What I wished I had known about when I
first got to this city.
Want
to live it up whilst in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam? Here are my hot tips for the best
of the best examples of hedonistic goodness. Ok, your probably going to think
I’m a cocktail swilling, stuck up ex-pat that never gets her feet dirty or
slurps a bowl of Pho’ with the rest of them on a plastic chair. Well your
wrong! I just know what my family and friends want when they come here, so here
you are, my tips for the best that Ho Chi Minh has to offer (in my opinion).
I
am also requesting that you please not contact me asking me which hotel
you should stay at, where you should get your clothes copied or which Cu Chi
Tunnel tour is the best! I am not a travel guide, that’s what Trip Advisor is
for. I’m just somebody that lives here and is deciding to selectively share what
she knows after 3+ years here ;-) These are not necessarily cheap options, so
if your on the back packer ‘counting your pennies’ travel adventure. A) Head to
Pham Ngu Lao as the book suggests or B) What I am suggesting below will most
likely send you into a spin as its’ gold that you possibly cannot afford, so maybe choose
one or two off the list and enjoy!
My
travel agent Chris at Asiana Travel on Nguyen Hue is the bomb! He has and will
sort you out with goods….sales6@asianatravelmate.com
You
will no doubt go to The Reunification Palace, The War Memorial, Ben Thanh
Market, Cu Chi Tunnels and possibly the Mekong. Well they are the top touristy
things to do. My suggestions are certainly less cultural and more indulgent! Judge away!
1)
Champagne
Brunch on Sunday at the Intercontinental Hotel from 12-3pm.
Many hotels offer something similar, but this is the
best in my opinion. Free flow Veuve Clicquot champagne and great food for about
50 dollars a head! You must book ahead as its popular. Seriously,
even if you strangely think French champagne is ‘just awwright’, do it, just
cos’ you can! Corner Hai Ba Trung St. & Le Duan Bl, Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam. Phone 0835209999. Dress nicely.
2) Cocktails
and dinner at The Deck. This
restaurant is about 20 minutes out of the city centre, and right on the river.
It has great cocktails and menu and a lovely place to go for a special evening.
Again, book ahead, and ask for a table by the river. Approx 50 dollars a head
for a couple of cocktails and 2 courses. It’s a Euro/Asian fusion menu. They
have a happy hour from 4-7pm every day. You won’t be disappointed; at least I
don’t know anyone that has been.
3) L’Usine -the closest this city gets to trendy! Good shopping
for clothes and home wares and really nice coffee or ca phe sudas (the closest
I have come to a Melbourne coffee!), CUPCAKES, salads and baguettes. Away from
the bustle on the streets this is a little oasis, any time other than Saturday
and Sunday mornings! They have recently opened another one on Lei Loi but it is
the original one that I love. Go down the alleyway beneath lined with bad
replicative artworks, and turn right and head up a stairwell past the parked
motorbikes. 151 Dong Khoi Street. It sounds more difficult than it actually is!
Right in the heart of the city and goodness to be had.
4)
Quynhs Beauty Salon-0835124321 open from 9am to 8pm 7 days a
week.
This place is the ex-pat cheap
and cheerful beauty salon mecca in District 2 so about 20 minutes from the city
centre. So nowhere near geographically speaking to Ben Thanh market (as a
guide!) I have a 90-minute Dermologica facial as often as possible and it costs
the outrageous sum of about 12 dollars! I tip 100,000 VD and they seem really
happy and appreciative. I have given most of the reputable and expensive spas
in town a work out and this is still my favourite! You can also get massages,
mani+pedi's, eyelash extensions, your hair washed, hair coloured etc as well. Facials and
mani+pedi's are my staples. The manicures and pedicures are thorough, they razor
the skin off my feet, and are really meticulous. Not a fancy or overly clean place (!!), but
if you are willing to turn a blind eye, again, you wont be disappointed! Having
said that, the wax pot in the waxing room seems to have DNA samples from 1986
hovering about. So please don’t consider this if you are squeamish!Mani pedi's are a killer at about 4 dollars a pop!They don't have a website sorry.
