Eating in ho chi minh

If you have been to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s fastest-developing rising star, you may think life doesn’t have to be dull, ever.

things to do in ho chi minh

The country has become a spirited, pulsating destination in recent years. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city with the estimated population of 9 million, can be the best example. Saigon, the formerly name of the city, is changing at a speed exceeding that of the city’s most reckless motorcycle taxi drivers.

Urban regeneration projects, visually stunning new bridges, high-end real estate, business towers, office blocks, glitzy shopping malls – you name it, HCMC has it and promisingly get more.

While old-timers sometimes mourn about the fast-paced and major progress, once you are in the thick of it, life is never slow.

Actually, the allure of HCMC comes from its limitless vitality.

Here are some Best of Ho Chi Minh City – Dinning.

mausoleum ho chi minh

Pizza 4P’s
The best authentic Neapolitan pizzas in HCMC is traced back to a Japanese chef.

temple of literature Hanoi

The restaurant’s atmosphere gives a pleasing first impression but the pizzas’ quality is what lingers longest in the memory.

The toppings vary from classic Italian numbers such as Quattro formagio and margarita to Japanese fusion creations like marinated beef and teriyaki. They are judiciously combined and bolstered by the application of creamy freshly made mozzarella. All laid on perfectly textured chewy yet crispy bases.

The restaurant offers a good selection of beers and comprehensive wine list which complete the recipe for an decent evening out.

Address 8/15 Le Thanh Ton Street District1, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Tel +84 120 789 4444
Quan Ut Ut
The country’s most loved dishes are bun cha ( grilled pork meatballs served with vermicelli noodles) and thi kho (caramelized pork). Those porcine-centered creations portray a strong Vietnam’s culinary love affair with the pig that was established forever ago.

Considered a humble barbecue joint by foreigners, Quan Ut Ut is the one of the hottest tables in HCMC, whose name translates as “Restaurant Oink Oink”.

The restaurant daily witnesses one-hour queue patiently wait to fill up on the palatable barbecued pork, which in the words of the owners is “get their ut ut on”, while sipping on imported or local beers. That’s due to Quan Ut Ut’s unique rule of not accepting bookings and the main attraction of Quan Ut Ut — great grilled meat on charcoal brazer.

Address 168 Vo Van Kiet Phuong Cau Ong Lanh, Q.1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Tel +84 839 144 500
Monsoon
Monsoon feels like a high-end venue with its immaculate interior design and airy setting. Yet the restaurant sticks to the ideal of great food at low prices, typical to the Asian street dining.

This is one of rare places where eaters can mix and match a feast boasting Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Thai dishes.

The banquet from across Southeast Asian often stars top picks like a gorgeous take on Khmer fish amok and a Burmese-style sweet pork curry.

Address No.1, Cao Ba Nha, Nguyen Cu Trinh ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 84 Vietnam
Tel +84 8 6290 8899
Cuc Gach Quan
Short-term visitors find the location of Cuc Gach Quan, which is on the outer limits of District 1, a deterrent. According to what have been known about the best Vietnamese food served here, in a serene converted house, it shouldn’t be.

You might be a bit overwhelmed when you lay eyes on the restaurant’s weighty-tome menu.

Homemade tofu is pliant and creamy.

Red rice, which is beautifully texture, and soft shell crab among are what keep gourmets coming back.

Among other things, reasonable prices and extensive wine list make it more imperative to fit in the trip.

Address 10 Dang Tat Ward Tan Dinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Tel +84 8 3848 0144
Banh Xeo 46A
The most addictive treats in Vietnamese cuisine title may go to Banh Xeo (Sizzling pancake).

Turmeric powder added to rice flour to create the pancakes’ vivid yellow coloring, water and coconut are blended to make the outer coat. Once the batter are poured onto the pan, it is filled with shrimp, bean sprouts and fatty pork. After some ingenious pan flipping, the crisp result  is served alongside aromatic herbs then dipped in dipping sauce, which is fish sauce drawn out by sugar, lemon and water).

