Vietnam is a place I've always wanted to visit, and with the convenience of being able to apply for a visa online in recent years, I recently organised a short trip to visit Ho Chi Minh City, the capital of Vietnam.
We stayed at the Grand Silverland Hotel in the city centre, a place with a good lifestyle and close to the main attractions, with a good selection of food and attractions in the vicinity.
Harbour City Market
Local markets and bazaars are the best place to experience local culture and usually have a lot of local food, so it's a must-visit for me every time. There are three must-visit markets in Ho Chi Minh City: "The Box Market", "Andong Market", and "Binh Duong Market", the largest and the landmark of Ho Chi Minh City, which is only a 5-minute walk from my hotel.
The "Marina City Market" is one of the few buildings left over from the Sai Kung period. Apart from the cheap cooked food stalls and local food that attracted me the most, there are also clothing, groceries and artefacts for sale.
Walking through the small streets and narrow alleys of the market, I ordered a bowl of Pho (Vietnamese Beef Stream) at a stall, which tasted quite good. The hot bowl of Pho was filled with not only beef, but also a lot of flavourful diced spring onions and onions. Although it was not as tasty as Kam Lai's, and the ingredients were not as rich, the flavour and human touch of the stall was definitely worth it. Apart from that, you can also try different Vietnamese specialities, such as the thin-skinned and stuffed Vietnamese rice paper rolls, which are rolled with refreshing shrimps, rice vermicelli, and aromatic leaves, which tastes refreshingly delicious. There is also a wide variety of flavourful grilled seafood, prawns, hamachi, tamago and kebabs, all of which can be eaten here.
Vietnamese baguettes for street snacks
Away from the Hamachi City Market, the neighbourhood is full of specialties. The Vietnamese baguette, a must-try Vietnamese-French ”fusion” dish born out of historical background, is another one of my favourites. It can be found in restaurants and random street stalls.
I chose a nice looking roadside stall and the owner expertly spread butter and liver sauce on the baguettes, then added shredded meat, sliced pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, coriander, spring onions, etc., and finally added a little soy sauce and Vietnamese spices, and then handed the finished products to me with a big smile on her face.
Not to mention the flavour, it's a big, filling baguette, and it's a great value for about HK$10.00 or HK$8.00 to fill up your tummy! The flavour of this baguette is quite good, unlike the usual ones, it is made with more wicked braised fat pork instead of za-mei, which adds more fat flavour to moisten the whole baguette, together with the crispy and sweet and sour pickled vegetables, fragrant coriander and shredded spring onion, which makes the baguette tasty without being too greasy.
Other Specialities
Two blocks away from the hotel is the popular Ho Chi Minh City Museum. Designed by the French architect Alfred, the museum is a record of Ho Chi Minh City's important livelihood and history. Combining European Renaissance elements with Asian style, the magnificent building is classical and elegant, and has become a popular spot for wedding photos among locals.
A little further on, there is another important attraction, the War Remnants Museum, which focuses on the history and exhibits related to the US military's involvement in the Vietnam War. The exhibition of fighter jets is breathtaking.
There are also many shoe-shine vendors on the streets, so if you are interested, you can try them out. However, we should also remind you that street scams are very common in the area, and if you are not careful, you may be tricked. For example, you may be forced to add a "high-priced" shoe cushion, or you may be asked to pay almost HK$50 or HK$60 for a coconut green, so be sure to ask for a good price first, and patronise them only if you feel that it's reasonable. As long as you are careful, you will have a happy and enjoyable trip.
-Grand Silverland Hotel & Spa
Address: 125 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 28 3829 3888
-Chợ Bến Thành, City Market, Penang
Address: Chợi, Lê Lợi, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000 Vietnam
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 07:00-19:00
Telephone: +84 28 3829 9274
-Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Address: 65 Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 08:00-17:00
Tel: +84 28 3829 9741
-War Remnants Museum
Address: 28 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 6, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh 700000 Vietnam
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 07:30-18:00
Telephone: +84 28 3930 5587
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