The Heat is On in Saigon

It was the afternoon of March 8 and the 36C temperature made me unexcited for our travel to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) later that day, where the weather is hotter if not similar to the Philippines’. Our flight was oddly scheduled at 11:10pm, but there was absolutely no reason to complain about it because we got our tickets for only P7364 ($156). Cebu Pacific Airlines runs promos every so often that if one wants to spend her/his money on local food, tourist spots and shopping, then it is undoubtedly wise to go for budget flights. Besides, one has to pay an exaggeratingly high travel tax at the NAIA 3 of P1620, in addition to the P750 terminal fee (for a terminal without enough food stalls and chairs).

The flight to HCMC usually takes 2 hours but we arrived 30 mins ahead of time, according to the pilot who actually was the first one from Cebu Pacific that I noticed landing the plane sooooo smoothly, but applying the breaks so aggressively that utensils from the pantry fell.

It was as if we, the Cebu Pacific passengers, were intruders, disturbing the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the still of the night. Stores were closed, escalators immobile, and the only sound that one can hear was from the cleaning equipment of the maintenance staff.

Money changers can be spotted on the way out of the airport and the best one was the second stall to the left (I forgot the name) which offered the best rate at that time, selling Vietnamese Dong (VND)19800 for $1, compared to the other stalls that offered VND19000=$1. Elated that we left the airport as millionaires, we excitedly looked for the driver sent by our host. Way back, we decided to let the guest house arrange for our ride from the airport even if we would have to pay $12, a higher rate compared to the usual one-way taxi ride to Pham Ngu Lao costing only $8. The added charge represents the transportation cost shouldered by the guest house for going to the airport (and our means to avoid playing against dishonest drivers).

Vy Khanh Guest House is situated along a quiet alley between the Elios and Liberty 3 Hotels along Pham Ngu Lao. Well, it is technically behind Elios Hotel. We were warmly welcomed by the owner, Mrs. Nguyen, and led us up to our room on the 4th floor, and my lethargic mood turned into an ecstatic one because of what greeted us: 

 

     

   

By far, this is the best budget accommodation that we had! As I mentioned in my other travel blog, my husband and I are not really after fancy accommodations ‘cause we travel to enjoy outdoors. My personal basic criteria is cleanliness, and our room at Vy Khanh Guest House is a super clean airconditioned room, with cable TV, ref (with reasonably priced dirnks), decent closet, queen-sized bed and an ultra clean bathroom, which I can enter on barefoot (that I don’t usually do). We definitely got value for our payment of USD15/night! 

Day 1
I tried to get more sleep because I remember being awake still at 3 AM, but the brightness of our sunlit room forced my eyes to open at 7AM. The curtain that covered the small window in the room was within reach so I peeped through it and the cloudy skies made my heart beat with excitement. I knew there was a long day ahead of us, and walking around the city to visit the tourist spots will be enjoyable without the sun’s heat. But I had to re-channel my excitement to meeting Vy, the daughter of Mrs. Nguyen, who manages the guest house and who had been very kind enough to entertain my questions online. In this high-tech world, Vy Khanh Guest House very well fits itself in through Vy’s diligence in opening her email account and replying to queries immediately (vykhanhhotel@yahoo.com ) and maintaining a Facebook account, aside from marketing the guesthouse through Hostelworld.com (http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Vy-Khanh-Guesthouse/Ho-Chi-Minh/33364 ), so that anyone who is just one click away from the computer can get information and book anytime.

And finally, after 4 months, I met the friendly and lovely Vy! She warmly welcomed me as if we're friends for such a long time :) She was so gracious enough to show us directions to various tourist spots, markets and dining places through the map that they freely give away to their hotel guests.

For our very first breakfast, we tried out the small dining areas along the alley adjacent to the guesthouse.  There were carts, tables and chairs installed fronting the houses of locals there, selling Saigon baguettes (banh mi), noodles and coffee. With so many choices to choose from, we decided to eat at the small dining place situated in front of Ngoc Thao, which is another guesthouse operating around that area. We had egg and rice noodles topped with vegetables and sausages and of course we ordered the indispensable morning coffee, although we mistakenly ordered iced coffee, not knowing that it is the more popular drink than hot coffee regardless of what time it is. 

   

HCMC is a mix of old and new structures and still maintains lots of parks around, where one can relax.

