…and I’m still procrastinating to complete my posts on Japan to talk about my quick weekend in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) while memories are still fresh. It was my fourth or fifth time there, the previous trips primarily for work. What a difference it makes to have these two days and two nights all to ourselves though. This trip ended up to be incredibly nice with lots of eating and strolling around the city. In fact, it was so enjoyable that I’m considering another trip there before the end of the year….if only to try the food I missed this time round.
Saigon map
To Do
Walk
The city area, District 1, can easily be covered on foot during a weekend in Saigon. The architecture in Saigon is a mishmash of French colonial buildings, fancy modern skyscrapers with glass facades and brutalist buildings. Walking around is pleasant enough but for the horrible air and noise pollution from the thousands of scooters, reminiscent of a swarm of mosquitoes on a hot humid summer night.
The city itself is very green, however, with parks at every other street corner. Traffic is usually congested and crossing the road is an intimidating experience with dozens of motorbikes rushing at you all at once. The trick though is to take short confident steps across and let the bikes flow around you. Once you get the hang of it, walking through traffic becomes a breeze.
My impression of Saigon has much improved since my last trip in 2010. The city seems to have developed quite a fair bit over four years. New buildings have sprung up everywhere, roads are a lot cleaner and fancy coffee houses like Starbucks are attracting a fashionable youth. It may just be the end of an era but it’s great to see another Southeast Asian city progressing.
If it’s your first time in Saigon, places you should visit are the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Post-Office, the Opera House, the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, which can all be covered in half a day, on foot.
Leisurely stroll along the river
One thing I hadn’t done previously was to walk along the river. I did that on a Sunday afternoon and it was delightful. Sunday is obviously a rest day for most locals and you can see many relaxing by the river with a number of them fishing. We saw very few tourists along the river, surprisingly. Calmet bridge by the way offers a good view of Saigon city.
Stay
Cinnamon Hotel
I read good reviews of Cinnamon Hotel on a number of travel websites and decided to give it a go. At about US$90, it’s not a cheap hotel by local standards, especially considering that it’s a walk-up and that there are no facilities such as a pool and gym, usually expected for that price. The location is decent, a five-minute walk away from both Ben Thanh market and Pham Ngu Lao (the backpackers’ area).
The room sizes vary from what we learned and ours, a King Cinnamon Deluxe, was very spacious. In spite of the full king size bed, we had a lot of space to move around. Cable TV offers a host of news and entertainment channels and there is a proper electronic safe to keep your valuables. Our room faced the main road, Le Thi Rieng. It came with a very narrow but much welcome balcony with a table and two chairs. The balcony was really cosy with its eponymous jasmine plants as well orchids which shielded us from the surrounding buildings.
The bathroom was spacious as well with a large bathtub. Cinnamon Hotel is in an old building though, very apparent from some of the fittings.
What stands out with Cinnamon Hotel is that they promote an organic lifestyle. The toiletries provided were all organic as were the paper bags containing our grooming essentials. They even have a twin bin to separate recyclables. Service at Cinnamon Hotel was also top-notch. Sony, who was the one who welcomed us, was just great. He sat us down when we first reached to give us some cultural tips and teach us some Vietnamese phrases. Thanks to his tips, we tried some of the favourite local fare.
Looking back at my stay at Cinnamon, I can’t say I’ll go back again. It was a very pleasant stay, don’t get me wrong, but for the price, I believe there’s better. Saigon doesn’t lack hotels at all price range from the cheapest around Pham Ngu Lao to the posh ones close to the Opera House. During my previous trips, I stayed at three outstanding hotels: Park Hyatt, Caravelle and New World Saigon. They cost more, to be fair, but the experiences I had were fantastic, especially at Park Hyatt, which is probably the best hotel in all of Saigon.
Eat
Pho Hoa (Best Pho)
Pho is the national dish of Vietnam and by far their most popular gastronomic export. My goal on this trip was to find one of the best that Saigon had to offer. After some online research and a chat with Sony of Cinnamon Hotel, I settled for Pho Hoa, which is at the end of Pasteur Road, away from the river. It didn’t disappoint! I ordered the special mixed beef pho while my SO got the beef tendon pho. The broth was excellent and the noodles cooked to perfection. The amount of meat they added to the pho really made me wonder how a dish so succulent could be so cheap. My bowl was less than US$2. They had some chilli paste on the side which was an excellent condiment to the best bowl of pho I’ve ever tasted.
Quan An Ngon (Ngon-style dishes)
I tried the place on one of my previous visits and enjoyed the both the food and ambience. The great thing about Quan An Ngon is their variety of dishes as they have a booklet for a menu. The individual dishes may not be the best in Saigon, but decent enough. The restaurant is set in a beautiful, expansive colonial-style building and can accommodate big groups of people. It’s likely a very touristy spot but a great place to try different dishes if you have no time to try these individually elsewhere.
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa (Best Banh Mi)
Banh Mi is my favourite Vietnamese dish. I was looking to having great Banh Mi in Saigon and I initially wanted to go back to an old lady selling them at the fresh food section of Ben Thanh market. Online research and again a tip from Sony of Cinnamon hotel changed my mind. Banh Mi Huynh Hoa is one of the most popular Banh Mi places in Saigon, if not THE most popular. It’s only 100m from Cinnamon Hotel. There are over 10 types of meat in that baguette along with a good dose of mayonnaise, some freshly cut chillies and loads of vegetables…you know, to masquerade it as a healthy dish. That Banh Mi was so good that we couldn’t resist having it every single time our stomachs would allow. To be honest, the meat is questionable, all evidently processed, but hey, for US$1.50, you should be flogged if you ever complain!
Regina Cafe
Regina Cafe was not planned. It was about to rain and we ended up there. It’s located in between Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace. The ca phe sua da or Vietnamese iced coffee and some breaded spring rolls were really good. Not a place I would recommend with all the choices in Saigon, but if you’re nearby, it’s about to rain and you want a coffee fix, then by all means.
There are so many food establishments I have yet to try in Saigon. I need to plan at least one more trip there by the end of the year for sure. Until the next post!
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