Port Vila packs its retail into one seafront kilometre: a 24-hour produce market, ni-Vanuatu craft huts stacked with pandanus weaving, duty-free arcades, and workshops turning local sandalwood, coconut oil and tamtam wood into things worth the baggage allowance.
Green-roofed seafront hall where ni-Vanuatu 'mamas' sleep beside their stalls from Monday dawn to Friday noon. Beyond produce, the inland rows sell pandanus mats, island dresses and woven baskets. Cash only, prices chalked and rarely haggled.
Thatched stalls strung along Lini Highway opposite the seawall, selling carved tamtam slit drums, Ambrym-style wooden masks, shell necklaces and pig-tusk pendants. Sellers name their island of origin, so you can trace exactly where a carving came from.
Retail outlet for the tamanu-oil and volcanic-ash skincare made on Efate. Shelves hold coconut soap, nangai nut oil, virgin coconut oil pressed in Santo, and sandalwood balms bottled locally rather than imported and rebranded.
Bean-to-bar workshop and café using cacao from Malekula, Malo and Epi, roasted and wrapped on site. Single-island bars carry the plantation name, plus coconut-sugar and wild-pepper editions, and staff will open a bar for tasting before you commit.
Cluster of tailoring shops behind the market sewing the bright, ruffled 'island dress' introduced by missionaries and now national dress. Bolts of printed cotton line the walls and most shops will run up a made-to-measure dress within a day.
Long-running duty-free arcade opposite the waterfront selling perfume, watches, South Sea and Tahitian pearls. Vanuatu levies no income tax and low duty, so fragrance and spirits genuinely undercut Australian and New Zealand airport pricing.
The main French-influenced supermarket chain and the practical stop for edible souvenirs: Tanna Coffee, Vanuatu vanilla pods, kava powder in vacuum sachets, Tusker beer and imported French cheese and wine at surprisingly civil prices.
Roastery and café on the road toward Mele where arabica grown on Tanna's volcanic slopes is roasted, ground and bagged. You can watch the drum roaster work, taste the day's batch and buy beans sealed the same afternoon.
Museum gift counter selling sand-drawing prints, published ni-Vanuatu ethnography and carvings vetted for provenance. The sand drawings are UNESCO-listed intangible heritage, and the shop sells the only versions with documented artist attribution.
Family stalls along the road through Mele, Vanuatu's largest village, selling woven fans, coconut-shell bowls and shell jewellery made in the yard behind. Prices run well under waterfront rates and the money stays inside the village.
The workaday retail strip south of the centre where locals actually shop: hardware, fabric by the metre, sulu wraps, enamelware and cheap woven mats. No tourist markup, no English signage in places, and cash is strongly preferred.
Seafront café beside the Vila Bay seawall with a small counter of locally screen-printed tees, Bislama-slogan totes and postcards. It is the last stop before the ferry jetty and stays open when the market huts have packed away for the night.