My Time in Vietnam: Saigon Chaos, Beach Escapes & a Touch of Hanoi

Ferry from central Saigon takes an hour or two. Front and Back Beach are grand for a dip. The Tu Nhien seafood places on the front are best avoided (hair in the food and zero concern from staff). Still, the change of scenery is welcome when Saigon starts frying your brain.

Practical stuff

Tartine Saigon – Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Q1 (4/5)

25-27 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Lashing down with rain and with no umbrella or hood jumped in here, very welcoming and friendly staff, had two beers……..very cozy place. ….nice.

MZ Club – Live Music (2/5)

• 56 Bùi Thị Xuân, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 71009, Vietnam

An upmarket version of what is going on in Bùi Viện with better music and an older clientele…

Negative marks for getting hassled to buy beer every twenty minutes by a giddy waiter…… and also the big mark up for a simple can of beer.

Looks like they have a sit down charge.

Interesting for people watching and seeing the ladies do their stuff……music fine….

Breeze Rooftop Bar (4/5)

• 2 Trương Công Định, Phường 2, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 78000, Vietnam

Just went through hotel to lift and get to the top floor for the views of Vung Tau…… which are well worth having a look.

Need to enter the bar area and climb some stairs……to get the views of the town and beach. Views are great…..

Otherwise no one to take an order for a beer or some food…………so quickly up, had a gander, then back down to street level…..

Cà phê Ông già (1/5)

• 8 Hoàng Diệu, Phường, Vũng Tàu, Hồ Chí Minh 790000, Vietnam

Bit annoyed with the staff telling me and my friend where we can and cant sit……like come on….customer is king, right?

That and the fact the very young staff look like something out of dawn of the dead…….airheads….I know they might lack some personality but cracking a smile might not kill them? Or maybe?

Drank as fast as I could, and left the dump

Cask Bar (3/5)

• Front Beach, 12 Quang Trung, Phường 1, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, Vietnam

Beers were great, had an ale and a strong Belgian dark IPA, the Belgian was pretty strong. But the bar was dead, no one in and for a Saturday night, this was pretty disappointing……..

Sat out at balcony, enjoyed the beers, but with no atmosphere left……

VFB Restaurant & Bar (3/5)

• 11 Trương Vĩnh Ký, Phường 1, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 70000, Vietnam

Nice enough place to sit down and have a cool cider…………relaxing….as the sun goes down.

Tiệm bia NHÀ VĂN HÓA (3/5)

• Chung cư The Park Residence, 12 Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, Phước Kiển, Nhà Bè, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Bit of a hit and miss

Hit: the beers are fantastic, from the pales ales to the black, very good, Hats off

Also stays open very late at the weekend, which is a bonus when one is a night owl.

Miss: the food is rank, absolute muck…….had a few dishes here, tastes like microwave food and with little care.

Also the staff, although on the whole are very friendly, are very young, which can lead to some general silliness — missed orders, misunderstandings, etc…..

Friendly but childish. As I said Hit and miss.

PLACES TO EAT 

Xưởng Bia Restaurant – 01 Lê Quý Đôn (5/5)

• 1 Lê Quý Đôn, Bình Thọ, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Had their signature beers, Cong Xuong One and Two, The Jasmine IPA and the Imperial Stout. The beers were great, very tasty, loved them. I was sad to see the Stout was a Heart of Darkness stout, That company refused entry to some Vietnamese people into their establishment during Covid so this leaves a bitter taste for sure in my mouth and hence will refuse to give them the time of day ever since. Not exactly in the spirit of Conrad! So fuck them. ok rant over!

The dish we ordered was beef with gravy, and a baked potato and some veg. It was great, the beef was delicious and the gravy was to die for…….lovely presentation and well cooked. Hats off to the chef.

Nice atmosphere and a lot of space Staff were very friendly and efficient.

The menu looked great, a good mix of Vietnamese and Western dishes, and the beer list looks enticing.

The price as far as I can remember was affordable too.

If I’m around again in the future, I WILL be back!

Strongly recommended!

Quán ăn Thành Đạt (5/5)

• 125 Linh Trung, Phường Linh Trung, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

For lunch, nice quiet place, service was friendly and fast, ordered a hot pot, veg and chicken…………full chicken too…….lovely and tasty………loved it…………recommended

CHEONGDAM BBQ & SUSHI (4/5)

• 6 Đ. Số 11, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Didn’t have anything myself as wasn’t too hungry but was accompanying my friend and I was buying!

My friend was more than happy with the food on offer, and it certainly looked good if you like Korean food.

I had two beers.

The bill was about 15 Euros, very good price, excellent really.

Quán Vỹ Dạ (1/5)

• 62 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Horrible place with nasty people.

First came here while waiting for friend to arrive. Refused service…..no reason. Ok, your loss…..

Second time around, my friend brought me here……….I was groaning…well ok……second time round might be better……….but no was worse…..

Sat down, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. No waiter would serve us even though we made eye contact and our presence was noted. It was so funny that many people around us found it very humorous…..which it was…..but you know after a while we were actually hungry for something to eat…. and ended up leaving in a huff….

Obviously have some problem with foreign types……pathetic.

Mr. Pie bakery (1/5)

• 63 Nguyễn Cừ, Thảo Điền, Quận Hai, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Was curious, pies and lots of them for sale, in HCMC? Yes why not……

Not a sit down place, more like a bakery that are set up to sell to cafes etc…….but they do allow people to visit and try out some of their pies, and sit down and eat it on the premises.

Went for the chicken curry, and the pho pie, while my friend got the mushroom steak…… coming to about 4 euros.

I have to be honest the pies were not great…….bit boring, and not a whole lot of taste in them.

Both of us were disappointed….

Its a novelty but in the end it was not worth the trip out here.

Lẩu gà ớt hiểm (1/5)

• 188 Đ. Hoàng Diệu 2, Linh Chiểu, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Had fried chicken and chicken in a hot pot with some veg……with some accompanying dishes, washed down with beer.

The chicken to be frank was awful, badly cut and tasted cheap…..could have diced it better and there was a lot of bones and fat on the meat……plus with no knife and fork its hard to eat such meat….. resulting in a lot of wastage. Its the kind of food you’d feed the dog with.

The place was completely empty when we entered, despite it a Saturday night and everywhere else packed to the rafters – which is a big warning in itself……. it did have a few more customers after, perhaps we drew them in!

Service fine , friendly and efficient and the bill wasn’t bad considering the portion size, of about 29 Euros, but we didn’t enjoy the food or the experience.

Bad food in an empty restaurant.