Don’t be swayed by the ladies on the street offering you
massages and the like in District 1. Trust me, if you want good places in
District 1, these places are where the ladies that live here go. So expect to
pay a touch more, but the places listed below are clean and reputable. Get your
bikini line waxed, kind of reputable!
Jasmine Spa (45
Ton Thap Tiep 3827 2737) and Rosa Blanca are my
tips for midrange and reputable spas. For something equally fancy try the L’apothiquare ½ Day Beauty deal. Its
decadent! Just call them on 0839325181 for more info. They have a few of
these places throughout town but only go to the D3 address. Approx. $90
USD for the 5 hour half-day beauty package, consisting of mani+pedi, massage,
facial, lunch, sauna, steam room and its very nice and you will feel like
a new woman/man on departure! Good to take a
friend though as I am well and truly over sitting and being handled by the 5
hour mark!
5) Vietnamese
food free of MSG and tasty goodness. I think these places are the best of the
best in this city.
Cuch Gach Quan is unfortunately really popular so you will need to book, but there
is a reason why it’s so busy. It’s found in a little colonial style wooden
house in outer District 1. Its not always easy to find, but with its increasing
popularity, taxi drivers are getting better at getting there! We order the
cactus with garlic, and fish with passion fruit perpetually but you can’t
really go wrong with their menu.
10 Dang
Tat | Ward Tan Dinh, Ho
Chi Minh City District 1, Vietnam. 0084838480144 .
Tib Chai is a more local establishment and a
stones throw from the previously mentioned place. Tib Chai is all vegetarian
and alcohol free. Don’t let that put you off. I would eat steak three times a
day if I could and I still crave and dream about this food! Its a
little bit is out of the way, but such nice food and free of the tourist trap.
Get the mustard leaf rolls, jackfruit salad, and grilled eggplant to die for.
Some of the best Vietnamese I have eaten. 11 Tran Nhat Duat, District 1 HCMC. I
don’t ever book, I just turn up.
Pho Hoa- 260C Pasteur Street | Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam +84-8-829-7943.
This place is between the plastic chair on the street and a completely
civilized restaurant. It’s also a little popular with tourists unfortunately,
but the Pho soup is lovely and a real hit with the locals as well. The reason I
am recommending this place is because they have an English menu but it still
feels local enough to get a hit of the Pho’ goodness without feeling like you
will get dysentery the moment you take your first slurp!
I can’t promise the
next few options don’t have MSG in their food, but it’s a local experience that
I have enjoyed!
6) The roitessoire style pork and Vietnamese pickle and vegie
Banh Mi’ baguette roll is the goods at the market opposite the tallest building
in town Bitexco. When you see the Adidas shop at the base of this building look
across the street to the small local food market on the corner and you will see
him there. There is only one dude there selling them and they are about 50
cents for a finger licking good baguette. The juice chic next to him does a
tidy juice as well.
If you want a little foodie adventure?..... get in a cab and go
up Hai Ba Trung away
from the river and city. Keep your eyes peeled on the left hand side for a pink
Catholic church (good reference as I have only spotted two in this city). From the heart of the city its about 7
minutes depending on traffic. Ask the cab driver to stop there at that church.
Brave the traffic and walk across the road to the street directly opposite the
church. There is a famous and long-standing Ban Xeo (Vietnamese pork and prawn
pancakes with bean shoots and fish sauce) place down this little street. About
30 metres in on the left is an alleyway/restaurant courtyard thing. Go to the
end restaurant. This place has the best Ban Xeo this city may offer. It sounds
harder than it really is to find this place!
All things crab! Very local place Quan Thuy 94 at #84 Dinh
Tien Hoang St. Crabmeat with mushrooms and chilli and crab spring
rolls, fried soft shell crab good on metal chairs and peeling posters on the
wall from 1982.
