Ho Chi Minh City is Top Spot for Travel, long known as a culinary haven for its vibrant street food scene, has embarked on an international media campaign to showcase its unique and transformative cuisine. The “All You Can Eat” campaign is reaching out to a global audience with a focus on a select group of areas around the city that should not miss – should food a focus on a visit to Vietnam.
Ben Thanh Market in District 1, the urban heart of Ho Chi Minh City, is a bustling hub famous for its vibrant atmosphere and diverse culinary offerings. Here, visitors can dig into regional specialties like banh beo (water fern cake), banh nam (flat steamed rice dumplings)… Gate 7 of Ben Thanh Market is particularly renowned for its concentration of stalls selling sweet desserts.
Ho Chi Minh City is Top Spot for Travel
Also in District 1, Tan Dinh Market stands out as a culinary gem with a history spanning over 90 years. Its food court comes alive in the evening, offering a variety of dishes from broken rice and porridge to noodles and refreshing beverages.
Cho Lon in District 5 and District 6, showcases the culinary traditions of Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinese community. Binh Tay Market, Soai Kinh Lam, and Dai Quang Minh Market are culinary landmarks where people can indulge in roast duck, dumplings, chicken pot, and kung fu noodles.
In District 10, Ho Thi Ky Food Street is a vibrant destination with numerous food and drink stalls. Sample the spicy snail noodle soup (hu tieu oc) or the snail curry (pha lau oc) with its flavorful broth for dipping bread.
Top foods and beverages to try in Ho Chi Minh City include snails that are boil, steam, grill, or saute; Banh mi as a sandwich that can make with a variety of meats (or tofu), fresh herbs, pickle vegetables, pate, and a chili sauce stuff inside in a crunchy baguette; and Com Tam, a marinates and slow-grilled pork ribs serves with broken rice, egg, vegetables, and scallion oil, typically drench in fish sauce. As for drinks to try: Vietnamese coffee is a must and it is selling everywhere, often over ice with sweeten condense milk. Also worth trying is sugarcane juice from fresh stalks of sugarcane, and beer, which is cheap and plentiful. Saigon, 333, Heart of Darkness and Platinum brews should be up for order.
Ho Chi Minh City is Top Spot for Travel: Food
Furthermore, other authentic street food adventures can be found at Turtle Lake in District 3, where rice paper, spring rolls, and cakes can be found. Nguyen Thuong Hien Street in District 3 offers mixed rice paper musts, such as golden beef sauce and fermented pork skin. In Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District, visitors find diverse cuisines from Vietnam’s regions plus popular Korean and Japanese restaurants.
Traveling through Ho Ch Minh City
Between eating adventures there is plenty of history to experience here. Besideds, Ho Chi Minh City was formerly known as Saigon, but the official name changed in 1975 when the North Vietnam’s Army gain control of the city and end the Vietnam War that had been raging since 1954.
So chief among the must-see museums and monuments would be the War Remnants Museum. There find abandon and capture United States tanks, planes and that tell the story of the American War as it is known in Vietnam, and the French colonialization war before that. The museum walls bear photographs depicting the brutalities of these losing campaigns against the Vietnamese, all harrowing and giving pause to a poignant time in the 20th century. A walk through this memory can trigger emotions no matter what side of the battle one was on but is a must for the lessons of remembrance, lest we forget and commit the same mistakes.
Ho Chi Minh City is Top Spot for Travel: Best Spot
Similarly, a trip to Cu Chi Tunnels, is line for anyone interest in the Vietnam war. It’s a sophisticate maze of underground tunnels uses during that war locates around 43 miles from Ho Chi Minh City. It once house war rooms and living quarters for Viet Cong soldiers who supported the North’s fight against American military campaign. Visitors can crawl through the tight spaces, see the booby traps and hell holes laid for U.S. and South Vietnamese ground troops and even fire an M19. Although a gruesome reminder bordering on dark tourism, the tunnels are a good take in for experiencing some of the true horrors of that war.
Other important stops on a whirlwind travel jaunt through Ho Chi Minh City should include:
+ Independence Palace (Reunification Palace). This domineering building plays a critical role in the Vietnam War and Vietnam’s settlement. Visitors wander well-preserve rooms, see the war command center, and walk the lush gardens surrounding the palace.
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
This is a hard to miss and stunning symbol of Ho Chi Minh City’s French colonial past in the heart of the French Quarter in District 1. Besides, Wander the streets of this neighborhood, often lined with French pastry shops and cafes. Dip into an antique shop or two for some add atmosphere and post cards from eras past.
Central Post Office
Find this historic building next to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Visitors can step inside to ogle the grand architecture with arch ceilings and ornate ironwork watches over by a large portrait of Ho Chi Minh.
Saigon Opera House
You can still a performance at the Saigon Opera House, also an ornate construction from the French colonial era that still showcases a variety of cultural events, including opera, ballet, and classical music concerts.
Ben Thanh Market
This bustling market is a good place to shop for cheap souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and an array of local goods. Be prepared to haggle.
Binh Tay Market
Head to Chinatown (Cholon) for this spot where it is possible to immerse in fresh produce, spices, and traditional Vietnamese goods in all their vibrant colors and aromas.
Bui Vien Street
On the other hand For Ho Chi Minh City nightlife Bui Vien Street in the Pham Ngu Lao area the place. Find an array of bars, clubs, and street vendors selling snacks and drinks.
Mekong River Delta
This area is the “Rice Bowl” of Vietnam and famous for its jungley landscapes, floating markets, and traditional villages. Here visitors take those boat tours seen so often in photos, navigating amid intricate waterways and food sellers, a veritable farmer’s market on the Mekong.
Final Words
In Ho Chi Minh City, getting around is half the fun. Ho Chi Minh City is not a walkable city per se. Its broad avenues and lack of real traffic mamangement make streets nearly impossible to cross on foot. Furthermore, the weather is mostly high heat and high humidity and the buzzing of motorcycles make peaceful walks a pipedream for most.
Getting around will be by taxi, which average a $1/mile; motorbike, a ubiquitous option that usually cost about $1.50, or even free for those brave enough to walk up to a departing biker; or cyclo, a fun throwback to the rickshaw days. Secondly these three-wheeled bike taxis snake through traffic and take a lot of time to travel between points, but the experience is cheap, fun and part of the adventure.
Finally while getting around can a challenge at first, visitors should not forget to take precautions. Ho Chi Minh City is safe by all accounts, but purses and packs may not be. Purse theft is common and easy, especially for dual motorbikers who swipe and fly by pedestrians edging near traffic.
More information: www.redelephantreps.com
Get Social