TAN VINH PHAT FOOD MANUFACTURING AND TRADING CO., LTD (1/5)  

• 31/6B, XTT – 49/22 Ấp 16, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

At Ho Chi Minh baguette festival, unfortunately for me and my friend we decided to go immediately to the big queue for the Bánh mì that was on sale at the TVP stall. I say unfortunately, as the lines were very badly organized, shockingly bad. A big queue for the small window looking for the big Bánh mì and a very small queue at the big window with lots of space for the small bread……. absolute joke and caused huge queues in this side of the hall. Unnecessary.

And then when we did eventually get to the top of the queue, after 40 minutes or so, my friend ordered a small bread with our Bánh mì , but changed her mind, but was forced to buy it…….bullying in essence.

And after all that the bloody food wasn’t even that good…..typical we should have breathed, waited and went to some of the smaller stalls that probably had better Bánh mì on offer.

Joke shop.

Den Long – Home Cooked Vietnamese Restaurant (5/5)

• 130 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Has good reviews online so ventured in with a friend, albeit it took us a bit of time to find it on the street, having walked past it twice. Small frontage and looks like a clothes shop rather than a restaurant or at least that is what we thought at the time, ha!

Busy inside which for the middle of the week, in what was a wet cold, dark and miserable night, was a good feat, although full of foreigners, but don’t let that put you off!! lovely decor inside, very well designed…… we went for a few dishes from the menu which had photos and explanations in English, which was handy.

I went for the beef rolls, the soft shell crab, and salted crunchy tofu, washed down with a few craft beers, while my friend got a pomelo salad dish, but we shared from both dishes…..

The food was very well presented, and overall nice and tasty, and filling, which is important….

I think the “Home Cooked” shtick to this restaurant is what brings people in, but to be honest any of this food can be bought right off any sidestreet joint…….but what I think you are paying here is for presentation and for the nice ambiance of the restaurant…..

The service was very good, friendly and efficient, and the stay here for an hour or two was enjoyable. And good value too, the bill coming to about 35 Euros, mostly padded by my beers!!!

Good food in a friendly setting….. Might return!

Kem mềm Nhật Bản JAPAN SOFT CREAM (1/5)

• Central Market, 4 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Came with friend, excited to eat some ice cream…….ordered two….

I got a mix of chocolate and plain…………..but we left disappointed.

Nothing special, something like you would get in a supermarket, cheap branded fare…..

Cheap, but nothing special here.

Pizza 4P’s The Emporium (3/5)

• The Emporium Building, Phu Tho Ward, 184 Lê Đại Hành, Phường 15, Quận 11, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

I love Pizzas so why not. Ordered a simple Margherita to be washed down with an interesting stout..

Nice enough venue, busy, and menu has photos and is in English…..

Food served fast and efficient…..

Pizza was fine, stout was a bit bitter as stouts can be. Ok.

Lot of young hip Vietnamese here, trying oh so hard to look cool and interesting…….. Maybe its that kind of place……I mean I am drinking “beer for peace”, don’t you know! And eating for mother earth, according to their blurb on the menu…….give me head a rest, ha…….pretentious gobbledygook. That alone drops a few stars, lol……

Food and beer about 10 Euros….

HỦ TIẾU WE (WE FOOD) – HỦ TIẾU NAM VANG (2/5)

• 22 Đ. Hoàng Diệu 2, Linh Chiểu, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Rice noodles, with some meat and prawns, not really my cup of tea, and so I wasn’t so enamored with what I had Infront of me. Didn’t taste great to be honest.

I don’t think its a good match to start with anyway noodle’s and prawns….. its kind of taking the pee……..

Busy place, friendly service, decent prices, but not for me. Sorry.

Phuc Loc Rest Stop (5/5)

• QL20, Quang Trung, Thống Nhất, Đồng Nai, Vietnam 

Quick bite of food, nice and easy, busy and popular place so the food is served fast as they are on the go all the time with so many customers coming and going.

Local place with cheap and tasty bites.

Just had some beef and rice, simples but tasted damn good and was very, very cheap…..not much than a few quid…… lovely jubbly.

In and out quick……..good stuff……..don’t serve beer though (how sad) but two thumbs up.

Bún Chả Bà Hương (4/5)

• 43 DN5, Đông Hưng Thuận, Quận 12, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Hard to get somewhere to eat in the middle of the day in this country, as the locals like to go for a midday snooze, lazy gets, ha

Anyway, after a bit of a walk, had a Bun Cha here, wasn’t sure what I was ordering, but I was hungry and it was the only place I could find……

Served with a smile, food was good and filled the belly for a few hours. Mission completed…

Bếp Mẹ Ỉn (2/5)

• 136/9 Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Down a back street, not the easiest place to find. Lovely décor, very nice.

Friendly service, fast and efficient but food was very disappointing….

Me and friend ordered Chicken breast, BBQ Pork, beef skewer, bamboo pork and a few beers. The dishes were not great, some very dry in taste, and the portions were not big, especially for two big lads!

Fact is we were still hungry later on in the night, which is not a good sign at all.

And the price for the food we got was nearly 40 Euros…….no no!

Ngon Restaurant (4/5)

• 160 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Nice enough restaurant with good fresh food. Lovely decor and loads of seating available, very comfortable settings.

Ordered a few dishes…..Vietnamese rice pancake, Fried tofu with salty egg, and some pork spring rolls served with fish sauce……all washed down with beer.

The food was ok, not amazing, but good enough. Certainly tasted very fresh and well cooked. The tofu dish was awful, I am not sure whats the idea with the salty egg, but that is my fault here as I wasn’t aware of the dish. The spring rolls were very good, very tasty.

After the food we decided to have a few cocktails…….which were not great to be honest, too much ice and alcohol….not enough of the mixer….

The service was a tad bit slow too, and they were not overcrowded…..but the best thing was that the price for a big feed and a good bit of alcohol was just less than 30 Euros, thats not bad in anyone’s books.

All in all a pleasurable few hours spent here.

I think the setting makes it really here, good decor and a relaxing ambiance.

Kebab 88 (2/5)

• 19 Trần Ngọc Diện, Thảo Điền, Q.2, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Had the beef kofte baguette and some chips.

Was hungry, starving even, so was looking forward to a nice messy kebab…..except it wasn’t……pretty plain meat, dry, no real sauces to accompany, and the chips were a very small portion.

Nah, not enjoyable at all……..

About a tenner (euro)

LẨU CUA ĐỒNG MAI 1981 THẢO ĐIỀN | QUÁN NHẬU THẢO ĐIỀN | LẨU THẢO ĐIỀN (5/5)

• 67 Đ. Số 47, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Both of us were dead hungry, after a belly full of beer, and not so full after the disappointment of the kebab place, sat down here and ordered as much meat as we could!!!

Friendly service, food was served fast and well delicious, washed down with beer, yes even more beer!

Simple dishes, nothing fancy, but did the business for two hungry souls on a night out on the town.