Unlike duck fetus or other Vietnamese creations, Banh xeo is no challenge to eaters but one bite can totally wow your tongue.

Address 46A D Dinh Cong Trang District 3, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Tel  +84 8 3827 1372
The experience of the best evening out is still in your memory? Share with us in the comments.

Wanderlust cited Vietnam among best Christmas trips for solo travelers

A journey to discover Vietnam in 15 days at a cost of only GBP595 (about US$902.75) will bring you invaluable experience of the life in Southeast Asia. That’s also one among 8 of best Christmas trips for solo travelers in 2015 recommended by Wanderlust.

dalat Vietnam

For the upcoming Christmas season this year, the famous British travel magazine of Wanderlust has drawn up a list of 8 best Christmas trips across the world for solo travelers, who want to run away from the festive madness and have a big adventure on this Christmas Eve.

mausoleum ho chi minh

According to the site, the best time to start this 15-day trip is on Dec 17. From hectic Sai gon to historic Hanoi, you will have the chance to see how the local residents live by an overnight homestay in the Mekong Delta region, then get on the queen beaches in Nha Trang, and immerse yourself in the culture and history of Hoi An and Hue. After that, let’s cruise Halong Bay’s emerald waters by boat, snorkel off picture-perfect beaches and finally, go for a snoop through any of famous markets in Hanoi. Pagodas, gorgeous beaches, fishing villages, and superb street foods are awaiting you to explore.

That’s a full-trip along the coast of Vietnam taking the travelers to all top spots of the country with a bunch of adventurous experiences – one of the 8 best trips for solo travelers on the eve of Christmas this year suggested by Wanderlust.

Here is the list of 8 best Christmas trips for solo travelers in 2015 from Wanderlust:

visit Hanoi

-Vietnam in a banana leaf, homestay on the Mekong – Vietnam
-A whistle-stop tour of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala
-Encounter Pandas in China
-Lima to Rio de Janeiro – A BIG adventure in South America
-Sailing experience – Sail Burma’s untouched coast
-Marrakech Express – Immense yourself in Morocco
-Walk around Cuba
-Kigali to Arusha Safari – Animal encounters in East Africa

Travel Vietnam with Souvenirs

Travelers always want to bring home some souvenirs that remind them of their journey. However, they often get into trouble of deciding what to buy. Here is a special list of products that you should buy as souvenirs when you travel to Vietnam.

Silk
Silk used to be a luxurious and notable material. It signified social status since it was only worn by Vietnamese royalty. It is now an affordable product.

The silkworms after feeding on mulberry leaves will attach themselves to the mulberry tree then spin cocoons. Silk is woven from that cocoons. Silk products of Vietnam are famous for its brilliance, skilful technique, and its color.

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Van Phuc Silk Village is the best place to buy silk products. It’s the cradle of Vietnam’s silk


Conical hats

Non la or conical hat is circular cone made of bamboo and young palm leaves, notable for its romantic adornment. It is an indispensable tool for Vietnamese people of all age. It is rain and sun protector.

Non la is a typical cultural symbol in Vietnam.

Depending on the quality, the price may range from 30,000 – 100,000 VND at souvenir shops.

dalat Vietnam

Ao Dai
Ao Dai is the traditional dress of Vietnamese women. It’s a great work of art signifying women’s elegant beauty. Ao dai has changed with many innovations through the impacts of time. It current form is a tight-fitted long silk tunic worn over long pants.

If you want to get an ao dai, you will need to pick the fabric first then bring it to a tailor. It may take about a week until you can get the product.

An ao dai may cost about 700,000 – 1,500,000 VND

Reasons to visit Vietnam
“Ao dai” – Vietnam’s traditional costume
Ceramic products
You can easily find various kinds of ceramic products in Vietnam such as vases, plates, cups, bows, etc. They are hand-crafted by experienced Vietnamese people.

