Day 1: 11 September 2017, Wednesday
Last September, as I was looking for a quick getaway from Singapore, I browsed through the various budget airlines’ websites to look for the lowest fare and eventually settled on Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city in Vietnam by population. HCMC is also commonly known as Saigon, which is its former name until 2 July 1976, when the city was renamed after its much-loved leader Ho Chi Minh. The name Saigon is still widely used by locals today.
My previous visit to Vietnam was in 2013 when I dropped by the capital city Hanoi as part of my 30-day trip around Asia to celebrate my 30th birthday. I stayed at the Old Town and went on an overnight cruise to Halong Bay, but overall, Hanoi didn’t impress me that much. So I thought I’d give Vietnam another chance and visit HCMC this time.
My Scoot return airfare was only S$97.35. It was a short 4-day, 3-night trip so I didn’t require any check-in baggage. I was determined to travel light so I packed everything into my hand carry luggage, within the 7kg cabin allowance provided by Scoot.
(Exchange rate: S$1 = VND16,550 / VND10,000 = S$0.60; US$1 = S$1.35)
On 11 September 2017, I departed from Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 1:05pm. The flight duration was less than two hours and I touched down at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 2:12pm local time (Vietnam is 1 hour behind Singapore). From the airport, I took bus number 109 to the city.
The bus is yellow in colour and easily identifiable upon exiting the airport terminal building. The bus ride costs only VND20,000 (S$1.20). You can buy your ticket at a booth in front of where the bus stops. Remember to retain the ticket as a bus conductor will go around for checks later during the journey.
The ride to the city took around 40 minutes and I alighted at a stop near Ben Thanh Market at 3:41pm. From there, with the help of Google Maps, I navigated myself to my hostel, about 20 minutes away.
The Like Hostel & Cafe
Address: 150/37 Nguyen Trai, District 1
Tel: +84873056767
Website: https://www.facebook.com/thelikeguesthousesaigon/
Price: US$8.20 (S$11.07) per night for an 8-bed mixed dorm with ensuite bathroom
I chose The Like Hostel mainly because of its price and location. At only S$11 for a dorm bed and breakfast, it was pretty much unbeatable. The hostel is nestled in a small street between Nguyen Trai and Le Thi Rieng, so it’s relatively quiet and peaceful. Nevertheless, it is still quite centrally located near Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien Street, and within walking distance to the main attractions such as Ben Thanh Market, War Remnants Museum and the Opera House. All things considered, it provided very good value for a budget traveller like me.
After settling down, I went out for a walk to see what HCMC had to offer. My last meal was a few hours ago so I was quite hungry by now. I walked a few units away from my hostel and came across a café called Watcha selling honey toast and desserts. Its décor was inspired by Japan and it looked quite nice so I decided to try it. I ordered a matcha drink and a matcha toast, amounting to VND103,000 (S$6.20). I’m pleased to say that it tasted as good as it looked. Yummy!
It started to rain as I left the café and headed towards Ben Thanh Market. As I walked along the main road, the most obvious thing I noticed was that motorcycles were everywhere. In HCMC, motorbikes easily outnumber cars three to one and they’re the main mode of transport here.
With so much traffic, crossing the road may seem intimidating at first but it is actually very safe because the motorbikes travel at slow speeds and they are well trained to avoid pedestrians. The key is to walk confidently in a straight line without pausing too much and they will know how to weave around you. But if you hesitate or give mixed signals about the direction you’re heading, the motorists will be confused and that may result in a collision. Of course, you still have to observe the traffic lights when crossing at major junctions and roads.
As night fell, the buildings lit up one by one and the city truly came alive. I realised that HCMC is much more pretty at night. As I approached Ben Thanh Market, I came across Ben Thanh Street Food Market first. They are just one street apart. It looked lively so I went in for a quick look.
Ben Thanh Street Food Market is a hipster food hall like Singapore’s PasarBella, where many gourmet stalls come under one roof in a casual and hip environment. The place was packed and all the benches were occupied. The stalls sold various types of street food and the prices seemed reasonable. However, I was still full so I didn’t try any of it.
