As you’ll know if you read last week’s post, Jordan and I headed to Ho Chi Minh City for the weekend with two missions: explore the city and renew our Cambodian visa. I’d like to think we accomplished both pretty well, though the latter was a bit touch and go [find out why here].
We caught an overnight bus from Siem Reap, where we live, to Phnom Penh, then switched buses and crossed the border into Vietnam. When we first arrived, I was shocked by how huge Ho Chi Minh City was. We arrived at the outskirts of town, and then it took another hour and a half to reach our bus station in the center. Granted, it probably would have been a bit quicker if we were traveling by motorbike, but still — that’s a long time to cross half a city. It was such a change from quiet little Siem Reap, but a refreshing one because I do love a city.
We couldn’t go completely full-out exploring the whole city because Jordan still had to work a bit, but full disclosure: it was kind of nice not feeling the pressure to be out in the Vietnamese heat all day every single day. Sometimes slow travel means accepting that you can’t see everything, and that’s okay.
Day 1: Street Food Tour
We got to HCMC around midday, and decided to relax for a few hours. By the evening, we were rested and showered and ready for our food tour.
I really like food, so I recently decided to prioritize taking cooking classes or food tours whenever I enter a new food region. I want to learn as much as I can and find out what I like. I figured a street food tour at the very beginning of the trip would open our eyes to the types of food available in southern Vietnam, help us figure out what we still wanted to try during our stay, and introduce us to dishes we might not have discovered on our own.
Another reason I really like food tours is that sometimes I see a dish but I’m too scared to try it because I have no idea the proper way to eat it. But this food tour taught me how to eat things properly, like how to add the herbs, which sauces to use and how to balance flavors. So when I went to get street food later in our trip, I didn’t look like a total fool. Because not all the dishes you eat are self-explanatory.
I picked the tour that had the most dishes to try out of all the ones I found online. And honestly? It exceeded my expectations.
We tried so much good food. We were introduced to local snacks I’d never heard of. Here are some standout dishes from the food tour.
Bún cá (fish noodle soup) — my absolute favorite, which shocked me because I usually don’t like fishy food. The broth was sweet, herby, and light, made even better by pickled onions.
Bánh mì — the classic Vietnamese baguette sandwich. Ours came from Bánh Mì 24 in District 10, often considered one of the best in the city. Crispy on the outside, soft inside, stuffed with pickled vegetables, herbs, pâté, and meat.
Bánh bao ngọt (sweet fried bao buns) — warm, golden, filled with creamy custard and sprinkled with sesame seeds. 10/10 sweet treat.
Day 2: Chợ Lớn
Breakfast
We started off day two the right way, with a steaming bowl of phở for breakfast! Believe it or not, it was my first-ever pho, and it lived up to the hype. I think I would’ve liked it even more with some of those pickled onions from the bún cá, but it was still incredible. I really appreciate the food of Vietnam being so flavorful, while relying mainly on fresh herbs to carry that flavor. The mint, cilantro and basil really made my trip, making every bite of food feel so fresh.
Our favorite spot for phở, Phở Miến Gà Kỳ Đồng in District 3, has actually been in the Michelin Guide for three years running. If you’re hunting for an unforgettable bowl of phở, that’s the one.
Walking tour of Chợ Lớn
One of Jordan’s and my favorite parts of Bangkok was Chinatown, so we wanted to see Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown too. Chợ Lớn (which literally means “big market”) is the city’s Chinatown, and it’s an entirely different vibe from the more touristy District 1. It’s also an entirely different vibe than Bangkok’s Chinatown.
It’s less outright and loud in being a Chinatown. Less big signs on the streets announcing it, instead the smaller Chinese blessings stand over every apartment door. If you weren’t looking out for it (and if you can’t tell the difference between Cantonese and Vietnamese) you may not even be able to tell the difference, between Ho Chi Minh’s oldest neighborhood and the rest of the city.
We did a guided walking tour, wandering through narrow streets packed with shops selling everything from traditional Chinese medicine to wedding decorations and dragon heads for celebrations. We visited a few temples—ornate, incense-filled spaces that felt worlds away from the busy streets outside. We also explored some old apartment blocks that gave us a glimpse into everyday life in the neighborhood.
Day 3: District 3
I always say the best way to explore a city is on foot, so that’s exactly what we did. I mapped a loose walking route, but we allowed space for distractions like markets, coffee shops, street snacks, and whatever else caught our eye.