Bamboo and wooden products
These products are hand woven and available in Vietnam with a large variety of colors.  They are eco-friendly in nature.

mausoleum ho chi minh

vietnam souvenirs
Bamboo dragonfly
wooden clogs
“Guoc moc” – Wooden clogs – typical kind of footwear in Vietnam
Embroidered paintings
Hand embroidery is a 700-year-old tradition in Vietnam. It’s made from the patience and skill of the artisans sewing, tinting tiny threads then create a graceful work. Theme can be varied. It can be picturesque natural scenes or it can be life scenes or portraits.

A small hand embroidered product may cost about 500,000 VND. The bigger ones may cost 2,000,000 VND.

Spring – Summer – Autumn – Winter
Silk paintings
Silk paintings are a unique art of Vietnam. Silk paintings have elegant beauty due to its rustic and poetic themes including the countryside, pagodas, and scenes of daily life.

You can easily find them in many gift shops or find art galleries in Hanoi and Saigon city. Price may range from $5 – $50/piece.

Top Things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam

Visit Hanoi is located in the Red River Delta, in the center of North Vietnam things to do in Hanoi is a useful suggestion for you when traveling Hanoi.

Hoan Kiem Lake
Turtle Tower in the middle of the Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake is considered one of the first things to see when one arrives in Hanoi. It is the well-known lake in the cultural and historical center of the Vietnam capital. The water in Hoan Kiem Lake is fresh and green all year round so it used to be called Luc Thuy Lake. In the 15th century, it was renamed Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) or Guom Lake, which is associated with the legend of Emperor Le Thai To returning the spirit sword for the Golden Turtle.

The Lake has the area of 12 hectares. Surrounding the lake is Le Thai To street, Dinh Tien Hoang street, and Hang Khay. Referring to Hoan Kiem Lake, we can’t help mentioning to Turtle Tower, The Huc Bridge, Ngoc Son Temple, But Tower (Pen Tower), which are the relic, famous sights and the pride of Hanoi and people around Vietnam. The Turtle Tower lies in the middle of the Lake as to remind the Vietnamese of the spirit sword’s legend and the Golden Turtle’s great assistance.

Beautiful girls take some photos on The Huc Bridge
Wandering around the lake, you will have an opportunity to see many vendors, small shops, and people walking and running. It gives you a different perspective on life in Hanoi and also a get-away from the hustle and bustle in the rest of Hoan Kiem district.

There are many types of flowers and plants around the lake, which make the lake green and beautiful all year round. It’s so romantic and cool when walking around the lake or sitting on stone benches to relax and enjoy the colorful natural picture of Hanoi. Most likely, those are unforgettable moments of each visitor in Hanoi.
Moving on to Trang Tien plaza, there is the heaven of many kinds of famous ice creams for you to choose.

Old Quarter
A corner of Hang Chieu, Old Quater, Hanoi
Inside a modern and dynamic city, there appears an antique quarter called Hanoi Old Quarter or Hanoi’s 36 districts. It is considered the soul of Hanoi and the top special historical vestige and sightseeing place of the capital.

Located between Hoan Kiem Lake and Long Bien Bridge, the Old Quarter consists of 36 old streets. Each street specializes in a particular trade and carries the name of the products sold there. For example, Pho Hang Bun sells Bun (Vermicelli), Pho Hang Ma sells products from paper (the street of Paper Products), and so on. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although some of them no longer sell the products carrying its name.

The Old Quarter brings the unique classical beauty of Hanoi, which is the inspiration for numerous writers, poets, and painters. For travelers, that is also one of the desired tourist destinations in Hanoi.

It’s an interesting experiences when walking street to street and enjoying the locals’ daily life, the old-style narrow streets and houses, the colorful souvenir shops, and of course trying some of the most tasty traditional foods of Hanoi.

