Ho Chi Minh City, once known as "The Pearl of the Orient" for its prosperous ports, is today a major hub for commercial, touristic, cultural and scientific activities in Vietnam. It is the largest city in Vietnam, and, affectionately known as Saigon until the end of the Vietnam War, is located in the south of Vietnam on the west bank of the Saigon River. It is a city of amazing contrasts: French architecture and historic buildings side-by-side with bustling markets and local fare. Exclusive restaurants, designer boutiques, art galleries, chic bars and sidewalk cafés add to the European flair abounding in Saigon.
This is a city that churns, ferments, bubbles and fumes. The streets, where much of the city’s life takes place, are a jumble of street markets, shops, pavement cafés, and mobile vendor stalls selling wares spread out on sidewalks. The rhythm of life there may look similar to that of most Asian capital cities: construction azimuths make dancing cranes in the sky while the flood of cyclos and motorbikes plunge you deep into harmoniously chaotic urban traffic. It’s impossible not to be infected by its exhilarating vibe.
The relentless hype goes way over the top. But still, it is hard not to be convinced that this is Southeast Asia’s latest economic powerhouse and feistiest new tiger. Fortunately, its booming roar and frenetic development have not yet suffocated its genuine old-Asian charm mingled with delightful echoes of its colonial past. The city’s colorful, atmospheric heritage mixed with its fast-paced, state-of-the-art modernity is beguiling and never seems to pale, even for the locals. Once you get there, you can’t help becoming captivated.
Over at the posh Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, located at the heart of the vibrant business, entertainment and shopping district, we were welcomed by their gracious general manager, Kim Powley, and global Pinoy front office manager Andy Belmonte. At The Lounge, we savored their delightful and addictive local beverage concoction: Vietnamese iced coffee, a cool combination of robust coffee flavor and the sweetness of rich condensed milk.
At the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, a world of warmth and friendliness awaits you. Sheraton’s custom "Sweet Sleeper" beds promise pleasant dreams in luxurious accommodations with captivating and panoramic views of this exotic city.
The day starts early in Ho Chi Minh. The streets are clogged soon after 7 a.m. and the myriad building sites are a hive of activity and a cacophony of noise. Family friends, global Pinoy couple Benny and Liza Caleda took us around the city and graciously hosted a dinner for us featuring the Vietnamese lau (hot pot), a heaven-sent concoction with a savory broth, fresh vegetables and chicken.
The streets, sidewalks and outdoor markets are overtaken by motorbikes, and are not yet geared towards pedestrian traffic (although sidewalk-clearing campaigns are now underway). Even though traffic is not as dense and chaotic as in, say, Bangkok, it’s pretty scary for the average tourist. It consists mainly of motorcycles (sometimes with up to five people including small children perched on them), and drivers tend to drive offensively – as opposed to defensively. Traffic flows in a continuous, noisy stream, and traffic signals appear to be largely "advisory." Crossing the streets is therefore a challenge for Westerners used to traffic lights. The trick is to follow the Vietnamese: step confidently out into the road and cross at a slow but steady pace. Trust will flow miraculously around you, and it (probably) will.
Ho Chi Minh City is the most buoyant city in Vietnam and also the greatest tourist attraction in the country. Along with the historical markets such as the Ben Thanh and Cho Lon, many fashionable supermarkets and commercial streets have been developed in the city over the past decades. District 1, the center of Ho Chi Minh City, is the area offering the most numerous goods and services for tourists. You can enjoy the shopping atmosphere in Ho Chi Minh with only $100. It’s true. But above all, the money offers you more: the pleasure of discovering fascinating places.
The Ben Thanh Market, at the west end of Le Loi and probably the largest in Vietnam, offers a wide spread of pretty much everything from a huge range of clothes, shoes, handbags, cosmetics to exotic wines, pickled plums and live ducks. It is a really popular place for tourists, so prepare to haggle.
Ho Chi Minh is also known for its unique and colorful shop-specific streets. It has its own streets on which numerous shops specialize in one product or a line of products like Antique St., Souvenir St., Handicraft St., Footwear St., Oriental Medicine St., Spice St., Fashion St., Jewelry St., Nightclub St., Backpacker St., and even Cell Phone St. Take your pick, strut your way and shop ’til you drop!