    

Before I forget, let me include in the list of attractions the city’s roads teeming with motorcycles, and that comes with the lifetime experience of being challenged to cross the streets. The general rule in order to survive such a death-defying situation is using one’s common sense, going straight ahead without hesitation and one can definitely reach the other side of the road safely. One cannot do away with reckless drivers who don’t follow traffic lights. The thing is, drivers have control over their vehicles and a few feet away from the pedestrian, they can already maneuver their bikes so they don’t hit someone. Accidents usually happen when a person hesitates to cross the street which confuses the motorcycle drivers. People should also be vigilant of impatient drivers who prefer to run their bikes along the sidewalks to go the other way in a one-way street.

The main attractions that one can visit in HCMC, District 1 are those French structures that survived the war, and needless to say, reminders of the Vietnam War itself. We’re not really fans of that particular point in Asian history (but I’m a fan of the Broadway Musical Ms. Saigon soundtrack, through which I came to know Vietnam), but the first in our itinerary was to visit the Reunification Palace We arrived at the Palace at noon time and we were told that it will be closed ‘til 1pm. We didn’t have any plans to go in, so we just took a shot of the place from outside. 

Then we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral and General Post Office which were only about half a kilometer from there.



 

We decided to look for Saigon Square and eat our lunch there, which in our map is close by the Diamond Plaza (that’s close to the Reunification Plaza). Apparently, the map that we downloaded was an old one so we had to walk more than a kilometer to reach its new location at the Ton Duc Thang St. It is a barely discernible two-storey white building filled with stalls selling a mix of locally and fake internationally branded clothes, shoes and bags, particularly, The North Face bags and Kipling. Later we would find out that this is the Russian Market and Saigon Plaza is at another place. 

There are no restaurants inside as we expected, but there are about 2 or 3 middle-class restaurants at the back, but didn’t go there to eat because they aren’t airconditioned dining spaces and it was pretty hot at that time of the day. We saw several restaurants around the big block anyway and had lunch at Pho 2000. It is a fastfood restaurant that serves rice meals and noodles. Food is not bad but not that worth the price. For dessert, we had some cold sugar cane juice being processed in the pushcart


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From the Russian Market, we walked toward the Ben Thanh Market. It was nearing merienda (snack) time so we were hoping to find some Vietnamese food to nibble. Instead we had iced coffee at the corner beside the market to quench our thirst from walking.

  

If one has enough patience in rummaging through various items and talent in haggling for the best prices, not to mention good physical shape to tolerate the hot and suffocating atmosphere, then one will enjoy and survive shopping in Ben Thanh Market, which is a one-storey closed structure filled with hundred of stalls selling clothes, accessories, food and furniture/decors. I don't go shopping at Divisoria in Manila and I certainly don’t have the persona of a bargain hunter, so I just went inside the market with my husband just for the sake of stepping inside this famous market in HCMC.




Tired of walking almost the whole day, we rested at the Park 23/9 in Pham Ngu Lao till sundown, observing how the locals spend their afternoon in such a relatively tranquil city. The park serves as an open fitness and leisure area for health buffs where various equipment are installed and free for everbody to use, where there's space for brisk-walking/jogging, playing sports like badminton and the famous sports among Vietnamese males similar to the Philippine Sipa or Thailand’s Sepak Takraw. I enjoyed watching young and adult males play this sport as they exhibit various stunts to hit the rubber ball with their feet/ankles, creating that crisp sound which strangely pleases my ears.




For dinner, we tried Pho Quynn, a restaurant at the corner of Pham Ngu Lao and Do Q Dau St. and adjacent to the Thai Binh market. It is famous for Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) and indeed the soup was so comforting, with its broth capturing the flavor of the beef and the meat so soft and measures up to my husband's standard of soft food, on a par with baby food.

 

Day 2

We started our second day of touring HCMC by having breakfast at ABC Bakery near the Elios Hotel at Pham Ngu Lao. I mistakenly ordered 2 baguette sandwiches, each measuring about 6 inches long, filled with ham, cheese and vegetables and costing VND15000 (PhP35=$.75). It was a definitely heavy breakfast for us who are used to only eating one slice of toasted and buttered wheat bread for breakfast, but hey, it was a vacation so the heck with dieting. Of course we also had coffee with mille (milk) each for VND 22000 (est. PhP51=$1) and savored our first hot coffee in Vietnam.


 


On this day we went to visit more tourist spots like the City Hall, posing in front of Uncle Ho’s statue, and the Opera House. We also checked out Eden Plaza which is just around the corner. It’s a mall with stores all selling locally made products. We knew there was a food court at the mezzanine but was actually hard to find so we decided to have lunch somewhere else instead, at the Skewers Restaurant, which we came to know from internet searching for good dining places in the city.




This Mediterranean restaurant (http://www.skewers-restaurant.com/html/home.html ) is located along Thai Van Lung St., which is two blocks away from the Opera House. We both had seafood pasta, my husband ordering it with salmon with creamy and buttery sauce while mine is the oily one with tomatoes, shrimps and lots of chilli flakes. These plus two orders of softdrinks cost us VND375000 (app. PhP884=$19).





