THANKS TO ITS PROXIMITY TO MALAYSIA, HO CHI MINH CITY IS BECOMING AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR A QUICK CITY BREAK. DAVID BOWDEN TAKES TO THE CITY STREETS FOR NOODLES AND SHOPPING.
Visitors to Vietnam very quickly get the impression that the country is a sleeping giant just waiting to burst onto the regional tourist stage. For a few decades after the Vietnam War, the country had to endure arrested development, but now things have changed, and its young population of 87 million consumers is ready to do some catching up.
Located just inland on the Saigon River, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam’s largest city and economic powerhouse, is just a 90-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur, thus making it the closest gateway for Malaysian travellers. The city appeals for its relatively inexpensive cost of living, delicious food, and cheap beverages, but also because it’s a city that’s rapidly going places.
Dong Khoi, alternatively known as District One, is where most tourists start their intrepid tour of duty in southern Vietnam; understandable as the area has the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, designer bars, and boutique shops in the city. Tall buildings now rise above the old French colonial villas and many streets are lined with tall trees that cast cooling shade over thoroughfares dominated by squadrons of motorcyclists.
HCMC is a different beast altogether from the capital Hanoi, which is located in the far north of this geographically elongated country. HCMC is much faster and flashier than the capital, which tends to be more conservative and known for its history and culture. While both have their unique qualities, HCMC is the more invigorating city for a lively weekend or even an extended visit.
Visitors need to bear in mind that many parts of Vietnam had been virtually decimated by 1975 after years of protracted civil war, and what is seen today in HCMC has evolved almost from scratch over the past 35 years. Despite the official name being Ho Chi Minh City, most of its seven million citizens still call it by its original name, Saigon.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
There is a lot of interest among tourists in seeing anything associated with the war, although in Vietnam it is referred to as the American War. War hounds won’t want to miss the War Remnants Museum (it’s former name was the House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism) located at 28 Vo Van Tan Street. Within its grounds, visitors can see historic American fighting machines like an F-5A fighter, ‘Huey’ chopper, daisy-cutter bombs, and an M48 Patton tank.
The Town Hall is a fine architectural statement, and the adjoining park, surrounded by the Parkson Mall, Hotel Continental, Rex Hotel and the ornately-decorated Opera House, makes this a good location to start sightseeing.
EATS AND DRINKS
The Vietnamese national dish of pho (pronounced “fur”) is a noodle soup that is usually served with beef or chicken. A delicious bowl of broth only costs RM3 on the streets or up to RM7 in local restaurants, while fresh fruit can be purchased all over the city.
Coffee is taken seriously in Vietnam, with several local chains taking the place of Starbucks (which hasn’t arrived yet). In hawker stalls, coffee is traditionally served with an aluminum immerser sitting on top of a small cup. Boiling water is poured over the immerser containing the ground coffee beans and the delicious brew slowly drips through into the glass below.
NOCTURNAL MACHINATIONS
A night on the town can be as seedy or sophisticated as you like. Well-known and established bars like Apocalypse Now still appeal to old Vietnamese hands, and not much has changed in this infamous bar since the American War.
There are bar streets and even bar districts, with one of the most accessible being Ton That Thiep Street. Other bars include the CHUBar behind the VinCom Centre, which is one of those small, smoky, dives you’d expect to find war vets, battle-weary journos and hardened writers squeezing the most out of their happy hour beer prices that extend throughout the whole day and into the early evening. The Rooftop Bar on top of the Rex Hotel, with its oversized golden crown protected on either side by two rampaging elephants, hasn’t changed in decades and its open-air setting is still as atmospheric as it was when the last war correspondent left its hallowed grounds.
While German beer halls appear as much out of place here in HCMC as Irish pubs, it’s hard to fault German beer, pork knuckle, and a general Bavarian knee’s up. Gartenstadt (16 Nguyen Hue St) serves German beer on tap and many more by the bottle, while The Bier Garden (125 Dong Khoi Street) offers a similar experience but with a more open-to-thestreet concept.
If you’re more inclined to support the local beer brands you can’t go wrong in ordering a few chilled Halida, 333, or Saigon beers. Cheap beer known as beer hoi is sold in makeshift streetside pubs at prices comparable to ordering water in a Malaysian restaurant.
Mix it up with the locals on the streets, and then venture into a few of the city’s most stratospheric and atmospheric bars: both Saigon Saigon (rooftop bar in the Caravelle Hotel) and Level 23 (Sheraton Hotel) have panoramic views of the urban expanse.
SHOPPING FRENZY
Shoppers will be delirious with the retail opportunities that range from lively markets to cool designer boutiques. Check out the designer interiors and fashion items at Mai Lâm (132 Dong Khoi St), or pick up designer labels at the Rex Hotel (Loewe, Cartier, Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari) or along Dong Khoi Street in District One.
Marketers need to check out Ben Thanh Market in downtown HCMC for a myriad of all things Vietnamese. Be sure to seek out the excellent local coffee and the aluminium immersers that they use to make it. “Weasel” coffee (undigested beans that have passed though the plumbing of a civet cat), considered a coffee for connoisseurs, is sold here. For great souvenirs, pick up some colourful revolutionary-styled posters – the reproductions are cheap but the real deals are expensive.
ON THE MOVE
Getting around the city is relatively easy, and District One is best explored on foot. Many Vietnamese will be keen to get you around on cyclos (trishaws), motorbikes, private cars, or basically anything that moves, but taxis prove the best bet for safety and convenience. While the volume of motorbikes on the streets can be a little daunting, persevere. If you walk slowly but assertively when you step out to cross the road, the motorcyclists will move around you (well that’s the theory anyway).
STAY AND PLAY
The city now has a good selection of premium international properties that includes the Windsor Plaza Hotel, Sofitel Saigon Plaza, Nikko, Equatorial, Duxton, and the Renaissance Riverside. There are a couple of heritage hotels such as the Rex, Continental, and Caravelle, while those on a budget should head to the Pham Ngu Lao area (known as khu tay ba lo or “backpacker district”).
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Getting There:
Fly on Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com) from Kuala Lumpur to HCMC.
Visas:
Malaysians don’t need a visa to visit Vietnam but many other nationalities do. Check with the Vietnamese Embassy (03.2148 4036) or apply online (www.myvietnamvisa.com). A single-entry visa costs US$45.
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This article was written by David Bowden for The Expat magazine.
Source: The Expat December 2012
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