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BEST RESTAURANTS and SHOPPING IN HO CHI MINH CITY!
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OK! This entry is to help new and existing travelers that want to go to Saigon. IT is the restaurants that WE thought was good or the shopping that we enjoyed. It is not the most comprehensive and everybody's tastes are different. But, I think that it will help the average person to enjoy Saigon.
We left with two guides: Lonely Planet and the Voyager Pratique from Michelin. Both guides are equally good and are a good complement to each other. The Lonely Planet is very good for day to day activities, cheap restaurants. While the Michelin Voyager Pratique has a very historical view of the Vietnam and good walking tours. They were a big help in preparing the trip. I can't stress enough that the key to traveling so far to adopt is PREPARATION.
RESTAURANTS
We have gone to good, bad and Excellent restaurants and French Delis. You can find ALMOST everything that you want or need in Saigon.
The new thing are cafes, there are ALOT of them, JAVA, Highland Coffee (a chain), Paris Deli etc... OF all of them, the one we liked the most was PARIS DELI in Saigon Center, 65 Le Loi Street. There are 3 cafes in that littlle mall. We had Croque Monsieur and pasta. It was very good and the service was excellent DO NOT GO To the CAFE DE PARIS, next to the Canadian Consulate. It is quite dirty.
TOUS LES JOURS bakery has good cakes, croque monsieurs, donuts and is excellent for a quick bite, you can get treat at the Diamond Square (34 Le Duan Blvd, Ben Nghe ward, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) during your shopping. Highland Coffees (www.highlandcoffee.com.vn) are good lunch eateries, you will find them everywhere and they have good french fries and excellent fruit juices
Santa Lucia, on 14 Nguyen Hue street in front of Hotel Duxton, is the best italian restaurant in Saigon and we tried two. The Santa Lucia and Haleteria on Le Than Ton street, near Hoi An restaurant. Santa Lucia had a great menu and our favorite was their Lasagna, their Chocolate mousse and Tiramisu are also very good. I dare to say that it is even better than Buon Gusto in Laval, sorry Dominic and Nathalie!.
You have alot of fancy french and international cuisine, but they are quite pricy and do they justify the price tag...probably. The guides has them all.
For the Vietnamese restaurants, the choices are ENDLESS!!! From the sidewalk seller to the fine cuisine restaurant and the prices and atmosphere vary. It all depends on your personal thresholds and interpretation of cleanliness. I will enumerate where we have been and give you our impressions.
Lemongrass (4 Nguyen Thiep): at the heart of District one, off Dong Khoi street. The restaurant is good and tastefully decorated. The food is good and proportionate to the price. It is centrally located.
On the corner of Dong Du, there is a restaurant that offers chineese and vietnamese food. Very good with set menus, $15 per person. The garlic shrimps are excelent with a cold Tiger beer!
Right across from the restaurant, on Dong Khoi street, at the Bong Sen Hotel (www.hotelbongsen.com) You will find the best buffet in town, Buffet Ganh,
you have to book seats in advance. The buffet is an assortment of all foods from Vietnam, from the North to the South, with a Grill station and Sea Food station. You can drink fresh sugar cane juice, freshly pressed in front of you. The price is around 15$ per person. Very good quality for the price.
On Dong Khoi, you have numerous other restaurants that we did not have time to try. I mean there is a restaurant every 50 meters.
If you like fares from the center of Vietnam, from the region of Hoi an and Hue where the food is a little spicier. We went to 3 really good restaurants with 3 different price points.
First, there's Ngu Vien,
at 40 Ky Dong, District 3. This restaurant was very good and very Vietnamese. It was very clean the Hue specialty were excellent. You have to get the Ban uot Thit Nuoung, grilled pork rolled in Rice paper. The small Ban Xeo, a mini version of the regular Ban Xeo. This is typical Vietnamer place so don't expect much, but it is very clean and very good and very cheap at around 200 000Dong for two or approximately 13$ for appetizer, main course and soft drinks. That will not bust your budget but WILL fill you up with excellent food!
Second, we have Sen Hue, on Nguyen Hue street at number 48. This is more upscale, in the center of Downtown, so you pay the price...mind you the price is around 300 000 Dong for two or less than 20$US. The dishes are typical of Hue and its region but not as good as Ngu Vien. What you lack in taste, you make up for in location. If you are downtown and want a quick bite. This is fine. You are close to Dong Khoi, the Tax Center, Ben Thanh and all the shopping.
Down the street, at 44 Nguyen Hue, you will see Tan Nam, with upscale look and non upscale price. Very reasonably priced for excellent food. The service is great, the wine list is very good.
Last, we have HOI AN, 11 Le Thanh Ton. This is the very upscale version. The food is excellent and there are degustation menus that will have you taste all the different foods that the central region has in store for your pallet! From the service to the decoration, there is nothing out of place. The decor is fabulous and the food excellent. Of course, all this comes at a price. The menu has no Vietnamese prices, only in US. Budget 230$US for two with a decent bottle of wine. It is worth it, if you have something to celebrate or want to impress your date.
