Welcome to Vietnam.  Discover your new choice! 

Maybe you have never heard about my country, Vietnam. It is a small Asian country, but there are many interesting things to do and see. More and more tourists from many countries in the world come to Vietnam to make their journey of finding new things.

     Let us start your trip to Ho Chi Minh City, the big city in the South of Vietnam. After a long time of being curious and eager on the plane, you will put your first step in the International Airport Tan Son Nhat. I am sure that everyone will be surprised at first coming here. A crowd of people waits for their close relations right at the exit. Haven’t you ever had a warm feeling when someone waits for you? It’s certain that nice things always leave an unforgettable emotion. And the friendly and hospitable atmosphere is what you can experience here in the first moment. It’s a remarkable thing for your new choice.

     Wow, take a breath now and get in a taxi to find a nice room in the heart of the city for your stay. There are so many rates and you are spoiled by the choices. Two star to five star hotels or rooms for rent are available everywhere, especially the place called “backpacked tourist” (Tay ba lo in Vietnamese) in De Tham St., Dist.1, where concentrates many travelers from different countries in the world. Thus, you won’t feel like a fish out of water in a strange country. For convenience, you can book the room in advance by e-mail.

     Putting down your heavy luggage, you may now be ready for enjoying the city’s view. Oh, it’s wonderful to have a leisurely walk around. Vehicles, people, buildings here are normal here but they seem to be strange enough to draw your attention. Having a drop by the City Theater, Post Office, Old Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, Nha Rong wharf, Ben Thanh market… to learn about Vietnamese history.

     Being tired after hours of discovering the city, you let go tasting Vietnamese gastronomy. I’m sure that you won’t forget the good taste on your tongue. There are many traditional cuisines of Vietnam’s three regions (the North, the central and the South) on the menus at everyday, reasonable prices. Their aftertastes seem to have a force to get your return. In the evening, spending your time hanging around the streets is so great. You can enjoy the rhythm of city life at night.  There are many shops along the streets, where varieties of handicraft, silk clothing, etc. are sold. Just have a look and making a little bargain, you can have a nice souvenir and get a funny thing also.

     Besides, coffee shops bring you a relaxation in a romantic melody and warm atmosphere, or let your body “buggy down” in rock and roll at a bar with a glass of beer to find an excited moment.

     When you get bored with the city life, leave Ho Chi Minh to search for a landscape of countryside with fresh air, green fields, and fruits orchards in Mekong Delta. You now have a chance to discover this waterway area by motorized boat, taste some fresh fruits right at the gardens. Moreover, the people here are very honest and friendly, especially the women are very charming. If you love seafood and long seashore with white sand and palm trees, let go to Nui Ne – Phan Thiet or Nha Trang. You can hear the breath of the ocean and enjoy the salt on your lips in the wind while having a meal of shrimp, clams and many kinds of shellfishes in the vast blue color of the sea.

     To avoid a hot summer, the cool weather of Dalat will make you feel as if you were in an air-conditioned room. The plateau city helps you know that it’s worth the trip to this destination with its green pine forest and typical romantic sights. Then, going to the central land to find out the Hoi An Old Village and My Son Holy Land. And there are many places still wait for your steps.

   Maybe my writing cannot express all that I want to share with you. But one thing I can be sure of is that being here is worth your time and money. With good food, beautiful sightseeing, friendly and helpful people won’t let you feel lonely. Please come here to experience your new emotion.

See you in my country...   Thu Van

Van’s Saigon restaurant list:

1.      Huong Dong  1  (countryside food in the city – frog, snake, field mouse, wild boar, fish, shrimp and squid)                                                                                236 Pasteur dist 3  

     Tel: 08-820-4701 

 2. P ho Xua

     211 ter Dien Bien Phu St., Dist.3

Tel: 08-8299625

 3.     Eden Restaurant - Bar

236 De Tham, dist 1 (backpacker area)

4.     Pho Hoa (Beef Noodle soup)

260C Pasteur St., Dist.3

Tel: 08-8297943

5.     Quan an Phuong Nghi Restaurant  

80Bis Ly Tu Trong dist 1 (a couple blocks from Ben Thanh  mkt) Note: fantastic hamburger and fry's for 35.000 dong

Tel: 08-822-4095

6.     Nha Hang Rom Vang

53 Ngo Thoi Nhien, Dist.3

Tel: 08-9307170

7.     Nam Giao (Rice with clam)

26/B13-14 Su Van Hanh St., Dist.10

Tel: 08-8621203

8.     Pho Ngan

     258 B Pasture, Dist.3

9.     Steamed rolls of Hong Hanh

17A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., Dist.1

Tel: 08-8274252

10.  Hoang Ty with a speciality of Tay Ninh Province

 32A Truong Quoc Dung St., Phu Nhuan Dist.

 Tel: 08-9010212

      11.  Nha Hang Rom Vang  (countryside motif , a little pricy but good)

     53 Ngo Thoi Nhiem     dist 3

Tel: 08-9300636

12. Hoa Vien Czech beer – Hoa Vien Brauhaus  (German beer    

      garden right in the center of Saigon)

 28 Mac Dinh Chi St, Dist.1

Tel: 08-8290585

      13. Saigon Xua va Nay  (excellent sidewalk  cafe -  owned by       

                 my friend Mike)

  33 Hguyen Trung Truc

  District 1, a few blocks from Ben Tham Market