Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Happy Wednesday!
I hope you are having a great week so far.
Have you ever been on vacation and returned home and felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? That's how I felt coming home after our trip, but I am finally starting to feel recovered. Last weekend we skipped the gym and slept in everyday as late we could. It was exactly what I needed. We've also been catching up on Australian Survivor. It is sooo good! And it's on three nights a week!
Our first stop in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Where we stayed:
In Ho Chi Minh City we stayed at Fusion Suites Saigon. This hotel was our little oasis in a crazy city. It was off of a quieter street, so whenever we would return from being out we immediately felt relaxed and at home. Our room didn’t have a view, but the room itself and the whole hotel were designed very nicely. I loved the artwork. Our stay also included a breakfast buffet every morning which was a very convenient way to start the day.
What we did:
To be honest, we didn’t do much sight-seeing in Ho Chi Minh City at all. The weather was more bearable than the rest of our Vietnam trip, but it was still really hot.
We attempted to go to the Ben Than Market one afternoon, and the power went out like 10 seconds after we got there.
I took some pictures of buildings we walked by, but this was where the eating trip began.
My favourite street we came across was a laneway of all bookshops and book cafes. Heaven! I wish I had thought of it then, but later in the trip I was on the hunt for a Vietnamese copy of Anne of Green Gables and I'm sure I would've found it here.
Another lovely thing we did was go to the rooftop bar at the Caravelle Hotel. We had some cocktails and enjoyed the view - they even had live music.
One night we went down the Bui Vien street - that was an experience. It was so crowded and loud. I enjoyed walking around the side streets in that area though.
Fun fact — we almost ended up with a little Vietnamese puppy haha. He looked like a baby Jack. This puppy and I made eye contact, and I wasn't sure if it had an owner or not. It followed me into a store and sat and wiggled his little tail so I would pet him (clearly he could pick out the weakest link!). Tj told me not to touch it but I couldn’t resist a little tap on his cute little head. It started to follow me down the street but then it stopped (thank goodness). I kept thinking about it. We had an instant connection! But later we randomly walked by again and the puppy clearly had an owner, so I didn't feel so bad leaving it behind.
Where we ate:
Tj says this was the best eating trip of his life. I've never seen someone enjoy every meal so much. When we travel, Tj puts a lot of effort into finding the best places to eat, especially after living in Melbourne where we are spoiled with good restaurants. And Vietnam is known for it's street food! Here are Tj's recommendations for eating your way across Saigon:
Nam Giao - this is the first place Tj tried. It's tucked down a little laneway just across from the Ben Than Market. Try the Bánh Bèo Tôm Tươi.
Hot Dog Cu Sua - We stumbled upon this place when we were walking back to our hotel one afternoon. There was a line up so Tj decided to try it. I can't find it online, but it was across the street from an old church near a McDonald's lol. It is basically a crepe with laughing cow cheese, hot dog, and ham. Tj ordered 2 and was going to save the other for later. Well he quickly scarfed them both down and went back for two more LOL. And he kept talking about the hot dog place the whole trip so it must have been good.
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa - I'm sure you've heard of Banh Mi, the popular Vietnamese sandwich. Well, Tj says this is the best one he's ever had! He loved it so much, he ate it two nights in a row! And that's saying a lot because there were so many restaurants he wanted to try.
Banh Xeo 46A - We went here specifically so Tj could try the Vietnamese pancake that they are known for. He got the seafood one. He enjoyed enough that he said I should put it on this list, but he did say that his mom makes it better haha.
Bún Chả 145 - This was another one that Tj was really excited to try. We got there just in time! There was a line up. And everyone who tried to line up after us was turned away because they were sold out! Tj was soooo happy. And bonus - because I wasn't having any, he was able to order two portions! And dessert haha. I feel like he could've eaten another two portions. You have to try the Bun Cha.
Cháo Vịt Thanh Đa (Gốc Nhà Lá) - Bình Quới - Tj came here one morning for the congee. It reminded him of his mom's duck congee and he says it was good.
He also ate at random street food carts. He had a strategy of not eating all the noodles so he wouldn't fill up too much and he could keep eating at other places lol.
We had three nights and three days in Ho Chi Minh City, and if we were to do it again we probably would have left earlier on our last day. Our trip was off to a great start - check back to see where we went to next!