounts in Vietnamese Dong / Costs for sheet film development per sheet
Address in Ho Chi Minh City: 365f Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Cầu Kho, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Opening hours: 8 AM to 10 PM
