Overall feel of Ho Chi Minh is that it is good for shopping and pigging out! But hotel rates are on the pricey-end, considering that the standard of living is not quite high. But what I really like about the place is that it is pretty tourist friendly. There aren't many persistent street peddlers, and its pretty easy to travel within the city by cab. Read on a website that tourists should only take cabs with certain licensed cab companies. I faithfully followed that advice at all times except once, and bingo,the fare meter jumped every other second and I ended up paying an exorbitant amount compared to what I would usually pay...but lucky it was only a short trip.
Despite the unpleasant experience with the cab driver and the hassle of bargaining for my buys...it was a pretty good holiday! The food was excellent, shopping was not bad (except for the hard bargaining part)and I had one of the best spas in my life. A pity I had only 3.5 days, hardly enough to explore and soak in the beautiful country.
Day 1 (15 Jun 07)
Checked into Somerset, a service apartment that is about 10min drive from the city centre. Clean nice apartment, but decor is nothing to shout about...
Since inflight cuisine is never exciting, we were famished...and made the best-est decision to lunch at a local eating place 'Pho Hoa'. I am not a fan of soup noodles, but this shop converted me. The soup was divinely tasty and I slurped up almost every drop of the soup, and gobbled down every piece of that tender beef slices. This is indeed the best Pho in HCM!
After a satisfying lunch, shopping was in the itinerary to burn off some calories. We headed for the famous Ben Thanh market. But my shopping spirits were dampened by the huge amount of haggling required, so I did not buy much.
Since one of my priorities was to tailor an ao dai, I spent quite a fair bit of time instead looking for an ao dai tailor, and eventually chanced upon a lovely seamstress who later sewed me 2 very lovely pieces for a total of about USD70. In my opinion, the pricing is pretty reasonable since these are customised to one's size. During my window shopping, I also came across numerous lovely tailored pieces that could be worn for office. I am now set to go back to Vietnam to tailor business suits in the future =)
During the hunt for the tailor, we came across a girl selling pop-up cards. The cards were so pretty, I could not resist buying some. I actually had the inclination to buy all the cards on display, but I knew my hubby would never agree! So I ended up snapping many shots of the cards.
Dinner came, and again, Vietnamese food was superfabulous. We went to a restaurant that was very popular with the locals - Quan An Ngon. It was supercrowded when we arrived.
But I loved the atmosphere...very cosy and the place was filled with little food stalls. You order the food from the waiter, and he would pick it up from these stalls. 
Unfortunately it was a rainy evening, and although the restaurant used huge canvas sheets to shelter guests from the rain, the sheets were no match. Eventually some of the canvas sheets collapsed at the weight of the rainwater collected above it, and there was quite a scene as the waiters tried to hold up the canvas umbrellas. 
The day ended with a spa message at Xuan Spa (Hyatt). One of the best massages I have ever had in my life! The place was also very lovely - the spa was painted in a clean white, and decorated with beautiful paintings of Vietnamese ladies. I am not the arty kind, and hence, possess the lowest level of art appreciation that one can imagine. But the non-artistic me fell in love with the paintings, and got my sturdy Nikon to post them in memory lane (and in this blog of course).
Day 2 (16 Jun 07)
After a satisfying lunch, shopping was in the itinerary to burn off some calories. We headed for the famous Ben Thanh market. But my shopping spirits were dampened by the huge amount of haggling required, so I did not buy much.
Since one of my priorities was to tailor an ao dai, I spent quite a fair bit of time instead looking for an ao dai tailor, and eventually chanced upon a lovely seamstress who later sewed me 2 very lovely pieces for a total of about USD70. In my opinion, the pricing is pretty reasonable since these are customised to one's size. During my window shopping, I also came across numerous lovely tailored pieces that could be worn for office. I am now set to go back to Vietnam to tailor business suits in the future =)
During the hunt for the tailor, we came across a girl selling pop-up cards. The cards were so pretty, I could not resist buying some. I actually had the inclination to buy all the cards on display, but I knew my hubby would never agree! So I ended up snapping many shots of the cards.
Dinner came, and again, Vietnamese food was superfabulous. We went to a restaurant that was very popular with the locals - Quan An Ngon. It was supercrowded when we arrived.
But I loved the atmosphere...very cosy and the place was filled with little food stalls. You order the food from the waiter, and he would pick it up from these stalls. Unfortunately it was a rainy evening, and although the restaurant used huge canvas sheets to shelter guests from the rain, the sheets were no match. Eventually some of the canvas sheets collapsed at the weight of the rainwater collected above it, and there was quite a scene as the waiters tried to hold up the canvas umbrellas. The day ended with a spa message at Xuan Spa (Hyatt). One of the best massages I have ever had in my life! The place was also very lovely - the spa was painted in a clean white, and decorated with beautiful paintings of Vietnamese ladies. I am not the arty kind, and hence, possess the lowest level of art appreciation that one can imagine. But the non-artistic me fell in love with the paintings, and got my sturdy Nikon to post them in memory lane (and in this blog of course).
