
HO CHI MINH CITY
Ho Chi Minh City, also called Saigon, is the place where I spent most of my time in Vietnam so far. I know the city very well already and I have plenty of recommendations for good coffee and food for you . Make the most of your days here with my Saigon recommendations!
What to do
Ho Chi Minh City is huge! So where to stay when you just have a few days here?
I recommend you to stay in District 1 as most of the famous sights are found here.
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If you have some more time, go to modern District 2 with Southeast Asia's second highest building (Landmark81), District 3 with Turtle Lake, the pink Church (Tan Dinh Church) and Tan Dinh Market, District 5 with some Chinese influences seen in Ba Thien Hau Temple and Ten Thousand Buddha Temple and District 10 with Flower Market and Ho Thi Ky Nightmarket to see the local life bustling around this area.
Museum of Traditional Vietnamese
Medicine
I studied pharmacy so I'm very interested in herbal medicine. I went to the museum once but I want to go back soon as it's so interesting!
First, you watch a short movie for introduction and then you start on the 4th floor to discover the exhibitions. I loved every floor, especially the 5th floor because the house is so beautiful. You can learn about plants, practice and theories of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine. In the ground floor, they also have a little shop where you can buy tea and other products to support your health.
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My favorite streetfoods
& restaurants
Food is sold everywhere in the city - you won't be hungry here! Here are the most famous dishes that you should try.
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Pho: probably the most famous soup in Vietnam that you can eat all day long (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
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Hu Tieu: Breakfast Soup with meat and seafood
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Bun Thit Nuong: Cold Rice Vermicelli salad with grilled meat and herbs
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Com Tam: typical street food in Saigon made of broken rice and grilled meat
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Banh Mi: famous Vietnamese sandwich filled with meat or tofu, vegetables and spicy sauce
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Banh Xeo: thin tumeric-rice pancake filled with meat, seafood or vegetables, eaten with a variety of herbs
My favorite coffeeshops
Coffeeshops are not just for coffee, they are part of Vietnamese culture. You can see people drinking coffee everywhere and at any time. Most of them are light up at night which makes them even more beautiful. Apart from delicious coffee you can also get tea, soda and smoothies here. Some places also offer food.
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My list of Favorite Coffeeshops is a recommendation for you from my own experiences here. It is not for advertisement and I don't get paid for mentioning these places.
The first place that I recommend is a very special one for me as I got my first Coconut Coffee there.
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Please klick on the photos to get the locations on Google Maps.
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