Temple of Literature
Dai Trung gate of Temple of Literature, Hanoi
It takes about 10 minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake to the Temple of Literature. It was constructed in 1070 under Ly Thanh Tong’s dynasty to honor Confucius. In 1076, King Ly Nhan Tong continued the work and built Quoc Tu Giam as the first university of Vietnam.

The temple is divided into five courtyards. Each has its own significance and history. The first courtyard stretches from the main gate to Dai Trung gate; the second stands out with Khue Van Cac pavilion. The third courtyard is where doctor names were listed on a tombstone above tortoise backs. There is a total of 82 tombstones, with names and origins of 1307 doctors, corresponding to 82 examination courses from 1442 to 1779. Each year, when many important examinations take place, a lot of students come and rub the tortoise head, which is believed to bring them luck for the tests.

things to do in ho chi minh

Doctor names were listed on a tombstone above tortoise backs
The fourth courtyard is dedicated for Confucius and his 72 honored students, as well as a famous teacher-Chu Van An. The last and also furthest courtyard is Thai Hoc house, which used to be Quoc Tu Giam- the first university of Vietnam. Thai Hoc house has a small collection of old costumes for students and mandarins, as well as explaining the process of taking and passing the national examination.

Temple of literature has one of the most typical architecture styles for centuries in Vietnam, composed of wood and tiles. Along the entrance, there are a lot of hundred-year-old trees that have witnessed ups and downs of history.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in the center of Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi
In the center of Ba Dinh Square, where the great leader Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, standing a Mausoleum named Ho Chi Minh.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is where visitors can express their admiration and gratitude towards the father of the Vietnamese who has led the country to independence and reunification. His embalmed body is preserved in the cooled, central hall of the mausoleum, which is protected by a military honor guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim light. The mausoleum has two platforms with seven steps for parade viewing. The gardens surrounding the mausoleum have nearly 250 different species of plants and flowers, all from different regions of Vietnam.

When getting here, visitors must be silent and walk in two lines. There are no shorts, no tank tops, no drinking, no smoking, no hands in pockets and no photography here.

One Pillar Pagoda
Behind of One Pilar Temple
The One Pillar Pagoda (formally Dien Huu Tu, which literally means “long-lasting happiness and good luck”) is a historic Buddhist temple in Hanoi. It is located in the western part of the city, near Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ong Ich Khiem Street, Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
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According to legend, Emperor Ly Thai Tong had no children. One night, he dreamt meeting Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who was seated on a great lotus flower in a square-shaped lotus pond on the western side of Thang Long Citadel, gave him a baby son. Months later, when the Queen gave birth to a male child, the Emperor ordered the construction of a pagoda supported by only one pillar 1.25 m in diameter resembling the lotus seat in his dream. This unique shape of the temple together with the special story has attracted a lot of international tourists.

Visitors must be wear full-length clothes as you visit the One-Pillar Pagoda as well as other pagodas in the nation.

“Danh du” or Bamboo Swing

Đánh đu (Bamboo swing) is one of the popular traditional games in Vietnam’s Northern Delta in spring. It involves two people standing on the wooden platform and swinging as high as possible.

Bamboo swing came into existence in Vietnam long time ago in the Ly Dynasty. It’s often held during spring festivals.

Preparation

Swing is often built on a dry and large space so that spectators can stand around four sides.
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It consists of frames, handles, and platforms. The frame is made of solid bamboo. The handles which are also made of bamboo need to be straight, wide enough for a person’s palm, and no knot. The platforms need to be close enough to the ground so that players can easily jump on.

They also need to pick the right bamboo to ensure safety. While young bamboo is weak, old bamboo tends to break.