Being overloaded with carbohydrates, we had to walk around the block, hoping that we could hang out near the Saigon River and have some iced coffee but we searched to no avail. We also wanted to see the HCMC Museum which should be around the river area, but we still had to cross the bridge to see it. Exhausted from walking under the heat of the sun at 2 p.m., we decided to go back to our guesthouse but dropped by the famous ice cream store, Fannies. Prices are a bit expensive for the serving but at least our orders cooled our systems.





Later that day, we checked out the new Saigon Plaza along Nan Ky Khoi Nghia which has nothing different from the Russian Market and again, didn’t fancy me at all. We left to have iced coffee at Trung Nguyen, one of the famous coffee shops in HCMC along Le Loi St. We were pleased with our orders that we decided to buy the coffee beans that was used – the most basic and strongest ground coffee that they have, the Sang Tao 1 and brought 8 packs with us jubilantly as if we were kids bringing dozens of candies and balloons. That was because one 250g pack of ground coffee costs only VND25000 which is only equivalent to PhP61. Nobody can buy ground coffee as cheap as that here in the Philippines, where the cheapest pack of ground coffee costs Php150. For those who want to try this out, either you buy the coffee from the Trung Nguyen shop or grocery stores but would cost VND30000. I remember also seeing packs of TN coffee being sold in Ben Thanh but I’m not sure if those are the real products of TN.


   


For dinner, instead of spending at the Nguc Suong, one of the famous Vietnamese seafood restaurants near the boundary of Districts 1 and 3, we just feasted on grilled porkchops with rice and vegetables sold at a sidewalk cart near KFC along Nguyen Thi Nghia. The delicious rice meal, which is tastier than the barbecue meals at Beach House in UP or Grill Queen, only costs VND10000 each (app. PhP23=$.50). There are several other stalls that sell good-tasting food but if hygiene is a particular concern, then you can’t be too confident eating these kinds of food; my husband and I are just so used to eating street foods in Manila, and the germs in isaw (grilled pork/chicken intestines) just made us immune all these years. 

  

Day 3
It was our second to the last day and we couldn’t think of anything to do in HCMC, hence felt a little languish. But Vy put an end to that by serving us her version of a Vietnamese coffee that was so strong and perked up our systems again (Thanks, Vy!). I would have wanted to complement that robust drink with Banh Mi, particularly sold from that cart suggested by Vy fronting the Kim Café. But again, it will be a heavy breakfast for us so we went to ABC Bakery instead. We had buttered bread and Banh Bao which is like the Filipino siopao with quail eggs, Chinese sausage, pork, spring onions and coriander along with hot chocolate mille. 

 




Since we ran out of ideas for that day, we thought of looking for that Filipino icon, Jollibee. It’s situated in the corner of Pasteur St. Of course we didn’t have lunch there, being the McDonald’s fans that we are! So we went to Diamond Plaza, a high end mall near the Reunification Palace.



The food court is at the third floor serving Japanese and Italian along with local meals and desserts. We bought lunch from Pho 24, spring rolls from Wrap and Roll and juice from Fresh Juice all in all costing VND222000 (PhP525=$11). 

  




There’s also a supermarket beside the food court. We observed that internationally branded items are so expensive in the mall, and I suppose everywhere in HCMC. Well at least this encourages citizens to support locally manufactured items. So if one is going to HCMC to shop, I would say that Bangkok is a better shopping place because internationally branded items can be sold in malls for a really really really low price and when Bangkok goes on sale, items really scream SALE!!!!

A big bowl of Pho, 7 pieces of spring rolls and fruit shakes are too heavy for our stomach so we walked around and tried to catch fresh air at the park fronting the Reunification Palace. Hubby was really persistent to see and hang around the Saigon River and after about 30 minutes of rest, we proceeded to the Botanical Garden and Zoo, which shares boundaries with the river. But to our dismay, the river is impossible to see with the gates surrounding the zoo. So we just enjoyed the fresh air within the compound.

We returned to the area surrounding the Reunification Palace and had snacks at Creperie and Café. The snacks that we had cost us VND200000 (PhP470=$10)and I thought this price is expensive for the same kind of crepe that I can cook at home ;-) I also wasn’t able to finish my food because I felt like I had sugar rush. So for dinner, I craved for something oily and salty, this meant fast food. McDo’s nowhere in the area, Jollibee was not an option, KFC was perfect!


