Shopping and bargaining in markets is one of my favourite pastimes in Saigon. Here are my pointers for hunting down good deals and to make sure you don’t offend anyone. First, if you are looking for good deals at markets, early morning may not be the best time to shop. Many proprietors believe that if … read the full post

Cold drinks seem to always taste better in hot places, and HCMC is no exception. From iced beer to coffee, the streets here offer a huge variety of cold drinks to choose from. My favourite cold, roadside drink in Saigon is the smoothie. Smoothie stands usually offer a wide variety of fruits, from standard strawberry … read the full post

The Cu Chi tunnels are a site worth seeing if you are visiting Saigon. However, since they are roughly 70km round trip from the city centre, visiting them on a tour can take the majority of a day. When time in the city is limited they may seem unreachable, but fear not: you can get … read the full post

Strolling past Saigon’s numerous street food vendors will make most travellers hungry, but the problem is most of us wonder: what the heck are they making? Today I’ll tell you about one of my personal favourites, a food eaten in Vietnam for breakfast, lunch and dinner: banh cuon (pronounced: bon-koo-on). Looking at a prepared plate … read the full post

When I am in need of a ride, the quickest, and my favourite, way to get around Saigon is by using one of the many motorbike taxis, or xe oms. Drivers can be found on nearly every Saigon street corner sitting, or laying, on their bike. Catching a xe om, especially during rush hour, will save … read the full post