Thumbs up for good street food.

Oc Tu Nhien 2 (3/5) 

• 34 Trần Phú, Phường 1, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 790000, Vietnam

This is a funny chain, they actually have three restaurants of the same name side by side in a row, and have them listed as 1,2, and 3. I tried the number two version……

Was well busy and that is what attracted us, nothing says a good restaurant as a busy restaurant. Sat down, and was served pretty quickly….. my friend ordered some shell food dishes, and I went for some frog, in an Indian style curry, seemed strange and exotic so why not. I also went for a sea food platter, a stir fry with sea food, with noodles. And also the usual cold beers to wash it all down.

The food came pretty quick, and boy I am happy to say it all tasted pretty good. My friend was happy with her dishes and mine were good too. Except the frog dish could have been diced up a bit better and, as usual, in Asia, no cutlery was provided to cut the meat. I had to use my hands, and with no napkins or side plates/bowls was a bit messy. I think in Asia they expect people to eat off the table? Who knows, but maybe its a cultural thing! Cough!

But the curry was bloody good, and the sea food platter and noddles were top notch…..so all in all, the food was very much a success, and the beers going down very good.

Some negatives……too many mozzies, eating me alive…..now I know that is not the restaurants fault….so, but annoying…..in any case.

And the highlight, lowlight perhaps, a big dirty hair found in my friends dish!!! Mentioned it to the waiter who didn’t seem to give a shit. Kind of ruined the whole thing for me to be honest…..and so for this reason I can only give a 3 rating…..

Disrespect your customers, then you wont find them returning…..FACT.

Ốc Tự Nhiên Vũng Tàu – Ốc Tự Nhiên 3 (2/5)

• 20 Trần Phú, Phường 1, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 78000, Vietnam

Tried number three of the chain of restaurants on the same street. Wonder would it be any better or worse than number two. Answer: Worse

The restaurant wasn’t busy and yet it took forever to get served. The main issue here was too many young staff and not enough leaders to take control…..think of headless chickens. The young manager looked like he had just woken up for the day. It took us a while to get orders in

I went for some grilled octopus with salt and chili, some french fries, and some beer. My friend went with some sea snails and other sea foods that I wouldn’t be very familiar with. Honestly the octopus was over cooked and too hard to digest, the other sea food was bland and the chips were a joke…..no effort there. Not great at all.

We asked for some beers to drown our sorrows, and that took an effort. asked for two………………nothing…………asked again…………nothing………..then as were about to leave the fat lass brought us 8 cans? I mean, what???? ha ha, and then looked in a huff when we said we didnt want anything to drink after waiting so long….

Terrible service…..tut tut…..you always need to have an adult to supervise a young staff, otherwise it can get out of control.

I Love Kem (4/5)

• 23 Thống Nhất, Bình Thọ, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Nice ice cream shop, with friendly staff and a decent selection of ice cream flavours available.

They give you a cup and you can go around filling it up with your own favorite styles and flavours, and also add some chocolate, wafers, nuts and other sugary tit bits……

Nice and enjoyable

Very good value too on the pocket, ours came to about 5 Euros, a bargain!

Phúc Khiêm Noodle Restaurant (2/5)

• 311a Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Just wasn’t tasty enough, very dry. Sorry!

Bún Thịt Nướng Chị Tuyền (4/5)

• 175c Cô Giang, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Hard to review as I made a mistake with the time and arrived at 9, closing time, me bad.

Waited for friend who came much later, so even though we were late the kind owner still fed us as she cleaned up and got ready to close. Very nice of her.

Food was a bit cold, but beggars cant be choosers……

Quán Ăn Cô Liêng (5/5)

• Võ Văn Tần/321 Bàn Cờ, Phường, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Oh man was this place busy! Very busy despite the fact you couldn’t swing a cat in the place, so small it was. We were lucky to get a good table at the back…….

Lots of tourists brought here by some walking group, virtually a new one every ten minutes or so. But this place is authentic, real Vietnamese food cooked simply, small and basic style restaurant with no airs or graces, love it.

Food, although to be honest didn’t look very appetizing, was very tasty. Tried a variety of dishes………grilled beer wrapped in guise leaves (delicious), beef grilled with caul fat (aka sausages? nice), meat wraps…..all the dishes very delicious and interesting to try out.

As for drinks, me the usual beer, while my friend was more adventurous, drinking some pennywort that looked very interesting, and then she tried some sterculia foetida gum, as you do! It was a funny looking concoction, white with small balls of something inside!

Had a good time here, was fun seeing all the tourists coming and going and trying the various dishes……myself included!

Definitely worth a visit. Recommended

Quán Beefsteak Only (3/5)

• 1 Hàn Thuyên, Bình Thọ, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Packed place, was hard to get seating.

Basically cheaply cooked meat served on a small plate with a bit of lettuce or onion…….and a beer to drink.

Comes thick and fast and I went with two different dishes…..beef and egg, and beef and some lettuce and onion, hats off to the chef there. Still though the beef was half decent….and the beers going down nice.

But the place was absolutely filthy, no care given to cleaning the floor or tables…….

Cheap as well, about 11 Euros…..for three (small) meat dishes…..and beers

Lẫu Bò Giáo Toàn (2/5)

• 128 QL1K, Linh Xuân, quận Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Popular place, pretty full and a large place with plenty of space to sit down

Ordered a beef noddle dish and a beer

Food came slow enough

Food was pretty dire, surprisingly taste less, bland, and dish had a lot of fatty lumps that were inedible.  Disappointing.

Autogrill Vfs F&B (5/5)

• 1st Cảng Quốc tế Sân bay, Tân Sơn Nhất, Tân Bình, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Good and early, but tired and a little hungry, stepped in for some breakfast and a cup of tea. was lucky, as it was one of the very few places open so early….

Ordered a bacon sandwich………and a cup of English breakfast tea.

Service was fine, and the order came fast.

Sandwich was delicious, was very tempted to get another, and the tea got a few refills……

Good views of planes taking off…………

Nice start to the day oh yeah: was about 4 euros, very good price.

GUTA CAFE – 69 Võ Văn Tần (4/5)

• 69 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 6, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Beef noodles. Love it…nice and simple with a nice cool drink. great nice atmosphere, people relaxing, plenty of space, and nice breeze coming into the restaurant.

Waiting staff were dead slow though, bit dim.

Ngo Steak (1/5)

• 02 Đ. Đào Trinh Nhất, Linh Tây, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Oh man where do I begin…… Called Mr Bao online, but going as Ngo Steak on the street……bit confusing. Seen the word beef and steak and decided yes they will do for the hungry travellers….

