We arrived in Saigon (known more recently as Ho Chi Minh City) to a much welcomed 32° and pure sun. Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam but is actually not that much larger than Hanoi – 7.5M people in Hanoi and 8.5M in Saigon. Despite the relatively small change in size, there is a very noticeable change in pace, congestion and all of the other sights, sounds and smells that come with a big city feel.
Our AirBNB was a unique little spot about 10 minutes walk south of the main city center. We had about 50 square feet of (air conditioned) closed in area that housed a bed and a bathroom, and then about 100 square feet of covered but open air patio area that housed an outdoor kitchenette, table, couch and ton of tropical plants.
The city center is marked by the oldest surviving structures in Saigon, the Bến Thành Market. It is a popular tourist spot for textiles, souvenirs, food, both prepared, as well as for locals who shop for raw goods like fish, dry goods, meats, produce, etc. The stalls in the market are extremely compact, like the example below. Most of the purveyors are calling to you in hopes of selling you something, and this market is known for haggling, so we got some practice negotiating.
The wet market where all of the food is housed is quite a sight as well. There are plenty of vendors selling interesting seafood, vegetables and meats. The sanitation regulations here are a little different than we’d typically see in a market at home.
In more recent years they have also added the very popular but relatively touristy Bến Thành Street Food market, located about a half block north of the main market.
The Street Food Market is a cool little spot with probably thirty different permanent stalls with vendors hawking local fare like fresh/fried spring rolls, broken rice with barbecued chicken, and whole fried fish. There are also a healthy dose of international vendors in the market, bringing foods from India, China, and the Caribbean, to name a few.
The food we had at the market was average, and the environment a little bit contrived, but all-in-all it’s not a bad place to spend an afternoon.
We spent the following day doing our own walking tour of some of the big recommended ‘sights’ to see in Saigon, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, and the Opera House.
All three buildings are certainly French-inspired in their architecture, and the Notre Dame Cathedral, named after the original in Paris, is actually made entirely of French stone. It is a substantially smaller version of the original.
All three sights were in a relatively quaint and more upscale part of the city that was flush with old trees, quiet parks, and wider, more well-maintained streets.
On the topic of well-maintained streets, Saigon has virtually none outside of this area. We had read prior to coming that the city is not very walkable, and that proved to be very true.
The roads themselves are not that bad save for a few potholes here and there, but the sidewalks throughout the city are in quite a state of disrepair. In addition, anywhere that there is a decent piece of sidewalk, it is filled with parked motorbikes. Walking to get something to eat or to go to the market is a mindful affair that includes perpetual shuffling between the roadway and the sidewalk, trying to dodge the street vendors, motorbikes and chickens that coexist in a chaotic synchronicity.
Saigon is also home to some very competitive street food vendors that dish out Banh Mi, Pho, and a myriad of other more localized specialties.
This is probably the first time we’ve been really enthralled with Banh Mi on this trip. In other cities we’ve been less excited as it’s typically heavily laden with French-style toppings – multiple Mortadella’s or anonymous Forcemeats, Pate, Butter & Mayo, and then topped off with some crunchy cucumber, shredded carrot and cilantro.
One of the versions we found here that we really like was tucked into an alley just outside of one of the main traffic circles. A middle-aged woman tends to a makeshift grill where she cooks up small pork-based patties, and then passes them off to a team of assemblers that add a Hoisin-style sauce and the aforementioned herbs and thinly sliced veggies.
The combination is a sweet, hot and deeply satisfying Banh Mi, and we had at least three over two days. Keep in mind they are a meal in-and-of-themselves.
In researching some local dishes prior to coming we also found one that is relatively common called Bún riêu (Rice Noodles & Sour Crab Soup). We tried out a popular spot just outside of the Ben Thanh Market and it was a nice change from the mostly pork and beef-based dishes we’d been having.
The broth is a slightly sour crab and tomato base simmered with fried tofu, a crab cake, vegetables and a pretty large slice of congealed pork blood. For serving, they add rice noodles and chiffonade scallions. Admittedly the pork blood was not a highlight, but the rest of the soup had a subtle sourness and such a variety of textures that it was certainly something to remember for the future.
We also did some of our first experimentation with some marginally more westernized, upper-scale cuisine, with varying degrees of success. The foods in the couple of restaurants we tried were Vietnamese in their ingredients and cooking methods, but presented with a little bit more creativity than in the street food stalls.
Despite a little better presentation and more variety in the drinks they offered – craft beer, good cocktails and even some wine – the food was no better, if worse, than the street food stalls, and the ambience took a substantial hit.
One key destination where ambience was not at a deficit was the Binh Tay Market. Located in Saigon’s west end Chinatown (over 1M Chinese live in Saigon), the Binh Tay certainly holds the title for largest and least developed market we’ve ever visited (we’ve been to quite a few).
On arrival, the traffic in the area is menacing. The area is inundated with sellers, downtown merchants purchasing goods, consumers, and all of the in-betweeners required to make the place work.
This is not really a consumer-facing market but rather a wholesale market where many restaurants, cafes and stores come to buy their raw goods for production and resale.
We tucked into the very narrow alleyways of the market and were greeted with vendors selling seemingly nonsensical volumes of fragrant whole spices like pepper and star anise, live chickens, immaculate greens, and enough dried fish to stink up a market five times its size.
Saigon is a vibrant, young, and evolving metropolis that is attracting young, educated Vietnamese in droves. As the country is coerced into a move away from agriculture and toward industrialization and technology, it will undoubtedly grow to be a powerful Southeast Asian center.
We truly enjoyed our time in Saigon but are excited to escape the city and see what the southernmost tip of Vietnam – the Mekong Delta – has to offer by bicycle.
- M&A