Rules

Two kinds of bamboo swing are single and couple swing. In couple swing, two people will stand on the swing platform, face to face. They will press their feet against platform then bend their knees. Then the swing will gradually move like a pendulum.
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The two players need to swing as high as possible. When they reach the highest point, one needs to stretch a hand to snatch the prize. This requires both players to be clever, and calm. They will lose if they drop the prize.oy of Vietnamese children
vietnam things to do

Traditional toy of Vietnamese children - Tò he

Tò he or Toy figurine, a traditional toy for Vietnamese children, is made from glutinous rice powder in shape of edible figurine such as heroes, flowers, animals, etc, 

HistoryThe origin of this traditional toy dated back to the 17th century. When there were not comics or illustrated books, tò he came out to depict characters in folk stories, heroes, animals, flowers, etc. Children were really interested in this tò he. They gathered around stall of to he, watched the heroes in elaborate costumes made by skillful hands of craftsmen and imagined the whole vivid world of fairies and heroes.

temple of literature hanoi

traditional toy

It was first made and sold on some typical occasions such as Tet and Mid-Autumn Festival. You can catch sights of to he in many public places and festivals now.

Xuan La Village in Phu Xuyen District,  visit Hanoi city is famous for its skill in making tò he. One interesting fact is that Tò he craftsman doesn’t pass his secret of making to he to his daughter but to his son.

mausoleum ho chi minh

MakingTo he craftsmen have a set of tools so that they can move to several common places in one day. They are a tray of glutinous rice powder in different colors, a bunch of sticks, a small comb, and a spongy box to display their products.

The preparation of the dough is the recipe for success in to he making. Rice after being grinded into fine powder will be mixed with water until it becomes a sticky lump. That lump will be put in a pot of water and boil for an hour until it is removed from the pot. The craftsman then dyes with seven different colors including green, red, yellow, white, black, red, and purple. These colors are made from edible and natural ingredients.

traditional toy

Nowadays, they no longer imbue the dough with natural colors but food colorings since they are more fresh and bolder.

The artisans have such an amazing ability to mould these lumps become a beautiful work of art. They use exactly the amount of paste to form separate parts of a toy.

Just place your own orders, watch the craftsman make the toy and get beautiful tò he in minutes.

Chao long - Dish Vietnam

First word to describe Vietnamese cuisine? The world would say ‘delicate’.  And the second word should be economical. Nothing goes to waste once it lands in a Vietnamese kitchen. From meat to bone to guts and blood, each and every part of an animal is put to good cooking use. Piggy odds and ends that most butchers would toss into trashcan are turned into soothing and hearty rice porridge in the very  visit ha noi dish — ‘Cháo lòng’.

In Saigon ( vietnam things to do ), Cháo lòng is served from morning until evening, by street vendors. They are easy to spot by their distinctive giant metal vats and piles of offal contained in glass display cases. Once sitting down on a plastic stool, you will be swiftly dished up with a bowl of Chao long, which is satisfactorily hot. The offering is rather easy on the pocket at around half of one dollar a bowl. Some cut golden fried dough deepened into the smoky bowl makes the perfect topping. This is not exaggerating to say the slices of fried dough are one of the biggest stars in a bowl of chao long. Once incorporated into the steaming porridge, they behave like little sponge softening and soaking up the tangy porridge. You will like them so much that you don’t think you can go on finishing the great chao long without asking for more of that crispy dough.See more dishs of Vietnam: old quarter hanoi 

The base of chao long is well-cooked rice in flavorful broth, thrown in cubes of congealed blood. When customers order, the porridge and tiết (congealed blood) are ladled into a bowl, pouring down on chunks of tubular innards, various forcemeats and slices of liver sitting in the bottom. Fresh ground pepper and scallions are sprinkled at last. A careful eater who wants to bring out the full taste of chao long will add fresh bean sprouts, fish sauce, ginger and a squeeze of lime, all of which are available tableside.

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There is a majority of westerners distasting offal in spite of it mild and surprisingly palatable taste. Some people find the consistency quite a turn off while others think that chewiness is subtle and fun.

You are not going to see an aesthetical presentation when it comes to chao long. But you can absolutely rely on it to bring you the warmth in stomach on a chilling winter day.

Where to try 141 Trung Liệt – Đống Đa. One bowl of chao long here set you back about 35.000 vnd.
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