Sat down, décor very nice, good atmosphere in restaurant…..a party was just finishing… Menu very colourful, with pics and information. Ordered a beef steak, a pandan chicken – since it looked good in the photo – some garlic bread (“Garlic bread!”), and a strong bow cider for myself. My friend ordered some beef dish.

Drinks order came and was wrong, wasn’t a Strongbow Cider….red berries fruit drink is not what I ordered…..but anyhow……I let it pass…. The garlic bread and beef steak up next…….. Garlic bread was very dry, and crumbled to bits when eating, no butter or anything to soften it up….and such a small portion….. Beef Steak dish was disappointing, the chips portion was so small that it looked comical…..I cant believe a chef let that out of the kitchen, should be embarrassed……very insulting.. and the beef steak itself was also small in the portion……and surrounded by some kind of taco or something, that wasn’t a great accompaniment to the small bits of beef I could find. What a terrible effort at a beef steak….. The pandan chicken was very tasty, but on its own, with no accompanying veg a bit boring…….

I couldn’t believe it, why make the effort and then serve such awful food? To be fair my friend was happy with her dish, but she doesn’t get out much! Again the size of the portion…..a bit of meat, an egg, one sausage and some lettuce…. oh man…..

Overall very disappointing…..

The only positive at the end of the night was that the bill only came to about 15 euros……

Cocotte Ben Thanh (5/5)

• 136 Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Had the full works here, French style…..from starters to desserts, main course and all knocked down with wine…..

Started with Snails or Les escargots, a novelty for me, but par for the course for my friend, the French lad….. Wasn’t sure what to expect but they were pretty nice to be honest, smaller than I had expected though. After that we had some duck and potatoes, very delicious, very enjoyable, meat so tasty.

Next we went for some beef stew, curious as I was to see how its different to the stews from Vietnam, or indeed even Ireland….the big difference in that its soaked in red wine, which was interesting……not bad, nice and tasty. This is where we went for the starter and the dessert, both arriving at the same time. Maybe that’s a French thing! Cheese and bread……and chocolate caramel. Not so hot in the soft cheese, French style, and the chocolate was just ok…..

The wine was fine, made us a bit giddy. and we had a few beers after as well..

The bill came to about 80 euros, I think the wine largely adding to the high price.

Overall the restaurant was ok, good atmosphere, nice set out, very good and tasty food especially the main dishes, and half decent service……

Would like to return…..

Quán Cậu Út (5/5)

• 03 Đ. Số 16, Phường Linh Trung, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Lovely tasty clean food, very filling, and good portions of meat…. Very nice side dish of veg and small slices of meat.

Nice decor and a relaxing friendly ambiance.

Friendly staff. Surprising to find such a good restaurant this far out of town……

Nice. good price as well, less than fifteen euros for a large amount of food.

Ushi Mania – Japanese Aging Beef & Bar (13 Lý Tự Trọng) (5/5)

• Lầu 3, 4. 5, toà nhà Washoku Garden, 13 Lý Tự Trọng, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Nice enough place to sit down and have some food. Friendly service and nice ambiance in the restaurant.

As I waiting for a friend, I sat down and ordered a Sapporo beer, which was served nice and cool, and tasted refreshing.

When my friend came, we went straight into the food. We ordered the Japanese Cheese Hamburger Steak dish which came with some veg and chips, the burger tasting very delicious, very yummy, and the teeny carrots also nice and tasty….

The Grilled Pork Ribs with Apple Sauce was delicious, very succulent, good meat and easy to eat. The Baked Potatoes were fine, could have had something to give it a more solid base, but it was fine. and the Creamy Salmon Cakes were to die for, very lovely filling with the salmon. My friend had a Fruit Juice and Ice cream, while I got a few more beers.

With all this food one can also order a lot of salad and fresh vegetables for free from the buffet, and also some soup if one so desires….

So overall, we both were well full after the food, and well happy with our choices…… the dishes were very tasty, very filling, with lovely flavours and all well cooked.

This restaurant was a highlight on my trip to HCMC, and if I am ever back I will return. Good food, and for the amount of dishes we had and the beers, it came to a very reasonable 35 Euros, there or there abouts…..

Strongly recommended.

Thông C (1/5) 

• XRVG+58, Khương Đình, Thanh Xuân, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Food was bland and tasteless,

service was slow and we were served a wrong order too: asked for fries got some sweet potatoes….

Lovely views from our seats, pity the food was not upto any decent standard.

Was stale and tired, no flavours, no seasoning, no love………

Bo Béo (5/5)

• 52 P. Hàng Buồm, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Great family owned restaurant, son and parents, proving good food and nourishment to tired, and drunk, travellers who step in for a bite to eat and a rest.

As can be seen from the photos, the portions were quite big, lots of meat and veg to fry, and beer to complement the feast, and it WAS a feast, I was full after it all.

Good, clean, well cooked food, in friendly environment, in the centre of the main drag. Good spot for some good food in between all the drinking and sport outside.

Recommended. Good value too for about 18 Euros

Hủ tiếu mì Chợ Lớn (4/5)

• 26 Đoàn Kết, Bình Thọ, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Very popular place, packed as it was early in the morning, was lucky to get a seat. A place popular amongst the locals.

Got some noodles and some meat dumplings, was well tasty.

Good place for some cheap food and to have a morning sack to set you up for the day.

Phú Quốc (3/5) 

• 381 Đ. Số 45, Hiệp Bình Chánh, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 708000, Vietnam

Street restaurant with plastic chairs and tables, next to train tracks and dump…..

Was very busy, but service was quick and friendly

Ordered a few sea food dishes and fish………… for me the fish was very delicious. And a few beers

Was enjoyable enough, but my western sensibilities got the better of me, as right beside us were a good few rats……..ha….something I am not used to seeing as I dine…..but heh maybe this is the Vietnamese way and who am I to argue?

BROS KOREA (4/5)

• 47 Nguyễn Thị Diệu, Phường 6, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Came here as I have seen the rave reviews and all the 5 stars so was very curious.

Immediate impressions were not great as the waiting staff took forever to get us, a couple, a seat despite the place half empty….. bit headless……but eventually we got a seat…. The staff all have head phones and all the techie stuff which seems to cause more confusion than anything else……..keep it simple lads, simple, tut tut, otherwise you look real foolish.

Before we sat down we were also told in no uncertain terms that there was a time limit of 2 hours……which was nice, considering the only delays were with the staff finding us a seat, giving us the menu, and brining us our food…… A nice welcome indeed! Sheesh!

Anyway, we sat down and ordered a lot of meat and some vegetables – don’t ask me what exactly we ordered, but it was mostly beef, the odd sausage, some bacon rashers, and other assortments of meat – hell its a BBQ so lets all go crazy! There was the odd bit of veg to accompany, and even a small bit of cheese, which was very random. It was all good and very delicious, and watered down with some beer……all in all good food and well presented and damn tasty.

