As promised, I am posting some photos of our recent trip to Vietnam. This batch is a selection from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). My overall impressions of Saigon - a huge vibrant city with elements of east and west. There is a mix of traditional street market culture juxtaposed with high end western luxury stores. Streets are packed with an infinite amount of scooters and constant hustle and bustle. Everyone here is super friendly and always happy to see you... the overall population is energetic and young (a huge amount born after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975). The food is awesome with a great selection of Vietnamese, French and other international selections. Would I go back?... most definitely.
Vespa by the Ben Thanh Market, the central market downtown.
Everyone has a scooter in Vietnam... and it feels like they are all on the road at once. Not uncommon to see a family of four (baby included) all riding on one scooter with their dog and shopping bags tied to the back.... I have no idea how they balance it all, but they do. We stuck to walking, since it was safer!
Inside the Ben Thanh Market in the fabric section. The market is a massive space that sells everything under the sun - fresh produce, live seafood, toiletries, clothes, shoes, watches, DVDs, fabric, jewelry... the list is endless. I had my first crack at haggling here.
Yummy spring rolls... just one of the many Vietnamese dishes we gorged ourselves on. Our average bill for a nice restuarant dinner for two (including appetizers, entrees, and two beers) was about $7 - 10. Beer was only $1... so needless to say, there was a lot of beer flowing on our trip.
A lot of colonial architecture is still present, leftover from the French.
Statue of Ho Chi Minh (or Uncle Ho, as he is also known), who led the Vietnamese Independence movement and established the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Sunset on Saigon from our hotel rooftop. I'll post more photos soon!
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17 comments:
Wow. $1 for beer? I don't think I'd spend a minute sober. Great pics, thanks for sharing. :-)
Such beautiful photos! It makes me yearn for a vacation so bad...and some $1 beers!!!
Wow! Great pictures! That looks like it was a great trip!
Wow, great post! How I would love to get my hands on some of that gorgeous fabric at the market... ;)
What a wonderful experience. Great pics!
Awesome pics!! I am getting the travelling bug just looking at your blog - not good! But keep the pics coming.
Oh, oh! I wish I could've gone. I love Vietnamese food!
Great pix.
Claire from Heartspace.
Love the pictures that you have taken! Very nice. The spring rolls look yummy!
Very nice i always wanted to go to Vietnam , I have visited almost all of South East Asia and this i my next stop .
Oh I love Vietnam...have been all over the country and had fabulous experiences...thanks for sharing yours...
Thanks for sharing your travels, the fabric section of that market looks like a lot of fun & the spring rolls delicious!
What a great trip! The textiles in that market look amazing, and I loooooove Vietnamese food.
I am incredibly jealous! Those pictures are gorgeous! Can't wait for you to post more :)
all that fabric is amazing! Thanks for all the great pictures (and i love your banner by the way)
Fab photos! We had Pho last night but now I am super jealous of your culinary experiences there :)
Thanks everyone.. I will keep posting batches over the week! :)
wow, I just had a great time going through your photos - thanks! It was like a mini vacation :) Looks like an awesome trip. Hope you had a remarkable time!!
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