I was so lucky to have my dear friend Dave (globejotting.com) guiding our way in Saigon. He found us a nice place to stay in a great location (An An Hotel, operates Elegant Travel and made our Hanoi hotel and Ha Long Bay cruise reservations).
We had dinner at 333 cafe with Dave’s Vietnamese friends, drank bia hoi ($0.30 draft beer) on the street & met tons of people. So much fun! My daughter, Kailee, met some young people – jumped on a motorbike with them and went dancing!
Saigon is so relaxed amidst the chaos. Very comfortable and fun. I can see why my friends Dave and Kattina love it so much here!
When you are drinking beer on the streets in Vietnam for 30 cents a mug, vendors walk by selling food to you while you sitting in a tiny plastic chair. It’s brilliant! When Dave told me about the ‘squid bikes’, I was skeptical. Flattened, dried squids hang from a bar set up on the back of a bike. Sounds appetizing, huh? In a country where it is recommended to brush your teeth with bottled water, it seems sketchy to buy your seafood off a bike. But sometimes too much beer and not enough food leads people to do crazy things! I actually liked it!
Check out Dave’s blog about it on his site:
http://www.globejotting.com/squid-bike-barbecues/
Other things we did in Ho Chi Min City: went to Pho 2000 where Bill Clinton ate, walked through Ben Thanh Market, visited the War Remnants museum. We ate well, drank lots, had great conversations with new friends. Loved connecting with the locals and some ex-pats. I know I will be back in Saigon again – there is so much more to see!
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