The food was excellent, tasty and the variety of dishes was interesting to see and the price coming to about 35 quid was ok.

The restaurant filled up pretty quickly and the atmosphere was ok, even though its a big place it does feel crowded..they could do with a spring cleaning and get rid of the tat and give the customers more space.

Food was very good, but I have had better BBQs – (the Japanese place I reviewed to name but a few) I drop a mark for the service which left a bit of a sour taste. ….one word: clueless.

edit: i notice they seem to have an awful lot of 5 star reviews from people who have only ever given one review……….cough….very interesting!

Quán Ngõ 89 (5/5)

• 89 Nguyễn Du, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Real Vietnamese street food, or so they say………who knows…………

Low seating, and a nice colorful decor……. started off ordering some tanks of beer……….

My friend who recommended this place, arrived and so we got into the food — ordering a lot of small meaty dishes…… don’t ask me what they were all, but they all tasted fantastic and well delicious, and went down very well with the beers……..

Had a good bit of beer I must say, and the food was very good, all in all we had a great time………spending a few hours chillin away as the night encroached……….

Bill wasn’t too bad, as far as I can remember, all very affordable and not as pricey as down town………

Recommended.

Marcel Gourmet Burger (2/5)

• 115 Đ. Calmette, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

I like me burgers so a joint like this should be right up my street….

Small diner, but with plenty of seating space, good crowd for an early Saturday midday, nice and friendly atmosphere in the place.

Service was friendly and quick We ordered a combo burger and a big Marcel with fries – not sure of the exact details, just know its beef, cheese, and bacon – essential components of a decent burger.

For drink I got a fruit ale, my friend a lemonade, and we shared a peach cocktail

Food came quick enough, and I have to say it was all a bit of a great disappointment…..the chips were dry, the burgers were damn tiny and also dry…..and had no juicy flavours or were tasty enough. Both of us found that with our choices….. The drinks were not great either… Pity,

I wanted to like this place, but the food was a big disappointment. Sorry

Price was a bit steep too, at about 27 euros for a dish we had eaten quite quickly and still not feeling full!

Hội An Bistro (5/5)

Hidden gem if you ask me………..at least from the small amount of reviews I see here and other sites….

Not far from Temple around the corner, this place is well worth a look…if you are seeking good food in pleasant surroundings, in an atmosphere of calm and serenity………something most be rubbing off from the Buddhists up the road!

Lovely setting and very easy to get a seat, in what at the time i was there, was a pretty busy (but not packed) restaurant.

Ordered some battered prawns, a massive fish dish and to wash it all down some strong craft beer and a glass of wine (wines from Italy and Chile). Food served very quickly, and with a friendly smile from the waitress, presented well too…

All the food very tasty, the fish had a lot of meat so much that we couldn’t finish it all, yes even me the barbarian from the decadent west ……

Food was very good, filling and did the job. Beers not so much…….took ages to get a second serving, I had to ask for 5 times……yes FIVE TIMES to get a second helping of beer……which when it came was badly poured…… but I am willing to let that slide since the young waiting staff were friendly and all had nice smiles and were generally a happy bunch. Was looking for dessert, but the restaurant does not have a set menu for after’s, which is a pity…… although we were offered ice creams and ice pops bought from the local shop….

Overall, a very enjoyable time spent here in lovely surroundings, at peace, and with good food. Bill was about 30 Euros, which considering I had three beers, wine, and a massive portion of food, was not that bad.

Recommended

Bánh mì gà An An (5/5)

• 593 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường 7, Quận 5, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Street food on a budget, love it

Got a mixed vegetable, some meat, some noodle, some egg, all in a bun……..with some flavouring and sauce…….coming to about one dollar…….NICE!

And it was tasty!!! Result!

Bánh Mì Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ Minh Tuấn (2/5)

• 89 Cách Mạng Tháng Tám, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Had high hopes for this place as the reviews were good, but sadly I have to report it didn’t cut the mustard!

Kebab was more like a sandwich with some meat and veg, than anything down and dirty like the usual kebabs you’d get back home….. was looking for a big dirty kebab but all I got was a harmless looking light tasting sandwich…..

Needed to be more meat, more grizzle, more sauces, more flavours…. Sorry!

Lẩu bò Khu Nhà Cháy (5/5)

• 130/50 Đ. Lê Quốc Hưng, Phường 12, Quận 4, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Packed place, but lucky to get a seat at back………

Food was good, a lot of meaty dishes, all very filling and very tasty

Beers aflowing, good atmosphere in the restaurant and good fast, efficient service.

Good times…….

Recommended, and well worth the 32 euros I spent..

241 Restaurant (5/5)

• 45 Phạm Viết Chánh, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Late night snack after a day of walking, tired and wanting to sit down and relax over some good food.

Food came fast enough, was all good………chicken and beef dishes, with chips, washed down with a few beers…….good price too………all in all , little fuss and good food…………thats how you do it!

Bánh Canh Cua (Tôn Thất Đạm) (4/5)

• 25 Nguyễn Công Trứ, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Small local restaurant, good food, good atmosphere, no nonsense, dish meaty and tasty,

Nice and hot.

Did the job

GoGi House Vincom Thảo Điền (5/5) 

• L5-08 TTTM Vincom Mega Mall, 161 Võ Nguyên Giáp, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Meat extravaganza, yes another one!

Wasn’t expecting much when I sat down, as places in malls tend to be a bit drab and unexciting. Ordered from a touchscreen device which was handy and easy to use…….

Food came quick and fast and we were off cooking our own variety of meats we had ordered. And a egg rice dish and some soup to accompany, and also the usual beers and juices one has to water it all down!

The food was great, very succulent and well prepped, slender and juicy, delicious. The egg rice dish was so nice we ordered another one. For after’s my friend got some ice cream, a few goes of it, she really liked it…..

Overall the food was great, and the service very good, cleaning our table of plates quickly and with a smile.

Meal came to about 40 Euros, a teeny bit pricey but for the amount we ate, not bad.

Recommended.

La Table De Saigon Restaurant

• 185/26 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

An alright place, easy to settle down and have the chat, get served quickly, food is alright…………..tad dull

Ok place, not going to set the world alight, service was friendly, place had a good atmosphere, and was pleasant enough.

CAFES 

COFFEE AND TEA (5/5)

• 321 Đ. Trường Chinh, Tân Thới Nhất, Quận 12, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 71510, Vietnam

Dropped in for a breather, ordered a chocolate cookie drink, looked lovely, tasted great. Nice.

Friendly girl helped me grab a taxi too.

Phuc Long Coffee & Tea House (3/5)

• G17 Aeon Mall, 1 Đường Số 17A, Bình Trị Đông B, Bình Tân, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Waiting to meet friend. Got a strawberry cold drink. Nice and refreshing.

