Ho Chi Minh City - The New Destination of Tourists


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Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1
March 11th 2012
Published: March 12th 2012
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March 6-10, 2012



Ho Chi Minh City. Never did I realize how big it was. Yes, I've searched and researched about the place before coming over. But as the plane was about to land, I was left in awe with the space it occupied. It was truly beautiful with all the city lights twinkling and trying to mark their boundaries in this world. No wonder a lot of people from different countries make this city their new destination.

March 6 - 12:05 midnight. Ho chi minh is approximately a three hour flight from my country (philippines) with a time difference of one hour, the latter being advanced. Our plane (cebu pacific airlines) landed in Tan Son Nhat International Airport. It was clean, well-maintained, and welcoming. The immigration officers were a bit strict-looking (that's how they're supposed to look anyway) and the first thing I've noticed were their attire. They were wearing clothes which for me resembled the ones worn during the war. Interesting, I thought. Before leaving the airport, we had a few bills exchanged for their currency just enough for the taxi fair, as advised by some friends who have been there. True enough, it was a good decision because their exchange rate is low and variable; the higher the bills you exchanged for, the higher is the exchange rate. Not fair if you ask me. Then, we learned that those foreign exchange in the airport has this commission thing, which I have no idea about. So anyway, that's how they run it. As we exited the airport, we have grouped together (other filipinos) to look for the most reliable taxi: VINASUN, which has been endorsed by bloggers and sites in the internet. Our fair from the airport to our hotel (Asian Ruby 3) costed 150,000 VND including toll fee (300 pesos or about $7). One major dilemma is that most taxi drivers cannot understand and speak english. Sometimes they just nod if you tell them the direction, but they really do not know what you are talking about. It's best to write the address on a sheet of paper and show it to them. Vinasun drivers are nice and trust-worthy.


Asian Ruby 3 Hotel. We stayed here for a total of 4 nights. We were three in the room and costed $52.25 per night. It's reasonable considering it's a three-star hotel with free breakfast, wifi, hot and cold shower, aircondition, safety deposit box, hair dryer, refrigerator, new samsung cabled tv, coffee table, room service, and other ammenities. Plus, the staff was really friendly and very accommodating. They try their best to be of help even if there is a slight difficulty with the language barrier. We stayed in room 201 which has a great view of the Twenty-three September park, a park that runs from ben thanh market through the length of pham ngu lao street. It's really a great sight especially at night where you could see a lot of locals jogging, exercising, strolling, hanging out, or playing games like badminton or sipa (sepak takraw).


Southeast Asia Bank. It is located in District 1 and just 2 blocks from our hotel. We pass by this establishment everyday as we go to ben thank market or saigon square. So what's it's essence? It has a good fixed exchange rate ($100 = 2,410,000 VND), depending of course on the economy. Plus, you could be rest assured that the money you exchanged for is not fake. The tellers and manager are very friendly too; good thing they could also communicate a few sentences in english. What I really find odd is that how come their money is in millions; their smallest bill is 1000 VND and their largest bill is 500,000 VND. You couldn't find anything being sold for less than 1000 VND. For us Filipinos, it's quite fun because we get to be millionnaires in this city; something we will hardly be if we were in our country. But you only get to be a millionnaire for a day if you start you're shopping escapade, since prices of items could mark up to millions and millions of dong (VND). It surely made me gulp big time that I have just spent a million dong, but in our money that's just 2000 pesos or less than $50 if you think about it.


Ben Thanh Market. Very Expensive. That's the first thing that comes to mind now that I've been there. It's worth seeing though, since it's now one of the tourist spots in the city. It's a huge one story building located in the heart of the city (District 1) where everything is sold. And I mean everything! You could find goods from bags, silk cloth, clothes, bed sheets, jewelries, shoes, home decorations, souvenir items, food products, fresh seafoods and meat, spices, fresh fruits, coffee, etcetera etcetera... and there's food establishments in the center where you could eat pho, spring rolls, and other vietnamese delicacies! But lo and behold, the prices are marked thrice their worth! Even if you haggle, it's still very pricey. You could find these stuffs for a cheaper price somewhere else, like in the sidestreets outside of the market. I guess the sellers take advantage since 80-90%!o(MISSING)f the people who go in the market are foreigners. Other stores even have signs hanged which say "Fixed Price" and they're still very expensive.

Coffee. I learned from my research that Vietnam is famous for their coffee. It has been stated that they are the second largest exporter of coffee next to Brazil. Indeed, their coffee is delicious! They have a lot of varieties from civet coffee to even squirrels! I made sure to try from the hotel and really enjoyed it. I'm a caffeine junkie, by the way. Instead of putting sugar and milk, they add condensed milk in their coffee which is just as good or maybe even better. We bought 2 packs at ben thanh market just to bring home.