For street meat/meat on a stick and the closest this city comes to Bia Hoi go to corner Nguyen Trung Truc and Nguyen Du Streets
7) This is the kind of touristy, but also rad tour! I ride this city with great delight on my
trusty Honda Wave motorbike weaving in and out of the traffic without a care
these days. But recently a group of 20 people and I did this tour at night. Its
70 bucks so a wee bit exxy, but I thought it was great and am therefore happily
recommending it to you! Vietnam Vespa Adventure Tours. It
was so much fun and a great way to feel apart of the city and go to some local
restaurants and enjoy some back alley driving. You have a guide driving you the
whole time. You just need to hang on and enjoy! You would need to book in
advance and I would say it would be more fun if you went with people you know.
Ok, gross generalization! ;-)
8) I have also heard great things about this tour…. If you are
into Art…and as you are on my blog, I’m hoping this is the case! http://sophiesarttour.com/
give’s you an insight into the history of Vietnamese Art from a knowledgeable English
lass named Sophie.
9) My favourite small bar with good tunes, and not inundated
with bogan tourists or prostitutes for a nighttime boogie and cocktails! La Fenetre Soleil 44 Ly
Tu Trong Street, District 1.
For drunken nightclub times packed to the rafters with all walks
of life in this city (some mentioned above!) go to ‘Apo’ Apocalypse Now. 2C Thi Sach
Street
District 1. They ask for a cover charge these days which is “com com
ding ding” (CRAZY!). Ps-It’s not in the back packer area. You’ll get good (bad)
tunes, but great when you think need a little Pitbull and Rihanna fix at 1 am!
Its not the place to go to sober, you will hate it! The German style hot dogs
in the courtyard are great to soak up some of the cheap alcohol you will have
consumed tonight. If you still need more after they kick you out at 2am, head
to Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area to Crazy Buffalo for more of the same.
10) Great cocktails and good eats (but shitty décor)-Zanzabar. 41 -
47 Dong Du St District 1. I would still go here over the cheesy Caravelle Hotel rooftop where every cat’s ass frequents just for their drinks, but sadly without a view! Their Passion fruit Caprioska is
gooood! For an amazing view and a more expensive cocktail go to Shri or Chill bar. The Hyatt Martini bar does a tidy martini as well. All of these places are fancy, so dress nicely.
11) If you've had enough morning glory, fresh spring rolls and tamarind prawns on your Nam adventure this place has the best steak dinner in town!So freaking good is El
Gaucho, an Argentinian place here. It’s my favourite restaurant in the
city and where I go to treat myself. Fit
with great service, location and food. It’s making me salivate just typing it
out. Go to the District 1 address! Its right near the Hyatt hotel. Again, probably similar prices to home, but melt in your mouth meaty goodness.
12) Spring Rolls of many varieties…a commercial looking
establishment but so freaking good- Wrap
and Roll. There is one on Nguyen Hue a block or two back from the river and
one on Le Thanh Ton not far from the Hyatt. Good for lunch, cheap and great.
13) Ice cream-Fanny’s. Yep, shocking name, but bare with me, its
good! I think it’s the best ice cream that you can get in this city anyway. The
best chain restaurant to go to is 29-31 D Ton That Thiep D1.
14) I have been to the movies here three times in three years.
The reason being that they generally only show really bad ‘boy movies’ that
bore the beejuzus out of me! But if on the off chance they have something half
decent on, going to the cinema here costs about 3 bucks a person and is a great
way to beat the heat and get a taste of home if you have been travelling for a
long time! Great sound quality, same, same as at home and one tenth the price.
I go to Hung Vuong Plaza (about 15 minutes from city) and cinema's in the other ex-pat area in Saigon, District 7 (Phu My Hung-about 15 minutes from city). This website should tell you whats on http://www.megastar.vn/en/ctp/
I will add to this post, if I think of anything else great over time.
And
if people like, I can create a list for places outside of HCMC, like the best
beach side mini break locations? Let me know if this is something that you would like to know?
Enjoy my adopted city, she sure is a winner!
Pia xx