Dalaland Coffee (4/5)

• 24/4/1 Trần Ngọc Diện, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Nice cozy place where one can relax and listen to some good live music, and also see and watch the fish pass by infront of you….

Small entrance fee (as far as I can remember) but that and the cost of the coffee and drinks wasn’t much, coming to less than a tenner in Euros, which for good live music and a nice setting was very good value.

Good ambiance about the place, and a very relaxing décor. Staff friendly and efficient too.

The only slight was that the band played under a very shiny light making it impossible to see the lead singer…….which was a bit silly, but overall a nice experience.

Lamenda Cafe (1/5)

• 39-41 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Waited here for a friend who was on his way

Busy and all, sat down and got a beer But then they turned on the music………….FULL BLAST……….in the middle of the day……totally pointless………its not a night club so no need for it at all…….

Had to leave as my head was pounding…..and even though I told two members of staff about it, they didn’t seem to give a sh……. Awful

Cafe EVO (5/5)

• 583-585 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường 7, Quận 5, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Stayed here midday to get out of the heat of the sun, very friendly staff looked after us very well, had some coffee, and cold drinks, spent an hour here………..top stuff.

Tonkin Specialty Coffee (5/5)

• 91 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Not a coffee kind of guy, more tea, or even better a few beers, but as was walking on the street and kind of looking for a place to sit down and waste an hour or two with my friend, for a chat, we happened to pass by two nice young people who were offering free samples of coffee……..sure what the hell, we liked the coffee they offered and they were friendly so we ventured into their café. down a long small alleyway and up and up and up some stairs to the coffee joint…….

I must say it was a good surprise as the place was very well decorated, and looked very nice with cool friendly chilled out vibes…… hats off to the interior decorator, good job!

Had a regular coffee and my friend went with some weird drink, don’t ask me….look at pic…. Then tried their ‘Tonkin Brown’, which looked interesting and tasted very nice……..although small…..(as I said I’m not a coffee drinker, ha)……….so I went for another one….. lovely chocolate taste and flavour on the tongue…..nice..

We spent an hour or so here, and chatted with the manager who was friendly…….

Really a lovely place, and I would love to return again, if I can notice it, as the entrance is so small it can be easy to miss………but it is the type of gem that makes this city so great…………

Recommended place to while away an hour or so in a very relaxed setting…….

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (1/5)

• 27 Đ. Hàn Thuyên, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam 

Soulless and hellish……luckily I didn’t spend a penny here, just sat down and looked around and upped and went…..

Busy, but no atmosphere or ambiance, decor looked like an office, and full of customers who were well dull…….

Think Starbucks and multiply it by 100…………….yeah THAT bad!

pincup (4/5)

• 25D Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Chocolate Ice, very nice, lovely on the hot day that it was.

Friendly staff, nice and welcoming.

Lovely little café with a very nice décor 

Puro Gusto (4/5)

• 12 Đ. B, Phường 2, Tân Bình, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Friendly service, nice coffee; good WiF;i nice place to sit while waiting for friend.

Hoff Coffee Brewers (3/5)

• 42bis Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Small place, down an alley way and up a flight of stairs where there are a few establishments selling coffees and food……a bit of an artists getaway, all a bit bohemian, that is to say a load of bullshite…….but anyway had a coffee and friend got a swiss chocolate roll, which took a long time to be served.

Ate and drank upstairs and sat on some bean bags!

Is a popular place it seems but I have seen better and more hip establishments in town.

Highlands Coffee (3/5)

• 101 Đ. Tôn Dật Tiên, Tân Phú, Quận 7, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Not a fan of coffee to be honest, but this chocolate version looked nice.

Except they leave some jelly beans in it…… but hey ho this is popular in Vietnam.

AND PLACES TO SEE

Museum of Ho Chi Minh City (4/5)

• 65 Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Not to be confused with the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, which is more about ancient Vietnamese history, this museum solely focuses on the history of this great city…..Ho Chi Minh City, from its earliest beginnings to the recent wars of independence…..

I preferred this museum to the more graphic war remnants museum, as I learnt more about Vietnam. I never knew how old this city was, thousands of years in various guises, and how it developed from an early portal city to the metropolis it is today. I liked the focus on specific themes – trade, politics, money, city life, weddings, food – was very interesting.

I especially liked the exhibit on money, as someone who collects old coins and money from around the world, I had a good look……but I’m not sure everyone would share my enthusiasm here!

The museum was not packed, and this made it all the more enjoyable as one could really take time to wander around without the hectic crowds you would see in the War Museum, where it can get very busy……this was much more relaxing, and the museum was well ventilated in the hot day with a nice breeze throughout the building.

Yes, this was an enjoyable few hours…….

War Remnants Museum (1/5)

• Phường 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam

I have to be honest I was a good bit disappointed with my time at this war museum. I left it in a bad mood, due to a few factors.

I know the Americans did absolutely horrific things in Vietnam, from dropping napalm, general torture, and dividing the country into two……but it doesn’t necessarily mean I want an in depth account of each and every bad thing the yanks did……..I don’t really have to be confronted with gruesome photo, picture and display to get it……. They even had a long list of all the tortures….and a rolling movie to accompany….. really, whats the point of this?

And I’d ask who was doing a lot of this torture? (South) Vietnamese onto other Vietnamese, something lost in all of the details. War is war and bad things happen, but in this museum it seems its only the Americans (and the French) who were the naughty boys. History isn’t like that, its not always so black and white.

I need more nuance than that. Why was America there, what was the South Vietnamese state, what happened after the war, was there any real victors, etc. etc.? Plus more of a human side, how the war affected people on a more personal level, from soldier (both sides), to villager, to townie.

Yes there were photos with information (in English which was good, for me at least), but it still was all a bit dry really and hard to get past the pain and conflict and understand on a human level….

The real thing for me is that one should learn from History, the good and the bad. Can we really say that Vietnam, or the USA for that matter, has? It seems to me that American style capitalism is quite popular in this country. How did that happen? (cough!).

Is Vietnam a bastion of freedom and liberty? For sure its a place to lead a comfortable life, but what about personal liberty of freedom and thought?

Yeah all that and more……the present and the past.

Or how about another deformed kid to look at?

Temple of Hung King (3/5)

• 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Nice enough place to see and visit, plenty of greenery and the temple itself is lovely and tranquil………………but I was a little distracted by all the snap happy men, lol.

HCMC History Museum (5/5)

• 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Really enjoyed myself in this museum, learnt a lot about ancient Vietnamese history, saw a lot of old artifacts and also got in some amazing water puppetry, all in all a good few hours spent here.