Motorcycles. My jaw just dropped the first time I've seen flocks and flocks of motorcycles approaching me. I've never seen so much motorcycles in my life, only here in Saigon. Motorcycles are their main mode of transportation, everyone I guess owns one. A taxi driver said you ought to be 18 years old to drive one, but I doubt it. I've seen highschool looking guys and gals driving one. But surprisingly, they are very disciplined people. They don't overspeed and you could see locals just crossing the street unbothered by them. Everyone is also wearing helmets and masks. Some are really cute and just look like caps; my mom even bought two, I don't what she's gonna do with it. We also hunted for the masks; hunted because we really searched where to buy one. She said she's gonna use it for cleaning, since she has allergy with dust. We finally found one at a Vietnamese plaza and even witnessed an ongoing shooting for a movie! I saw an average looking Vietnamese star; though one shop owner said he's not famous.


Lotte Mart. It's difficult to find a supermarket/grocery store in District 1, they said there's one just a few blocks away at the back of our hotel but just to get to see a different district of Saigon, we decided to check this out. A vietnamese who was very fluent in English adviced us to go there, if we were looking for a cheaper price of fruits. My dad who gets excited whenever he sees fruits and got disappointed with the prices in ben thanh market couldn't wait to check out the place. So we rode a taxi to District 7, and paid for about 75,000 VND (150 pesos or $4). It was a big grocery store with a department store on the second floor. There's nothing much to find on the department store, just your typical clothing brands sold for the same price. My addiction for head bands prompted me to buy two pieces though, I just couldn't help myself! I got one for 97000 VND (almost 200 pesos or $5), basically the same with the ones sold in my country. The grocery was a bit promising, my dad was able to buy a tray of big seedless black grapes and pears. True enough, they are cheaper compared to ben thanh. It truly amazes us that vietnam produces fruits that are just HUGE! What is it with their soil, anyway? We also bought some frozen sio mai and ha kao with big shrimps (hard to find in our hometown except in restos) which we would bring back home. We couldn't look for an ice box or styrofoam though, they only sell these big plastic containers like Coleman. Also, beside the grocery is Tous Les Jours! It's a french asian bakery that serves freshly baked bread, the prices are also average. Saigon is famous for baguettes, and it's definitely something not to miss. Having been colonized by the french in the old times, their baguettes are really authentic. It's crunchy on the outside and really soft inside. Even if left in the room air temperature for a few hours, it's Normal 0 false false false EN-PH X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%!;(MISSING) mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}firmness is maintained. Not like other french breads you buy where it becomes stony hard if left on the table for a few hours.

Night Market. I like walking, especially at night where you could just enjoy the sight of city life and the cold breeze on your skin. The night market though was not what I have imagined. I thought it would be like Hong Kong's night market where the streets would be filled with tents and tents of goods. Their night market is a bit quiet and there's not much to see. It's also a bit pricey, it's just situated outside of ben thanh market; as the market closes at 6pm, the shopping continues at the night market. It's fun and a good sight seeing venue though, just be extra vigilant of your surroundings and your bags. We have been warned by friends and other Filipinos we've bumped into that there are motorists who would just breeze through you and grab your bag or some would even bring scissors and cut the handles of your bag and grab them from you. I also got the chance to eat their street food delicacy while walking along the street, I don't know what it's called though. The vietnamese vendor mentioned something I couldn't understand and she explained it by saying it's made of coconut. It costed 30,000 VND (60 pesos or $1.50) and were strips of different colors which were chewy, sweet and a bit salty too. It's like my country's very own palitaw or rice cake with a twist. I just had to try it because I knew it's dessert and it's the only thing my stomach could endure. I couldn't try those foods they sell on the street wherein there's this big metal casserole filled with orange-looking soup filled with different kinds of ingredients. or those huge casseroles of soup with snails. I cringe at the sight of those, but I'm sure it's tasty since a lot of people are buying it. Not just me.

Barbecue Garden. This one we really had to go to. It's just located in District 1 and you wouldn't really notice it unless you look for it. My research says it's one of the best restaurants in the city and the price is just average. It's even listed first in wikitravel. True enough, it was a very nice experience. The ambiance was great with lively music playing on the background. The food was delicious, you even get to grill your own skewers! We ordered paella and a set of meat for grilling. The waiters and waitresses were also really nice and friendly. We even returned on our last day for lunch in this place because we just loved it. A must try indeed!

