Sài Gòn, Việt Nam (May 2019)
Tags: South Vietnam, Travel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Saigon

(4-minute read)

Ho Chi Minhm (Bác Hồ) photo at HCMC Central Post Office, HCMC, Vietnam

Pretty sure this trip to HCMC is one of those impromptu trips ever — having booked the hotel and flights a couple of weeks after finding out there was an upcoming four-day weekend in May back in 2019 (coronation week, I think?).

Having traveled to northern Vietnam (Hà Nội, Lào Cai’s Sapa, Hạ Long Bay, ect. where we flew to Nội Bài Airport) a few weeks earlier in April 2019, this trip to southern Vietnam (solely HCMC/Sài Gòn) never disappointed me. I really liked HCMC more than Hanoi, mainly because you can take a bus (either #109 or #152 to Q1) from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport (Tân Bình) to downtown Saigon (Q1) — basically the airport is in the inner part of the city.

Also, I find the city structure is kinda like the one in Paris, district-wise..

So to make this note short, here are some of my favorite places in Saigon (aside from Independence/Reunification Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), which did not make the list):

Chợ Bến Thành (Ben Thanh Market):

Phở bò at Cho Ben Thành, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Bún bò nướng chả giò (grilled beef & spring roll on vermicelli noodles) at Cho Ben Thành, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Vietnamese dessert at Cho Ben Thành, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

You can find almost anything here at Chợ Bến Thành — from souvenirs, to áo dài, to Vietnamese local dishes (chả giò, phở bò — recommended the ones at — recommend the ones at PHO 2000, bún bò nướng chả giò, and different types of Vietnamese noodles and desserts)..

Trà đá (Vietnamese tea)

Also, Vietnamese tea (Trà đá) is by far my #1 favorite

The formula for Vietnamese tea (Trà đá) goes: Trà đá (Vietnamese tea): Trà lài (jasmine tea) + Trà sen (lotus tea)

Cà phê sữa đá (drip black cofee with condensed milk) at Bánh Mì Hòa Mã, Q3, HCMC, Vietnam

Same goes with coffee — their cà phê sữa đá (drip black cofee with condensed milk) that’s filtered with phin..

Chợ Lớn in Q5:

A Chinese temple in Chợ Lớn, Q5, HCMC, Vietnam

With a few bus stops (bus #1, #4, #96) from Q1 (around almost 30 minutes actually), there’s this China Town (Chợ Lớn) where it’s like a whole different world from typical Saigon — Chinese temples (with swirly incese on the ceiling) and lau (Vietnamese hot pot).

Quán Oc Vân (23 Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Ben Thành, Quận 1, HCMC):

Fried Oc (spotty bablylon) with chili and sauce. Quán Oc Vân, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Boiled Oc at Quán Oc Vân, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Grilled scallops with pepper and chickpeas, Quán Oc Vân, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Boiled Oc in butter sauce at Quán Oc Vân, Q1, HCMC, Vietnam

Accidentally found this place after wandering around Ben Thanh streets in Q1. It’s a seafood place, so mainly all the ingredients are from here in Vietnam (Saigon is near the sea and Mekong Delta). The food is really good, so that I came back again for the second time the following day.

Bánh Mì Hòa Mã (53 Cao Thắng, Phường 3, Quận 3, HCMC):

Bánh mì op la at Bánh Mì Hòa Mã, Q3, HCMC. Vietnam

Actually found this breakfast place while browsing through some pages from Mark Wiens’ Migrationology (https://migrationology.com/vietnamese-breakfast-saigon/) one early morning in the hotel I stayed at in Q1’s Phạm Ngũ Lão. It’s a nice little walking excercise (about 30 minutes) from Q1 to Q3 where Bánh Mì Hòa Mã is though. I have to say, their bánh mì op la (baguette with fried eggs and hams/sausages) is by far, one of the best. Having that cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk) is really a nice way to start your morning, actually.