Dong Khoi, the most fashionable street in Ho Chi Minh, has been mentioned as becoming the city’s first pedestrian street. The street is lined with fashionable shops from one end to the other. It is a place for local and imported high-end clothes, cosmetics, footwear, souvenirs and handicrafts like lacquerware. Its side streets also offer a treasure throve of small and unique shops selling almost everything.
As your $100 is slowly spent, your pleasure is gainful. The pleasure multiplies when you share the joy of discovery with your loved ones back home, via text messages or e-mail.
Through the process of pioneering, developing and safeguarding the country, the myriad of peoples of Vietnam have worked to make Ho Chi Minh City a dynamic and bustling metropolis. The attractiveness of Ho Chi Minh City is individually linked to the charming environment of Southern Vietnam, yet the city’s allurement derives from its distinctive qualities. It is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It’s a bustling, dynamic and industrious center, the economic capital and the cultural trendsetter. Yet within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture.
Visit the War Remnants Museum along 28 Vo Van Tan St. Formerly known as the Exhibition House of American War Crimes, and currently housed in a rather confused assemblage of warehouses, with new purpose-built premises under construction next door, this disturbing display of man’s cruelty during the (American-led) Vietnam War includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a real guillotine, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed fetuses blamed on Agent Orange.
The Reunification Hall on 106 Nguyen Du St. is a feast for interior design enthusiasts. Formerly South Vietnam’s Presidential Palace, this is a restored five-floor time warp back to the Sixties, left largely untouched from the day before Saigon fell to the North. On April 30, 1975, the war ended when Tank 843, now parked outside, crashed through the gate. Be sure to check out the impressively kitschy recreation room, featuring a circular sofa. You can also visit the war rooms in the basement and view a propaganda film recounting how South Vietnamese lackeys and American imperialists succumbed to Ho Chi Minh’s indomitable revolutionary forces.
A must-see is the City Hall at the end of Nguyen Hue St. Originally called the Hotel de Ville and now formally re-branded the People’s Committee Hall, it’s a striking cream and yellow French colonial building beautifully floodlit at night. No entry, but the statue of Uncle Ho in front is a very popular place for photos.
For history buffs the Museum of Vietnamese History is a must and is located at the top of Le Duan St. (just inside the zoo gates). The museum has a fine collection of Vietnamese antiquities. Outside, the Botanical Gardens are very nice and a good place for a cheap lunch away from the crowds.
The Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office offers visitors a sneak peak of the remaining vestiges of Ho Chi Minh’s colonial past.
Food is also another distinctive feature of the city. Discover the sophistication and local flavors of this truly unique haven. You’re spoiled for choice in Saigon, which offers the country’s largest variety of Vietnamese and international food.
Food stalls are scattered all over the city, but there’s a fair collection in the Ben Thanh Market. Along Pham Ngu Lao, there are many budget Westernized options, and venturing a bit further into the side alleys can uncover some better choices than the main streets.
Lemongrass on 4 Nguyen Thiep St. is a reliable, if mildly touristy, Vietnamese restaurant. And in almost every strategic corner of the city, one will never fail to find a Pho24 restaurant offering a variety of Vietnamese noodles.
Trung Nguyen and Highlands Coffee are the Vietnamese versions of Starbucks, but with much better coffee. Figure on 10,000 dong for a basic cup, although there are plenty of variations including the infamous weasel coffee (ca phe chon) at Trung Nguyen, made from coffee beans collected from civet excrement.
And for the more adventurous, assume the squat position in front of the woman fanning the barbecue coals and order a bowl of clean-tasting pho. Make sure to slurp the rice noodles.
It is tough to feel neutral about this place. You fall in love with it quickly. Not long ago, the detractors outnumbered the fans. No longer. Now, everywhere you turn people are extolling Ho Chi Minh, and, indeed, Vietnam as a whole, shining as the splendid pearl of the East, and as if it is the promised land.