Honestly didn’t know that Vietnamese history went so far back, 1000’s of years in fact….was well impressed with the detail and information provided from the exhibits…..which were in English throughout….

The mummy of Xom Cai was interesting, if not a little creepy, and the sculptures, deities, and stone carvings from around south east Asia were magnificent…. the phallic symbols were particularly eye opening……cough.

If you are lucky, like I was, you might stumble upon the twice daily water puppet show they host…….as far as I can remember it costs 100/200 Vnd, but its well worth a look……..the show I saw was on at 2.00 ….. The puppetry was very well done, and it did take me a while to figure out how they did it all……ha……. It was a tad bit long, but overall was something that had to be seen in Vietnam, another cultural highlight ticked off the box!

Overall the museum was definitely worth visiting, combined with the water puppet show, a recommended place to see.

Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (3/5)

• 2 Đ. Nguyễn Văn Bình, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Buy a book, sit down, have a coffee and brood and look clever, maybe have some glasses resting on head and take in all the atmosphere of Book Street. Or not. A street, with a lot of art and book shops and cafes. Interesting enough to walk through but not enough to stay. Books are all fine and dandy, but if you are reading harry potter, comics, or something on Marxist philosophy you’d be better of joining me in da pub with the football on! Ha.

Saigon Sniper (4/5)

• 25 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Fun and something different to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Cheap, for about 7 Euros get sixty pellets for the gun……

Staff, nice and friendly and with good English can explain the set up and how to get started.

Good atmosphere in the place, and surprising to see more ladies than men on the range…..which is cool.

Found out that I am a terrible shot, 30 chances and nothing hit. I am thinking of barn doors and banjos!!! Terrible sniper I am!

Tao Dan Park (5/5)

• Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A piece of tranquility in the hustle and bustle of HCMC, very nice park, very relaxing, and plenty of space.

Lots to see while walking around………….

A full circuit -around, in decent walking pace was I think about 8 minutes………..or if you want to join the many running……..quicker…

Very peaceful and definitely recommended for a nice break from the madness on the streets. Ha.

One Pillar Pagoda, Thu Duc – Nam Thien Nhat Tru (5/5)

• 100 Đặng Văn Bi, Bình Thọ, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Visited midday on a Sunday, very quiet.

Front was closed but can go around the back to another entrance, free to walk in and wander around to have a look at the many alters and statues, and to walk around the lake with the fish.

Peaceful and tranquil, no one to bother you, and can spend a good hour just relaxing……

Thien Hau Pagoda (5/5)

• 710 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường 11, Quận 5, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Chinese style temple nestled amidst the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh, very peaceful, quiet and a nice place to relax for an hour or so………..just chillin….

Tân Định Parish Church (3/5)

• 289 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Võ Thị Sáu, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Unfortunately as they were doing some light repairs (I think) I couldn’t venture inside the Church, but got to have a nice walk around the grounds.

A nice looking church, perhaps not as pink as expected, me thinks people overdose on the filters for their camera shots, but still an interesting sight in the centre of the city.

Dong Quang Church (3/5)

• 35 Đông Hưng Thuận 2, Đông Hưng Thuận, Quận 12, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Just passing through, caught my eye and had a wander around…..nice enough looking on the outside…..pity it was closed and couldn’t go in…..shame that the churches seem closed here to the people while Buddhist temples, for example, are open all the time….

Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens (1/5)

• 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Phường Sài Gòn, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

Depressing place. Place is filthy, overgrown, no care taken anywhere, and the animal enclosures look dull and dirty. The animals are stressed and agitated, the bears walking back and forward highlights this…….

Its strange as the parks in HCMC are, on the whole, well kept and maintained and generally pleasurable places to spend an hour or more. So its quite a surprise to see the state of this zoo. Not one effort to turn it into a nice place to visit.

Good to see bears, crocs and alligators (lots of them), lions and tigers, elephants and giraffes, but to be honest couldn’t wait to leave the place….

Should close it down……if only to put the poor animals out their misery.

Visited on Weekend
Wait time: No wait
Reservation recommended: No

Rach Chiec Golf Driving Range (5/5)

• 150 Võ Nguyên Giáp, An Phú, Thủ Đức, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

First time we did some golf, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it..

I was happy that it didn’t go as badly as I had expected, in that I was at least able to hit the ball! Maybe not so much in distance, I couldn’t get it over 100m, but at least I could get it up and was mostly straight all the time…… cough!.

In a desperately hot day, it might have got a bit tiring in the end, and with so many balls to hit, yes it was hard work, but enjoyable all the same. Cant remember exactly the price, but I think for just over 12 Euros or so you can have a zillion balls and a few beers thrown in, very good value.

Have two levels, up and down……was busy too, but well spaced out and everyone doing their own thing.

Also the workers are on hand to offer sound advice and help, and they were very kind…..

Overall, a very enjoyable, but tiring, few hours spent here.

Saigon Commando Secret Weapons Bunker – Tet Offensive 1968 (5/5)

• 287/70 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Phường 5, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 722000, Vietnam

Cool little place down an alley way street, small and not going to be long here, but worth a visit if only for the cool selfies you can take, ha ha

Free, but a nice old man looks after the place so be kind and give him a tip.

Funny how you think there is not much to see, then the man, like magic, takes a square out of the ground, a hole appears and then you can go, down to the hidden bunker. It surprised us and really shows us how the Vietnamese were great at the hidden art of guerrilla warfare. What you cant see, CAN hurt you in this country!!!

I just hope the grenades were decommissioned! All good fun!

Recommended.

The Venerable Thich Quảng Đức Monument (3/5)

• 185 Cách Mạng Tháng Tám, Phường 6, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

An iconic figure from the Vietnam war, the “burning priest” who set himself on fire in protest on how the South Vietnamese government were treating Buddhists in the country. I know it from the RATM album cover, but still someone to be respected.

A serene place at the intersection to where the event took place all those years ago.

Very well kept and worth a look.

Statue of Ho Chi Minh (3/5)

• 110 Nguyễn Huệ, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Well its a must if you are here, its his city after all……..nice area of the town, pretty busy though with traffic and the like (where isn’t in this mad city!)

Nice statue with the beautiful Ho Chi Minh City Hall behind him, makes for a nice setting.

Worth a gander.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon (1/5)

• 01 Công trường Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Temporarily closed for renovation. Pity as I was looking forward to having a good look at this city icon…………next time

Bitexco Financial Tower (5/5)

• 2 Đ. Hải Triều, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

For a Saturday midday it was very, very quiet at the top of the tower, pretty much all to ourselves as we walked around getting some stunning views of the city.

Very affordable, and quick lift to near the top…….40th floor or something, as far as I can remember.

Some history all around to read up on, in English as well, and a nice mini exhibition on Vietnamese fashion for the ladies down through the years.