I continued walking along Le Loi street, which is one of the main thoroughfares in the city. There were massive construction works taking place, with large swathes of the roads boarded up. It was for the construction of the metro subway system, which had been going on since 2014 but seemed no closer to completion.
Shortly after, I reached Saigon Square 1, located at the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Le Loi street. It is a large indoor market that is fully air-conditioned, with its many stalls organised in an orderly manner. The aisles are also wide enough to pass through without much difficulty. Compared to Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Square 1 is a much more comfortable place to shop.
Most of the stalls sell clothes and shoes, with plenty of Under Armour, Nike and Superdry apparel everywhere you turn. You can also get some really high quality replica backpacks from The North Face here. I say replica because they are not authentic. However, the quality is very high and comparable to the original, probably because the original goods are manufactured in Vietnam anyway.
Right across the street is Saigon Centre (click here), a posh shopping mall with 160 stores spread over its seven floors and with Takashimaya as its anchor tenant. Many international brands can be found here. Unsurprisingly, the mall was quite empty because most people don’t go to HCMC to shop for branded stuff when are so many good street markets around. However, Saigon Centre is a good alternative if you’re tired of the markets and want to buy some authentic stuff for a change, or if you just want a nice and comfortable place to chill and escape from the afternoon heat outside. If you’re into malls, there is also Parkson and Vincom Center located nearby.
I then walked pass an attractive colonial style building painted in an unusual peach colour, accented by its white pillars and flourishes. The lighting was very elegant and the building looked stunning. I later found out that this is the Ho Chi Minh City Hall. I dare say it is HCMC’s most beautiful building, especially at night.
Directly facing the Ho Chi Minh City Hall is Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, a walking boulevard stretching all the way to Saigon River. It is HCMC’s centerpiece and most lively area. The 900m long boulevard is flanked by many beautiful buildings like the Rex Hotel and Union Square. It is usually very crowded but the earlier downpour had kept most people away for now.
There is a statue of Ho Chi Minh at Nguyen Hue pedestrian street not far away from the City Hall. This 7.2m high bronze statue was erected in May 2015, as part of the celebrations for what would have been the venerated leader’s 125th birthday. It replaced an old statue that depicted Ho Chi Minh seated and cradling a little girl in his arms.
I turned to Le Loi street again and then to Dong Khoi street, which runs parallel to Nguyen Hue walking street. The unmissable Saigon Opera House came into view. It is a beautiful French colonial concert hall built in 1897. Together with the City Hall, these two buildings represent the crown jewels of HCMC’s architectural masterpieces.
My stomach was rumbling again so I went to look for a restaurant called L’Usine here at Dong Khoi street. L’Usine (click here) is a restaurant/lifestyle shop rolled into one. It is a place for hipsters, with its soft lighting, wooden benches and living plants evoking memories of P.S. Café in Singapore. There is another branch at Le Loi street near Saigon Centre, and another branch at Le Thanh Ton street.
I had a hard time deciding what to eat and I ended up ordering too much food. I had a Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Salad (150,000 VND) and a Farfelle Pasta (160,000 VND). I thought I would be able to manage these two dishes but the servings were huge and I struggled to finish them both. That’s the downside of travelling alone – you feel like trying everything on the menu but there is no one to share it with. Luckily, it wasn’t too pricey so it was still ok. After taxes, the bill came up to 341,000VND (S$20.50), which is cheaper than café food in Singapore. The food was excellent and well worth a visit.
After finishing my dinner at around 8:50pm, I headed back to the hostel. Along the way, I passed by Ben Thanh Market again, and I saw that both streets flanking the market have been transformed into an outdoor street market. These makeshift stalls spring up every night from 7pm to 11pm, selling mostly apparels and souvenirs. The products are similar to those at Saigon Square but slightly cheaper. As it was only the first night, I just walked around to take note of the prices and did not buy anything yet. I’ll be back here many more times in the next few days. That’s it for Day 1!
