ALL ABOUT HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON)
No need to travel too far. I will just write
about the place where I am living, Saigon.
Saigon is the previous name of Ho Chi Minh City
but I like to call it by this name. As a person who has lived in Saigon for 10
years, I will show you how Saigonese spends their free time.
What does Saigonese eat?
The special thing in Ho Chi Minh City is food
culture. The food culture here is unique and unforgettable. There are many
luxury restaurants where have many delicious food. But I recommend you should
try some popular foods in some small restaurant or street food. Because most of
foreigners like to eat at luxury restaurants but we like to eat at common
restaurants. So if you want to be like Saigonese you should try and the flavor
must be very different.
Let’s grab the menu for a day in Saigon.
Breakfast:
there are many choices for breakfast you can get in HCMC.
Phở (a kind of noodle soup with beef, chicken)
seems to be the most famous breakfast in the world but it’s not the most famous
food in Saigon. Phở is delicious but it will be different if you try it in HCMC
instead of Hanoi or other countries. Saigon Phở has a special flavor because it’s
a little bit sweeter and fatter than other areas. There are many restaurants
with Phở like Phở Hùng, Phở 24 (many branches), Phở Tàu bay… with price from $2-3$.
For me, I like eating Phở on the street because it’s more delicious than in
restaurants with cheaper price ($1.5).
Cơm tấm (rice with grilled pork) is a very famous
food here in the south of Vietnam. Because breakfast is the most important meal
in a day, Cơm tấm is the best choice for you if you want to start a day with
full energy. A plate of Cơm tấm has the price of $1-$3.
Bánh mì (Bread with pork, eggs…) is one of foods
Saigonese usually chooses for their fast breakfast. Although it’s a fast breakfast,
its flavor is very good, a kind of Vietnamese Hamburger. The price is super
cheap at $0.5-$0.7.
Aside from above popular breakfasts, Saigonese
also has Bún bò, Hủ tiếu, Bánh canh... (other types of noodle soup).
Coffee
culture:
In the morning, Saigonese (especially men) likes to
have a cup of coffee before starting their work. The coffee here is more special
than Starbuck or McCafe. Because Vietnam is one of the biggest exporters of
coffee, Saigonese likes to drink coffee with very strong flavor. Some like to
drink black coffee (or pure coffee), some like to drink milk coffee (coffee
flavor is still strong). There are many small coffee shops where they use pure
coffee seed to grind into coffee flour for making up a cup of coffee. However
they price is very cheap (around $0.7-$1/cup). These kinds of coffee shop can
be said is Milano, Napoli. However, sitting too long in these coffee shops will
not be comfortable because they are all using wooden chair.
Another kind in coffee culture I have to say
about is a high-class coffee shop. You will enjoy a cup of coffee in a quiet
and comfortable atmosphere with light music and air conditioner. However, Saigonese
just likes to have this kind of coffee in the weekend because they have more
time to enjoy these comfortable feelings. These coffee shops include Hingland
coffee, House Country, Effoc, My life… and price is much higher at $3-$4.
That’s how Saigonese has their breakfast. I will
write about other meals later because I am so sleepy now… Good night.
