Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City Day 1

Our Air Asia flight from Beijing landed in Saigon shortly after noon.  Our baggage was among the first off and clearing in was quick and easy.  Our driver was right at the curb when we walked out of the terminal and we were soon on our way to our hotel.  The traffic here is very heavy and we surmise the object is to keep moving and let others adjust to avoid hitting you as you hold your speed and direction of travel.  Of course, the biggest vehicles seems to command some respect and can force their way into other traffic.  The ride to the hotel was about 45 minutes.  The Lunar New Year is in a week.  As in China, decorations are being set out on the streets and stores are having big sales as people run about buying presents to give to relatives and friends at the New Year.  The street scene in Saigon is much more hectic and congested than in Beijing.  The streets are also less well maintained and strewn with litter.  Different strokes for different folks.  The Vietnamese have a reputation for being very friendly.  So far, we have found that to the be case.  The weather is perfect.

Times Square Building Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Our hotel is a welcome change from six nights on the Trans-Siberian/Trans-Mongolian Railroad and two nights in a Beijing hutong hotel.  The Saigon Northern Hotel is very well appointed with a fitness room, sauna, infinity pool and bar on the rooftop levels with a superb view overlooking Saigon.  Unfortunately, we are only here for two nights before flying off to Hanoi.  Tomorrow we will have a guided tour of points of interest around Saigon and join up with our tour group in the evening.  We are not on our own after tomorrow but part of a tour package which will make getting around Vietnam much easier and less expensive with a lot less hassle than if we were to do it ourselves.

Shrimp Spring Rolls and Beer

Roast Pigeon

After getting settled in our rooms and taking a nap, we began to explore the neighborhood around the hotel looking for a good place to eat.  The main streets were lined with shops, hotels and restaurants.  The side streets were more interesting as they contained businesses catering more to the locals than the tourists.  Street vendors were selling food and served up to customers who sat on crates or stools on the sidewalk.  More up-scale restaurants had indoor seating at booths or standard size tables.  Massage parlors were plentiful and prices advertised were very cheap compared to those in the US.  Of course, some massage parlors provided more than just the usual rub down.  If you saw the word "happy" in the name or there were a number of young ladies sitting in the window waiting for a customer, then you knew you'd pay for more than just a foot massage.  It reminded us of the Hamburg Reeperbahn or the red light district in Amsterdam.  The bars in the area were filled with clientele.

We stopped at one restaurant that had good reviews in TripAdvisor; however, the wait for a table was going to be almost an hour.  So, we wandered down the street a bit and came across another place that wasn't as crowded but still had good TripAdvisor reviews.  We ordered shrimp spring rolls, pork ribs, and pigeon for dinner.  The roast pigeon was very tasty; however, there isn't much meat on a pigeon.  The ribs were chopped into small pieces and had a good flavor.  However, the meat didn't fall off the bone as in US BBQ and you had to work a bit to clean the bone.  The shrimp spring rolls were served with a very mild sauce and everyone felt they were the best of the meal.  We had a few Tiger brand beers which are a Heineken brand and tasted just as good but cost a little less.  Several groups were celebrating at the restaurant.  One bunch was singing karaoke and having a great time drinking beer and being a bit rowdy.  We had fun watching them and they eventually noticed we were enjoying their festivities from a distance.  Soon, Carla was among them getting acquainted.  She balked at taking the mike and singing along.  We left shortly after to find some dessert.

Vincom Center Shopping Mall

We came across a Circle K market and bought some Vietnamese knock offs of Oreo cookies which were just as tasty at 1/3 the cost of the real Oreos.  A short while later, we discovered a shopping mall which had seven or eight levels of stores and restaurants which provided us an opportunity to get dessert and see what the place was like.  The stores ran the full range from mid-market brands such as Old Navy, Levi's, GAP to high end, luxury names.  The lower levels were mostly restaurants with a wide range of offerings.  There was even a Carl's Junior tucked in among the lot. We bought some cream puffs at a place called Bearded Papa's.  They were good and went well with our Oreos.

View From the Top of Our Hotel

We finished the evening with drinks at the hotel.  We went to the rooftop bar and sat alongside the pool with a beautiful view of Saigon.  There was a slight breeze which made it very comfortable.  Once again, we experienced a pleasant day in an amazing city.