Tân Định Church (Pink Church)
Our first stop was the Tân Định Church, better known as the Pink Church. Which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A giant bright pink Catholic church in the middle of the city.
It was awesome. Pink is my favorite color, so needless to say I loved it. It was also very fun to photograph because it was so different than anything I had seen before. Seeing the church also made me notice just how colorful the rest of Ho Chi Minh City is; pink, yellow, green, orange buildings everywhere that give the city a personality.
Jade Emperor Pagoda
Next, we visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist temple that felt like an oasis in the middle of a giant city. It really felt like you’d stepped away from the hustle and bustle into a zen garden.
The temple was peaceful, beautifully decorated, and filled with the scent of incense. If you listened carefully, you could hear the cars and the city happening less than ten meters away. But you weren’t listening for it because it felt out of place. Somehow, you feel totally removed from the city, despite being able to see the high-rises right next to you.
War Remnants Museum
And lastly, we caught a bus to the war remnants museum. I’m not usually one to get super emotional in museums, but I’ll be honest this one got to me. I even had to step out of a room to catch my breath.
The atrocities committed by the United States in Vietnam shocked me. I had no idea about the extent of it. I had no clue that the United Nations actually called it a genocide. I think it hit me especially hard because of another genocide being played out before our eyes right now.
It’s a highly recommended museum, and even though it wasn’t easy, I do think it’s an important visit to fully understand what the country and its people experienced in the not-so-distant past. You can’t truly appreciate Vietnam without understanding this part of its history.
Day 4: District 1
Another day spent walking, today was our last day in Ho Chi Minh City, so I really wanted to make sure we soaked in as much of the city as we could, so even though we stayed only in district 1, we clocked about 6 miles.
Nguyễn Huệ Walking Street
One of the city’s most iconic streets, stretching from the statue of Hồ Chí Minh himself all the way down to the riverfront, and there are some really cool buildings along it: the opera house, an iconic coffee building, an old apartment building that’s been converted into a bunch of trendy cafes, a beautiful colonial-era city government office.
We walked down it in the heat and the hot sun of midday, so there wasn’t too much happening except a few other brave tourists willing to walk in the sun.
Japantown and Book Street
We also wandered through Japan town, and ended up getting a Japanese cheesecake, before taking the short walk to book street, lined with book stalls and cafes.
Saigon Central Post Office
We ended our sightseeing at the Saigon Central Post Office, a stunning French colonial building designed by Gustave Eiffel (yeah, the same). It’s still a functioning post office, and it’s also a popular tourist attraction because of its beautiful architecture. Because its so popular with tourists, there’s also a bunch of places to buy post cards inside, and a popular activity is to send the postcards.
I decided to send a few post cards out to some loved sones on the other side of the world. I know postcards used to be a common way of communicating while traveling, but since I can literally call my parents at any time anywhere in the world, it felt extra special to be able to send them a physical postcard from Vietnam.
Flower Market Street Food
After our street food tour on the first night, we knew we needed to head back one more time to satiate our cravings before we headed back to Cambodia, so we did exactly that!
In between some of Jordan’s classes, we headed back to flower street which houses the famous street food market. We got some of the classics that we knew we liked from the food tour, but we also mixed in some new goodies. I started out with dessert and got a grilled banana and rice cake that was smoked inside of a banana leaf, all covered with custard. We got some grilled meats, some Vietnamese fried pancakes, a Vietnamese rice paper pizza, some fried sweet potato balls. I’d say a pretty successful and healthy dinner!
Although I had so much fun in Ho Chi Minh City, I was excited to get back home to Siem Reap—back to my routine that I’ve come to really enjoy, back to my apartment and the Old Market and my daily rhythms.
But I can’t wait to come back to Vietnam in the future. There’s still so much I didn’t get to see. We didn’t make it to the Mekong Delta. We didn’t spend enough time exploring the café culture. We barely scratched the surface of the food scene.
And the coffee. My fellow coffee snobs, Vietnamese coffee is incredible. The strong, dark espresso mixed with sweetened condensed milk over ice—it’s the perfect combination, and I’m so sad that I can’t get it this good anywhere else. I love coffee, and not to be dramatic, but Vietnamese coffee reminded me why I love coffee. I will be back to Vietnam, if for no other reason than to drink the coffee again!
Thanks for reading!
xx abby
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I miss vietnamese coffee so much. Sounds like a great weekend! It's such a wild city. We did a motorbike tour and it was exhilarating.
Hopefully going to Vietnam next year and this is making me so excited!