36 Hours in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Photo

Clockwise from top left: Vietnam Vespa Adventures; pouring a drink at Chill Sky Bar; communications equipment in
the Reunification Palace; a dish at Quan Hoa Dong; a view from Chill Sky Bar. Credit Quinn Ryan Mattingly for The
New York Times

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Whether its the roar of motorbikes, the near constant opening of bars and
restaurants, the chatty nature of its inhabitants, or the abundance of great coffee, theres just
something invigorating about Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnams largest metropolis. Its no surprise that
Saigon, as most locals call it, exudes a youthful, inventive energy after all, over half of its eight
million dwellers are younger than 35. This dynamic spirit shines through in quirky cafes, innovative
cuisine and boutiques selling homegrown fashion. And when you need a breather from all thats new
and fabulous, its easy to steal quiet moments in crumbling colonial buildings and contemplative art
spaces.
FRIDAY
1. Who Crashed the Party? | 3 p.m.
The entrepreneurial Saigonese may seem unstoppable, but it wasnt always this way. The Reunification

Palace (entry 30,000 Vietnamese dong, or $1. 46 at 20,506 dong to the dollar), the former
headquarters of the South Vietnamese government, looks just as it did on April 30, 1975, the day a
North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates, marking the end of the brutal 20-year war. History
buffs and fans of modernism will appreciate its opulent, well-preserved interiors, which range from
official rooms adorned with heavy silk upholstery and intricate lacquerware to the Gambling Room
with its low-slung olive-green armchairs, where its easy to imagine officials plotting the war over
booze and cards. A labyrinth of underground concrete rooms dedicated to the war effort is filled with
maps, pastel rotary phones and humorously large radios.
2. Served Up | 5:30 p.m.
Rise above the din of Friday rush hour by heading to one of the citys rooftop bars, built atop sparkling
skyscrapers that provide a mesmerizing view of the citys broad boulevards and chaotic traffic circles.
On the 52nd floor, Eon Heli Bar, in the citys tallest building, Bitexco Financial Tower, offers the
highest perch for a sunset tipple. Luckily, happy hour prices arent as steep, with drinks like the Basil
Gimlet (gin, Cointreau, fresh basil) half-priced at 145,000 dong. The nouveau riche gather at Chill Sky
Bar, where cocktails conceived by the mixologist Le Thanh Tung are shaken at an illuminated outdoor
bar, while 23rd-floor Shri is stylishly subdued. Intimate tables on the terrace are surrounded by potted
frangipanis and the occasional songbird. Book ahead and leave the flip-flops behind.
Photo

Cuc Gach Quan. Credit Quinn Ryan Mattingly for The New York Times

3. Country Kitchen | 7 p.m.

With its chipped vintage dishware, bookshelves stuffed with tattered novels and vinyl records, and
recycled wood tables, Cuc Gach Quan is a breath of fresh air in the citys sleek facade. Tran Binh, the
architect-owner, opened the restaurant in a French colonial building as an ode to his grandmothers
country home, blending nostalgia and Vietnamese home cooking with an eco-flair. Fresh ingredients
are used in the expansive menu (there are 35 vegetables alone to choose from) with highlights like
deep-fried tofu with lemon grass and chile and a crispy sea bass in passion fruit sauce (both 90,000
dong). A few streets away is a sister property, Cuc Gach Caf, a midcentury-inspired space with a daily
menu (100,000 dong) and fruit smoothies.
4. Celestial Vibes | 10:30 p.m.
A popular cafe by day, La Fentre Soleil turns into a chic house party on weekends, when live bands
and D.J.s play everything from dancehall ska to psychedelic 1960s Asian pop. Hipsters, artists and 20and 30-somethings flock to the romantic space huge windows, mismatched armchairs, gilded
mirrors and framed antlers on the walls to sip red wine and dance the night away. Newly opened
Observatory is positioning itself as a hub for the citys alternative cultural scene, hosting live music and
D.J.s in the evenings and art openings and readings during the day. Weekend parties continue into the
wee hours sometimes well past sunrise.
SATURDAY
5. Vroom Vroom | 8 a.m.
Join the sea of motorbikes with a tour by Vietnam Vespa Adventures, whose beautifully restored
vintage Vespas will transport you to the citys less-trodden spots (guests ride pillion). Led by a wellversed local guide, the half-day Insiders Saigon option ($65) putters along to stops like the
intersection where the Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death in 1963 to protest the
persecution of monks under the South Vietnamese government, coupled with intimate views of city
life: an incense-filled temple in the old Cholon neighborhood; a park where bird owners gather on
weekend mornings to sip coffee accompanied by their caged, tweeting pets.
Photo