Mei Linh Taxi. Beware of these taxis roaming around the city! They copy the original Mai Linh Taxi and change the "a" to "e"! We got fooled! Here's what happened. My dad got very tired from walking and we were still 4 blocks away from our hotel. Since in the internet they said that Mai Linh Taxi was also credible and no vinasun taxi was in the area, we took what's available. We didn't notice the distinction. The meter started at 10,500 VND (21 pesos or $0.50, which was okay) and rose up quickly until it reached 98000 VND (almost 200 pesos or $5) as we reached our destination! It was like we came from the airport and not 4 blocks away! We learned to trust just the Vinasun taxi in the next few days of our stay and we just paid 30,000-35,000 VND (60-70 pesos or almost $2) with the same distance!

March 7. Our second day was allotted for visiting the City Historical Sites. My dad chose to stay and sleep in the hotel, he's not into museums. So our morning was set, my mom and I walked (I think) a total of 10km. Yes, we just walked to be able to enjoy and relish the whole district! Our fun run experiences have made their purpose! haha! We visited the Reunification palace, War Remnants Museum, and the Notre Dame Museum.

Reunification Palace. I honestly have not read anything about it. I also could not understand the short tour from the shuttle (it was in vietnamese). But I did appreciate the intricacies of the rooms. The pictures (i will post) will speak for themselves. Outside the reunification palace, there was this coconut fruit vendor (coconuts are famous in the city) who just amazed us with his English. Finally, someone who knows English with a good grammar. We enjoyed talking to him and he was very pleasant in giving out directions. He should have been a taxi driver!




War Remnants Museum. While waiting for our boarding at the airport on

our way back to the Philippines, a fellow Filipino asked me, "Did you go to the War Remnants Museum?" I happily nodded. He continued, "How could you take those pictures with all the realities it presented? I just had to cross it out from my list! I don't think my mom could endure it." The war remnants museum is actually interesting. We've been taught in history classes about the Vietnam War back in highschool and this time, it's like hearing out the side of the Vietnamese. As expected, they have shown the hardships they endured during the war and the evil doings of the Americans to them. Of course nothing about what they did back were presented. What really caught my attention was the effect of the Nuclear War. The medical student in me just had to take every picture of the congenital defects, a sad and unconcealable reality. I learned about Dioxin and its subclass Agent Orange, which is the most potent chemical of all and could kill and destroy one whole city of 8 million people with just 85 grams.


Notre Dame Cathedral. We arrived here at exactly 12 noon and was surprised to find out

that the church closes from 11:30 in the morning and opens back at 3:00 in the afternoon. So we didn't get to see what's inside the church. It was built by the French when they colonized Saigon. From the outside, it was indeed beautiful. A lot of tourists were taking pictures of the structure itself. It was made of reddish brown bricks and appreciative details. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's the only Catholic Church in District 1 if not the whole city. What I find odd though is that, it closes every weekends. What about Sunday mass?


Diamond Plaza. This is just across the Notre dame cathedral and the post office; and because we were so thirsty from walking under the heat of the sun, we decided to go inside. It was just like any other mall which sells all high-end brands like Levis, replay, samsonite, thefaceshop, and all the like.




Binh Tay Market. After a few hours of rest at the hotel, we decided to check out binh tay market (this time with my dad). It is situated at Cholon in District 6 or the Chinatown in Saigon. It's like Ben thanh market

but more crowded and disorganized. It's a two storey building filled with products made in China. My mom was able to buy cloth made of silk for a way way cheaper price (you just need to haggle). However, some stores won't allow you to buy since they only allow wholesale business.


March 8 and 9. Our last two days in Saigon were spent in Saigon Square. I know we should have joined tours for tourists but my mom and I preferred shopping over those. And besides, the feedback from other tourists we met at the hotel were just okay. They said there was nothing spectacular to see. So we chose shopping instead. hihi!




Saigon Square. Ask my mom, and she'll say that this is the best shopping place in the district. It's like the Greenhills of the Philippines. It's airconditioned and the clothes are better compared to the markets. There are even authentic clothes from Aeropostale, Gap, American Eagle and genuine Northface (jackets and bags) and Crumpler bags; these brands have factory outlets in Vietnam. They also sell Kipling bags; but are not genuine, just triple A classes immitation. Still cheaper than the original though, so

still okay to buy depending on your own preference. What I also like here is that the sellers are honest, they would really tell you if you're buying an original or a replica. Just don't forget to haggle though. 😊


March 10 - 1:00am. That's our departure time bound to the Philippines. It was indeed a very nice trip. New experiences and new memories to keep. I just hope that they incorporate English in one of their subjects though. And if asked whether I'd like to go back to this city, why not. 😊








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