Fast food places are the in thing in Saigon and apparently all over major cities in Vietnam. You will find alot of KFC and Pizza Hut all over and Vietnam's own version of Mc D's, Loteria. I mean if you are homesick, then maybe a visit to KFC is the thing. We never had the chance to go, but looked at the menu and the chicken comes with rice instead of Potatoes. Rice covered with Gravy. I don't know....
But if you want fast food, then I recommend Wrap & Roll (www.wrap-and-roll.com). My brother introduced us to this great little eatery. It is fast, excellent and really inexpensive and EXTREMELY CLEAN! We went there with my brother, his daughter and their friends. It only cost us 30$US for 10 people and we all ate and drink until we burst. From the name, you have gathered that alot of the food are rolled up in some kind of wrap! They have and excellent Cha Gio (imperial rolls), Goi Cuon (spring rolls) and other specialty. But they also have Fried Rice and other typical food. There is nothing bad to say about this place and they DELIVER! We went there 4 times!!!
SHOPPING
There is SO much to say that I don't know where to start. Even when you don't like to shop, you will always find something that you thought you would never need, that's how I can describe Saigon's shopping experience. I will tell you what I have seen and where I have bought things. I am not saying that they have the best price or anything. It was the best that I could find. I am sure that there is better or cheaper.
First we will start with the clothes. Well, there is a huge amount of tailors where you can make your suits, silk dresses etc...
For those of you that went on CNN and found Tricia and Verona, 49 Dong Du street. Don't go there, they are overpriced for the quality. I had one suit made there and it is just ok. For men's suit, we were referred to Tailor Son (226 Tran Quang Khai st.) These guys are extremely professional, one fitting and that's it! I had a suit made of Cerruti Cashmere (100%) with Cerruti silk lining for only US$400. The average suit is 240$ for italian cashmere-wool cloth. Shirts are 30$US. The quality of the workmanship and details is top notch at Taior Son. The owner and all the employees are first class. They even deliver to your hotel NO CHARGE.
For women's silk dresses and accessories, go to
KENLY SILK, www.kenlysilk.com, and ask for Mme. Sa
. She is the best to advise you on what will or will not fit.
They are nice, professional and willing to negotiate. We had alot of things done there, and there was only one fitting for Annie.
Of course, you can find cheaper or nicer, but for the quality price ratio, these two are the best. Do not go on Dong Khoi street, the shops there are more expensive because it is a touristy area.
For the watch lovers, you will find an array of fake watches or refurbished watches. Most of the fake watches are made in China with a chineese movements are not that reliable. If you want to invest on a GOOD swiss movement imitation worth 800$ . Go to SAIGON SQUARE, at the entrance, at the first kiosq in the middle, in front of the Video. There is a guy selling watches. Ask for the swiss movement ones. He will take them out of a metal box. You will have replicas of ROLEX, OMEGA, PANERAI etc... from 150$ to 400$ for the Chronograph Omega and more for the up to date Rolex with all the markings and boxes. I am a collector and know watches...and these are very high quality replicas that will last a long time.
Also, at Saigon Square, you will find Clark shoes, KARBON ski suits, North Face Jackets. Some of the North Face are fakes and are easily recognizable. But most are real and are excellent deals, especially the Karbon suits that can be found in this particular store, straight in from the entrance to the end and on the right.
Alot of stalls have Polo Ralph Lauren shirts, Burberrys t-shirts, Tommy stuff...these are fakes but pretty good quality. It is a fun place to go to and find good deals.
TAX CENTER on the corner of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi is a great department store where it is supposed to be cheaper because you don't pay the taxes. IT has four floors and you can find almost everything that you would need for the appartment, the baby etc.. THere is a supermarket that has all the baby stuff. There is a North Face Outlet on the 2nd floor, next to baby stuff. GUARANTED real stuff from the factory, they don't negotiate but at 80$ for a 3 layered GoreTex jacket....ON the last floor, you can find toy stores.
Diamond Center, behind the Cathedral. Just say Diamond Center and the cab driver will take you there. This is just like home department store. Very upscale with upscale prices. For the homesick ones, there is a Pizza Hut and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is an excellent food court and bakery on the 2nd floor, next to the mini super market.
And lastly, there is BEN THANH market or better known as Saigon Market. The sight, sound and mix of odors in this market can not be described but experienced. If you want the typical wooden shoes Error: Photo does not exist in this entry that vietnamese wear...this is the place to go. For all your little souvenirs (wine holders, table mats, statuettes etc..) this is the place to negotiate. They are much cheaper than anywhere else. YOu can also buy fruit there, they are fresh and excellent. Error: Photo does not exist in this entry IT IS A MUST TO GO TO!!!! Error: Photo does not exist in this entry
I hope you enjoyed this entry and that it will help you during your stay.
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