Shopping and food hopping in Ho Chi Minh City

The hot and humid weather welcomed me as I stepped outside Tan Son Nhat International Aiport in Ho Chi Minh City. It was my first time in Vietnam and I felt like I had never left Manila. The weather was basically the same. The city’s atmosphere and the traffic situation were similar too—well, minus a few hundred thousand motorbikes.

I found out through a local that Ho Chi Minh City is home to 10 million people and seven million motorcycles—the kings of the road, like jeepneys are in the Philippines. Pedestrians must really look both sides before crossing the streets, especially tourists who are not used to the place. It was a challenge for me to go around Ho Chi Minh, but I learned to walk faster. I traveled with my mom, who had no trouble keeping up with my pace considering that she’s more than twice my age. We purposely booked a hotel in District 1, which is within walking distance of the shopping mecca known as Ben Thanh Market. Shopping dos and don’ts Located in the city’s downtown area, this large marketplace offers all kinds of merchandise—local produce, fruits, coffee, flowers, clothes, footwear, and anything else you can imagine. We were especially awed by the quality of their silk fabrics, one of the best buys there. This is the perfect place to buy souvenir items and more. It is basically a one-stop shop where you can—and must— practice your haggling skills (except in the stalls with fixed prices indicated). Even with vendors who could hardly speak English, you could still bargain to get more value for your money with the use of a calculator. When we were looking for coffee, one vendor offered to sell us a small pack for 200,000 Vietnamese Dong (approximately US$9.60). We told him we’d look around first, but he persuaded us to stay. After all the negotiation, we ended up buying it for 100,000 VND only—half the original price! Shopping there takes some skill and patience indeed. It also requires some caution, as I saw reminders to take care of your belongings in every corner. When we ran out of local currency, we found out that the vendors there also accept payments in U.S. dollars. We ended up using dollars instead, as it was more convenient and had more purchasing power. In fact, there is practically no need to convert your money to the local currency as a lot of restaurants and other establishments also accept dollars. Must-try local food I confess, my knowledge of Vietnamese food is pretty much limited to spring rolls and phở (noodle soup), so sampling authentic Vietnamese cuisine was one of the things I looked forward to. On our first day, I went with the familiar and ordered phở. Most restaurants offer meat choices to go with the soup and I opted for chicken. The big bowl of soup was full of vegetables such as spring onions and cilantro, a common herb in Vietnamese cooking. Phở was also served in our hotel’s breakfast buffet. Beside the omelet station was a phở area where you can also customize your order and choose from the different kinds of noodles and selection of meats. It really is a staple dish in Vietnam, as people eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For me, another highlight during breakfast was the local brew, which features a dark roast coffee that can be served either hot or cold. What makes it different from other coffee concoctions is the condensed milk, which adds the right amount of sweetness to the bitter brew. I was surprised at how much I was fond of it, considering that I am not a heavy coffee drinker. Another must-try is the bánh mì, a sandwich made from baguette, slices of meat, and veggies—of course the ubiquitous cilantro is there. I saw plenty of bánh mì stands practically at every street corner and the marketplace, too. I like that it tastes delicious, healthy, cheap, and is easy to eat as well. Of course we also wanted to feel the luxury of having a sit-down meal, so we searched for restaurants offering Vietnamese cuisine. There were many in District 1 and we found a nice place called Gánh, which had a wide selection of affordable local dishes. We ordered nem nuong (spring rolls with pork) and chả giò tôm thịt (fried minced pork roll), which was served with an assortment of leafy greens. It was a very interactive dish since we had to put the rolls and fresh vegetables in the wrapper, make everything fit, and dip it into the sauce. I noticed that Vietnamese food includes a lot of fresh vegetables and herbs. There were instances when I couldn’t even identify the greens on my plate but tasted it anyway. I am glad that I have an adventurous palate and soul, which makes me fearless in exploring and experiencing new things. Ho Chi Minh definitely awakened my spirit of adventure in more ways than one. - BM, GMA News