 

But then, a satisfying one-piece chicken meal with soup, rice, vegetables and a drink which cost VND40000 (PhP94=$2)made me crave again for something sweet. This time I tried KFC’s egg tart which is both sweet and oily. Though I enjoyed the dessert’s taste and flaky crust, it was so cloying that I had to buy a baguette to sort of cleanse my taste buds from sugar and soil. I munched my banh mi as we savored the fresh air at Park 23/9 and watched Vietnamese and tourists go by their lives at 8pm in HCMC.





Day 4

Since we practically visited all places that we wanted to visit, we were left with only three things to do on our last day: 1) try Highlands Coffee, 2) cook and eat lunch at Vy’s guesthouse and 3) buy pasalubong.

Highlands Coffee has been advertised in the web as one of the famous coffee shops in Vietnam so we had breakfast at one of the branches around the corner. The store serves hashbrowns (hubby’s fave), omelettes (my comfort food) among others and though we regret not eating here in the mornings, it was better for us not to have discovered their food otherwise we would have spent a lot for breakfast. We also bought a pack of their ground coffee beans which relatively costs more than Trung Nguyen and now I realized I should have bought another TN coffee which for me tastes better and represents the strength of a Vietnamese coffee.

Upon returning to the guesthouse, I spent my time loitering at the guesthouse lobby, chatting with Vy while waiting for her Mom to return from the market and eventually cook lunch. Yep, Vy and her mom were so kind enough to teach us how to cook a local dish.

Months before going to Vietnam, and during my countless online inquiry with Vy about the eateries featured by Anthony Bourdain in his No Reservations Vietnam episode, Vy generously offered to serve us food, particularly noodles, because she said her mom cooks good Pho. True enough, the Bun Than, lovingly prepared by Mrs. Nguyen was so delicious despite its simplicity. It is a chicken noodle soup, which according to Vy, originated from the North where her grandparents came from. Since our vacation, I have been craving to eat and cook the same dish but the critical ingredient of the dish is not really available in Manila -- the “walking” chicken (as Vy’s mom puts it), or native, as we Filipinos describe it. I don’t think I will be able to duplicate the taste if I use the ordinary 45-day chicken being sold around, as it is way too bland compared to the native chicken. She also served us what I have enjoyed drinking in restaurants that we went to - Vietnam’s version of iced tea, using lotus or jasmine tea with no sugar nor honey but ice only. 

Bun Than was such a heavy meal that we needed to walk around. We also took the time to look for pasalubong. We first checked out Thai Bin Market but weren’t able to buy anything from there. Close by is the Sieu Thi Ha Noi supermarket where we bought some stuff to bring home including the stainless steel filter used for making Vietnamese coffee.




For the last time we had snacks at ABC Bakery, hanged out at the park till dinner. We had one at this eatery across Pham Ngu Lao. The price could have been ok hadn’t they charged us exaggeratedly for the extra shrimp that we ordered; I don’t remember exactly how much we paid but the price of the extra 2 shrimps was more expensive compared to ordering them with rice.




 For the last time too, I bought an egg tart at KFC for dessert and bought one saigon baguette from ABC Bakery to take home. On the way back, we spotted locals eating escargo and crab legs for dinner, which my husband had been craving even before we went to HCMC. If only we hadn't felt so full at that time, I would have asked the locals where they bought their delectable meal. But we were sure those foods can be bought from pushcarts nearby so, again, if one has strong stomach for local street cuisines, better be sharped-eyed to easily spot such foodstuff.

From a relaxing vacation in Vietnam, about three hours later, we were again faced with the dragging misconduct of my fellow citizens even when still in Vietnam's international airport. The queue for getting a boarding pass moved so slowly because there were Filipinos who shopped like there was no tomorrow, carrying luggages that would obviously exceed their baggage limit, and yet unwilling and apprehensive to pay for the overload, so they kept on asking people with few luggages to absorb some of their loads. Sheer irresponsible pinoys, huh? Or should I say stupid? If they can buy the whole Ben Thanh Market, why can't they pay for the excess baggage fee? There were also those who were caught while in the departure area because instead of checking in their heavy baggages, they insisted on hand-carrying them. I was wondering how they got away with that, when the Viet lady at the Cebu Pacific counter was strictly checking the hand-carried baggages, making sure that bags won't go beyond the allowed weight. Didn't they declare anything and inconspicuously carried their bags as they exited from the counter? The more disappointing thing is, these people who were caught even had the nerve to speak angrily when they were caught by the Viets violating the airport policies. tsk tsk tsk...

Three hours later, our unperturbed moods from the Vietnam getaway were further wiped out when we again confronted heavy traffic along EDSA at 5AM... [sigh]

Also see: Visiting Uncle Ho (Hanoi)