DO NOT GO TO HO CHI MINH CITY, BECAUSE…
I will tell you things that I have experienced in the largest city in Vietnam before answering above question…
TRAFFIC
I often ask sightseers this question: “What is your very first impression in Vietnam”. Most of them have an identical respond is “traffic, traffic and traffic”. I am not stunned about that reply because as a Vietnamese person that have lived in the biggest city of Vietnam for more than 4 years, I still feel a little bit scared, nervous, worried and so on… It makes my blood run cold when I must cross roundabouts or intersections in the rush hour. I must fight and negotiate with a tons of motorbikes and cars and the atmosphere at that time is very crazy and chaotic. But if you could overcome your fears and this “life changing experience”, the feeling would be awesome and profound. Trying is believing.
STREET FOOD
Sometimes when I come across some streets in district 1, I saw a lot of travelers in McDonald’s, KFC, etc…Oh, come on!!!. Do you think where are you right now?. You are in Ho Chi Minh City, the “Kingdom of numerous kinds of street foods” in Vietnam. I would bet that you could not find any places in this globe like here, because simply it is totally unique. Besides “Pho” and “Banh Mi” that has been officially defined in the Oxford Dictionary, you still have tons of foods to taste such as: Vietnamese Savory Crispy Pancake, Broken Rice, Steamed Rice Rolls, Fresh Spring Roll, Grilled Pork Noodles and so on…You will only regret it, deeply regret, live to regret if you decline to throw yourself into Vietnamese cuisine. Tasting is believing.
Try real local Vietnamese foods in hidden places
FRESH FOOD
Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, fresh seafood, fresh fish and fresh meat. They’re just dive into the deep sea, up to the moutains, pass through so many gardens to get!!!! You’ll walk into the food section and see freshly caught fish, snails, crabs and prawns and brace yourself for a fishy smell. But because the fish you see in the market was caught just a few hours ago, you won’t smell a thing.
The meat was butchered no more than four or five hours ago so it doesn’t give off any smell. You can tell it’s super fresh by the bright red color. If you see browning meat, it may be a day old and will cost less.
From bitter melon to morning glory, the vegetables go into everything from shredded salads — like green papaya salad — to stir-fries. Like all the other food you’ll find in Vietnamese markets, everything is super fresh. You’ll also find mangos, soursops, papayas, mangosteens, jack fruits and a fleshy fruits with a bumpy green skin called custard apples, among more familiar fruits like pineapples, bananas and watermelons.
PLACES
More than 6.3 million international visitors to “The Pearl of The Far East” in 2017. There must be some reasons after this amount of number. The stunning beauty of symbolic Ben Thanh Market, bustling Nguyen Hue Walking Street or Bui Vien Pedestrian Street, historical places like War Museum, Independence Palace, Jade Emperor Pagoda…or more than 100-year-old French architectures really attracted visitors from all over the world.
Moreover, we can visit local districts like district 5, district 3 and district 10 with Chinatown, Wholesale Flower Market, Old Apartment, Local Markets and so many other interesting places with very cultural and local activities. Seeing is believing.
PEOPLE
Do not be very surprised if some total strangers approach you and do you a favor. Friendly, approachable, hospitable, welcoming…and sometimes a little bit weird…Do not wonder why they do it for you because simple they are Saigonese. We always welcome all of you to this stunning country. Taking a career break, spending time to take a sip of authentic Vietnamese coffee or enjoying local beer with friends on the footpath would be profound and unforgettable memories. And you just only find these…right here.
Now you know why I told you that “DO NOT GO TO HO CHI MINH CITY” because…you will definitely fall in love with it… Do not believe me???. No problem…COMING IS BELIEVING.
Want to see unseen parts of Ho Chi Minh City, click HERE