Definitely worth a visit and thankfully with such a lovely day we were able to see well off in the distance the huge city that is HCMC.

Recommended.

Ben Thanh Market (4/5)

• Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Not the greatest fan of markets, as you spend money and lots of it, that is a fact, but this one was pretty good.

Not many visitors on the Saturday we went, which was surprising, which meant as soon as we entered we were accosted for all sorts of products and wares….

The stalls are set out well and one can buy clothes, watches, shoes, jewelry, etc. etc. and it is fun to walk around but one can get lost amongst all the side stalls.

As for buying something……I bought a pair of runners, a small bum bag, and two football shirts. I am quite good at haggling and got most of the sellers down to minimum 50% of what they first asked…..although I think I still over paid on the runners, as the quality of them were not as good as first expected…… and having said that the prices are still a little over priced even with a 50% drop, as the quality isn’t the best……the football shirts are just bad knock offs for example…….. ..

Still though, as markets go, this was very interesting..

NhNhà Úp Ngược coffee/ Upside Down House (4/5)

• 5 Trương Vĩnh Ký, Phường 1, Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, Vietnam

A bit of silly fun…….

Was very busy the day we went, but it was fun all the same…….

Good for photos with friends……

I imagine kids would love this place….

Front Beach (5/5)

• Vũng Tàu, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Vietnam

Small beach, but good enough for me, lovely promenade to walk along and beach was busy but not packed so pleasant enough to take a dip in the very cool and clean waters.

Nice.

Back beach (5/5)

• Thùy Vân, Phường 1, Thành phố, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Nice beach, had a good time here, although with the wind the water was very choppy……big enough to accommodate all the large crowds…..

AND THE REST

Immigration Office HCMC (1/5)

• Phòng Quản Lý Xuất Nhập Cảnh TP. HCM

Joke factory. Arrived and waited a little, to be told that we were in the wrong building, so got a taxi across town to another place. For a visa extension. Which on government website states is possible. But, naturally, things didn’t go as expected here. Big queue even to get into building, where at top of steps were two men looking at people’s paperwork to determine if they can get a visa or not. Me n the couple I was with were told we couldn’t get a visa extension, n that’s that! Border run to Thailand.

A good bit annoying as queued under the sun, was stressful n despite what was officially declared on the government website I am now expected to shell out a couple of hundred bucks to extend my visa for the privilege of staying here…..great🤣

GreenLines DP – Ticketing Office (4/5)

• 10B Tôn Đức Thắng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam

HCMC city to Vung Tau ferry in what was a very hot day…….midday trip……ferry was full but thank god it was very cool inside………

Trip took two hours and went fast enough…….

Can get refreshments at the back of the ferry, and can go outside and grab some fresh air.

Young staff at the cafe at the port were pretty all over the place,I wonder is it some care in the community initiative, I was surprised they could even manage to work the cash register…….. Expensive beers before I start!

Thong Nhat Stadium (2/5)

• 138 Đ. Đào Duy Từ, Phường 6, Quận 10, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Was here for an Asian Champions League double header, Hoang Anh Gia Lai from Vietnam were kicking things off against Korean outfit Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and the other game was Sydney FC against Yokohama F.Marinos. Didn’t bother to stay for second game…..for a number of reasons…no beer, no atmosphere, and boredom.

First game was a very drab game between two very poor sides. I was actually very surprised how bad the standard was…. The Korean team snatched the win near the end…. The home team have a few Brazilians playing for them, three in fact, stealing a living if you ask me…….one went off as a sub near the end as he was tired, ie not bothered! And as for their manager, ha ha……amateur hour.

No beer at a football game, well that is just taking the pish. Atmosphere was a bit flat too………not much or very little chanting…..perhaps the game had an affect on the crowd…… Ground itself is not much to get excited about…..basic stadium with a running track……seats were fine, tickets were very affordable, and getting to the ground not so hard.

Inside though, there are little refreshments on show, its pretty dirty and unkept, and no chance to buy any merchandise…,like a scarf, etc.

Disappointing……

Linh Dong Wharf – Saigon Waterbus (1/5)

• Linh Đông, Thủ Đức City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Needed prepaid tickets, didn’t have, annoying.

AEON MALL Binh Tan (4/5)

• 1 Đường Số 17A, Bình Trị Đông B, Bình Tân, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

massive place, seems to have everything one needs and wants…..

Moc Bai International Border Gate (4/5)

• Lợi Thuận, Bến Cầu District, Tây Ninh, Vietnam

Used Thai Duong Transport /Tourist company, got me there and back and gave me all the information, for 800K VD (about 35 euros)……..

Arrived at border at around 11, after departing HCMC at 9……journey was not pleasant as too much traffic, but arriving early the queues into Cambodia were not heavy.

Was told to expect to pay a “fee” to exit Vietnam, but no, we got our exit stamp with little bother, from the very gruff looking border guard. Then walk to Cambodia visa office, to get the visa on arrival. As I had no dollars, I paid a little extra with my Vietnamese Dong. roughly about 40 Euros.

After that you enter Cambodia, quick enough……border guards seem more friendly this side of of the world…..

A quick turn around the building, and then you are exiting Cambodia, and back again into Vietnam.

This time there was a queue to get back to Nam. Took about half an hour for it to move, and eventually got back into Nam, no special entry “fee” either…..

Along the process, a few security people will look at your passport, etc…….and overall I was happy as there wasnt as many “fees” expected, just the Cambodia visa, which was expected.

All in all, the whole process took about an hour, and back on bus heading to HCMC and arrived back at Saigon at 2:30 with the driver speeding like crazy to bring us home. Stressful all the same though!

Also I had no covid passes or vax nonsense, many had, and I was a little worried they’d ask for it, despite both countries freely open at the moment, but nothing was given and nothing was asked. Sweet!!

Noi Bai International Airport (5/5)

• Soc Son, Hanoi, Vietnam

No issue in passing through immigration or with checking in, very fast and efficient (unlike in HCMC)….

Airport not busy, nice to wander around…..small airport but clean and does the job, ie gets you in and ready to depart on time…..no flaffing around.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport (2/5)

• Trường Sơn, Phường Tân, Sơn Hoà, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Not the best airport in the world……

No bars, and few restaurants but lots of chances to buy tat if you like.

Queues are an hour minimum, especially in the morning. Was asked to pay to make my exit out of the country a bit easier, but as i didn’t have cash and only my card the police man changed his mind and let me through.

Unfortunately as a result of that I missed my plane, but anyhow got the next flight out…..a tad bit annoying all the same!

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Rob Nesbit

+Rob Nesbit Beer drinker and all round annoyance. Likes drinking, football, cricket and having a good time.

Latest posts by Rob Nesbit (see all)

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