Day 2 (16 Jun 07)
We took a day excursion to Mekong Delta, and visited the floating market, as well as food and pottery factories. 
As a self-professed shopping queen, I just had to buy something, and set my eyes on a Vietnamese hat. Thought it would really match my ao dai. 
Lunch included a really interesting dish, called Elephant Ear Fish. Just looking at the photo is making my stomach rumble... 
These are some shot from the pottery factory. There was a very adorable girl, and I just had to snap some pics of her...
Dinner was at Vietnamese House. As usual, Vietnamese cuisine never fails to disappoint, and we left feeling full and very satisfied.
Day 3 (17 Jun 07)
As a self-professed shopping queen, I just had to buy something, and set my eyes on a Vietnamese hat. Thought it would really match my ao dai. Lunch included a really interesting dish, called Elephant Ear Fish. Just looking at the photo is making my stomach rumble... These are some shot from the pottery factory. There was a very adorable girl, and I just had to snap some pics of her...Dinner was at Vietnamese House. As usual, Vietnamese cuisine never fails to disappoint, and we left feeling full and very satisfied.
Day 3 (17 Jun 07)
This was our last full day, we decided that we enjoyed the food at Quan An Ngon so much, we needed to make a 2nd trip back. The restaurant is a perfect spot for lunches, and it looks much prettier in the day with the greenery all around.
After lunch, we made a trip to try on my ao dai. Yep, my first value buy in Vietnam!
Following that, we made a trip to the war museum. The pictures all emitted a common melancholic theme. Learning about the atrocities of the Vietnam war saddened my heart, and I felt dismayed at the extremes that humans can be capable of, and how could anyone have the right to hurt another fellow human being when all our lives are blessings bestowed by God. And I also wondered why did God allow such deeds to take place?
After visiting the museum, there was still some time before dinner. We went to Highland Coffee at Diamond building for some coffee. This coffee joint is the Starbucks equivalent in HCM, and the seamtress had recommended the coffee from this cafe. But we didn't quite like the slightly sourish taste of the coffee, and thought that the coffee we had during our day trip to Mekong Delta tasted much better. 
Diamond building is probably the most lavish shopping centre in HCM, and this is the place to go for luxury items. The exterior of the building had very pretty motifs such as that below. 
Across Diamond building is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Certainly not as grand as the original one in Paris, but is one of the prominent structures in HCM. As it was Sunday evening, there was mass and the church grounds were packed with people, including peddlers selling drinks and foodstuff.
Did I not mention the numerous motorbikes in HCM? The number of people on bikes are unbelievable, and it is pretty challenging trying to cross the streets with the heavy traffic. 
Last stop for Day 3 was another spa session at Aqua Spa at Sheraton. Decor of the place was not bad, but the massage manages at best a thumbs-down from me. The masseur assigned to me used minimal strength, and she was also totally unattentive - abruptly shifting my feet, hobbling the stones (I opted for a hot stone massage) on the bed so that I felt the vibrations with every throw..sighz, this place is totally not worth remembering, and it was probably one of the worst spa sessions in my life.
Diamond building is probably the most lavish shopping centre in HCM, and this is the place to go for luxury items. The exterior of the building had very pretty motifs such as that below. Across Diamond building is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Certainly not as grand as the original one in Paris, but is one of the prominent structures in HCM. As it was Sunday evening, there was mass and the church grounds were packed with people, including peddlers selling drinks and foodstuff.Did I not mention the numerous motorbikes in HCM? The number of people on bikes are unbelievable, and it is pretty challenging trying to cross the streets with the heavy traffic. Last stop for Day 3 was another spa session at Aqua Spa at Sheraton. Decor of the place was not bad, but the massage manages at best a thumbs-down from me. The masseur assigned to me used minimal strength, and she was also totally unattentive - abruptly shifting my feet, hobbling the stones (I opted for a hot stone massage) on the bed so that I felt the vibrations with every throw..sighz, this place is totally not worth remembering, and it was probably one of the worst spa sessions in my life.
Day 4 (18 Jun 07)
On our last day, we made a trip to the backpackers' area. We were scouting for a breakfast place, and chanced upon a café with my name. Ha, with such a meaningful name, I had to make a stop there. 
And boy, was it shopping haven! I did not even have to bargain much. The items were very reasonably priced, and it was much more enjoyable shopping there instead of Ben Thanh market. After shopping, it was time to head back to hotel to collect our luggage before returning back to reality in Singapore.
And boy, was it shopping haven! I did not even have to bargain much. The items were very reasonably priced, and it was much more enjoyable shopping there instead of Ben Thanh market. After shopping, it was time to head back to hotel to collect our luggage before returning back to reality in Singapore.
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