A park where bird owners display their pets. Credit Quinn Ryan Mattingly for The New York Times

6. Simple Pleasures | 12:30 p.m.

In Saigon, you can spend $100 or $1 on a meal and enjoy them equally sidewalks, markets and
mom-and-pop storefronts are home to many of the citys best cooks. At Quan Hoa Dong, a fan-cooled
eating spot one block north of the Ben Thanh Market, a mother-daughter team grill skewered pork to
perfection for the bun thit nuong (60,000 dong), a must-try dish of rice noodles, fried spring rolls and
fresh herbs. Nearby Thanh Binh is known for its crab claws try them with the tapioca noodle soup
(70,000 dong) or smothered in tamarind sauce (220,000) and offers a large menu of classic
southern dishes. Save room for a tall glass of sweet che thap cam (16,000 dong) chipped ice, coconut
milk and layers of tapioca pearls and soft beans at Che My 2, a 15-minute walk.
7. Buy Local | 2 p.m.
Tempted as you might be to don the classic mandarin-collared ao dai tunic, why not take home a
souvenir thats a little more au courant? A good place to start is Ginkgo Concept Store, which focuses
on sustainably made items from clothing by local designers (check out Linda Mai Phungs organic
cotton and silk line) to gorgeously packaged bars of Marou chocolate, Vietnams first single-origin,
handmade chocolate using local cacao beans. Boho-chic Mai Lam offers avant-garde interpretations of
traditional Vietnamese styles in intricately sewn, eco-friendly materials, on the citys stylish shopping
street Dong Khoi. Anna Vo is stocked with hounds-tooth cropped tops and lace mini-dresses designed
by a Milan-trained Saigonese fashionista.

8. Art on the Rise | 4 p.m.

Though Hanoi is considered Vietnams cultural hub, Ho Chi Minh Citys more open-minded
atmosphere is now fostering its own creative scene. Housed in a former factory, Galerie Quynh is a
contemporary gallery, putting on several shows a year that examine the Vietnamese psyche. The
nonprofit San Art supports experimental work, while Craig Thomas Gallery is run by an American
whos been involved in the local art scene for over 10 years.
9. Global Tastes | 7 p.m.
The citys progress has brought with it a new wave in taste, evident in the booming restaurant scene
that spans a global palate. At Pizza 4Ps, down an alley off the main street, four friends from Tokyo
bring the precision of Japanese cooking to thin-crusted Margheritas topped with homemade
mozzarella, and pies inspired by their homeland, like the calamari-seaweed pizza (from 95,000 dong),
baked in a wood-fired oven. On the former grounds of an opium refinery, Blanchy Street is run by two
Nobu London-trained chefs, Martin Brito and Yogo Oba. In an intimate space with pretty tile flooring
and wooden tables, the pair fuse Japanese and South American flavors with panache, serving such
dishes as octopus carpaccio with jalapeo sauce (180,000 dong), along with a sushi and sake menu.
10. Beautiful People | 10:30 p.m.
At the Park Hyatts 2 Lam Son bar, a stunning example of old-meets-new with its latticed screens and
glass bauble light fixtures, unwind with a ginger martini (210,000 dong) in one of the romantic, fabricdraped nooks or grab a street-facing cocktail table, watching the citys youth zip by on mopeds. D. J.s
perform on Fridays and Saturdays. Xu, which also houses a modern Vietnamese restaurant, attracts
the see-and-be-seen set, who don high heels, short skirts and flat-ironed locks while sipping drinks
prepared with ingredients like sugarcane juice and kumquats (from 120,000 dong) accompanied by
thumping music and paintings of figures like Richard Nixon and Napoleon.
SUNDAY
11. Colonial Cuppa | 10:30 a.m.
Among the influences French culture has had on this former colony, two enduring examples are great
coffee and architecture, which come together at LUsine, down an alley lined with art stalls off Dong
Khoi. Opened by a group of 30-something expat friends, the cafe-boutique is in a grand 1890s
structure that was once the Hotel de Saigon. It is now restored to much of its original glory, with
soaring cast-iron pillars and arched windows punctuating the light-filled space. With a Vietnamese
coffee in hand dripped through a sieve and mixed with condensed milk and eye-catching
housewares and clothing by local designers, its the perfect place to ponder Ho Chi Minh Citys storied
past and bright future.

Craig Thomas
Gallery
Saigon Zoo
and
Botanical
Gardens
2 Lam Son
Park Hyatt Saigon
Reunification Palace

Gingko Concept Store

Vietnam Vespa Adventures
Ho Chi
Minh City