24 hours in Saigon, Vietnam
Frenetic moped-strewn streets, an incandescent skyline,
hundreds of street-stalls cooking up local delicacies and bicycles laden
with goods all bound together by a perpetually humid climate. Whether
you’ve already booked yourself onto an escorted small group tour of Vietnam
or you’re going to backpack or flashpack your way around the country,
this is your quick guide to 24 hours in Vietnam’s largest and most
cosmopolitan city!
Eat me…
Breakfast: hit
one of Saigon’s many street vendors, grab a small plastic chair, hunch
over a hobbit-sized table and tuck into a traditional bowl of Pho for
around $2! A broth-like dish, Pho is made up of Vietnamese spices
(cardamom, fennel, star anise, coriander and more), noodles, beef (or
veg) and often garnished with mint. Quick, cheap, refreshing and
incredibly healthy!
Lunch:
Wrap and Roll is a particular favourite of mine and they’ve now
expanded their operation to round 10 stores in Vietnam (yay!). They
serve a huge collection of traditional Vietnamese wraps which consist of
rice paper crammed with fresh herbs, salad, noodles and meats, all
served with a range of delectable dips. The Saigon branch is
(climatically speaking) extremely cool making it a perfect retreat from
midday heat.
Another good lunch option is the new KOTO Restaurant
(run by an NGO with an established sister restaurant in Hanoi) which
serves excellent Western and local dishes.
Dinner:
Located in district 1, explore Vietnam’s French Heritage with a trip to
Le Toit Gourmand which serves incredible French cuisine in welcoming
and intimate surroundings. Other great options are Lemon Grass which is
an established favourite amongst locals and Westerners alike, or 3T Quan
Nuong which knocks up some sterling BBQ flavours. Both restaurants are
orientated around traditional Vietnamese cuisine so prepare for a
treat!!
Snacks:
are bountiful across Saigon. Grab some deep friend treats from a street
vendor; try the delectable chocolate offering from a traditional
patisserie or – a favourite of mine! – pull up a chair at a street-side
vendor for a glass of delicious iced coffee made with condensed milk
which will exceed your RDA of sugar by about 150%.
Drink me…
Lunch:
do the tourist thing and get yourself to The Rex hotel which has been
one of Saigon’s most recognisable landmarks for the past 80 years.
Located in the central District 1, the hotel has an incredible rooftop
bar with solid views of the city and a great cocktail menu, all of which
make for the perfect budget-busting treat!
Evening:
Pham Ngu Lao street and around is home to the backpacker district.
Bursting at the seams with budget accommodation, this is also the place
to head for cheap eats and evenings of cut price beers and cocktails.
Stick to the local brews (Beer Saigon, Huda Beer, and Beer Hue) and
avoid the European lager and you’ll manage to stretch your buck that bit
further. A local beer will set you back $2+ or so and a street-side
meal start from as little as $3pp. Many establishments will stay open
until the small hours but this relationship is capricious so be prepared
to be turned out early or allowed to stay late.
See me…
War
Remnants Museum is located in District 3 of Saigon, just off Vo Van
Tran Street. Although offering a robustly partisan depiction of events,
this quite modern museum offers an invaluable insight into Vietnam’s
most recent conflicts with the United Stated (and its allies) as well as
the one time colonial rulers, France.
As well as real-life
artifacts such as tanks and weaponry, the museum has an extensive
collection of photography from the war years. Drawn from all the major
publications you can follow the war through the conflict via the museums
many (and deeply moving) photo-journals.
Reunification
Palace can best be described as one of Vietnam’s handful of truly
kitsch constructions. Built in 1962 the palace was the main residence of
South Vietnam’s government throughout the American war. Set in grassed
grounds and unmistakable from the street, the palace has been largely
left as it was when the American’s left in 1975. The old command desks,
conference rooms and tunnels remain as they were – there’s even a Huey
Helicopter perched on the roof from the final evacuation by American
officials.
If you’ve longer then get yourself out to the Mekong
Delta, visit the war-time Cu Chi tunnels, or spend a day getting lost in
Saigon’s expansive street network!
HUONG VIET TRAVEL – MEMBER OF PATA, ASTA, IATA
Add: 20 Nguyen Truong To Str, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel : (84-4) 37162149 Fax: (84-4) 37161738
E–mail address: sales@huongviettravel.com
Website: http://www.huongviettravel.com | http://www.aseantravelandtours.com | http://www.visavietnamonline.com | http://www.huongvietjsc.com
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