Still known as and referred to as Saigon by almost everyone we spoke to, Ho Chi Minh City is by far the most cosmopolitan place we visited in Vietnam – which makes sense, since it is the country’s largest city with an estimated ten million residents. Though larger and more modern, Saigon still feels distinctly Vietnamese with newer hotels and restaurants tucked in between older buildings and street vendors.
Alex and I arrived late on Sunday afternoon after a quick flight from Da Nang airport and headed straight to Chill SkyBar for a drink and sunset views.
Sunset was actually behind us but still a pretty nice view!
Dusk in Saigon.
Great views of the city.
A very different skyline compared to the rest of Vietnam.
After watching a beautiful sunset (which really never gets old; we enjoy this activity in pretty much every place we visit), we headed to Ciao Bella to satisfy our craving for NY-style Italian food. The meal was awesome and just what we needed – the owner even chatted with us on the way out and handed us a free wine card for his new sister restaurant next door. It’s going to be very difficult to pass on that tomorrow night!
After dinner we walked past the famous Saigon Opera House.
Alex woke up today still feeling pretty lousy – he just can’t seem to kick this cold – so he decided to lay low at the hotel while I did a bit of sightseeing. I started with coffee and salad at L’Usine, a popular café with a Brooklyn vibe, and then slowly meandered through downtown Saigon.
Just passing by the Saigon Central Post Office.
I made my way to the War Remnants Museum hoping to learn a bit more about the Vietnam War and the impact on the country. Unfortunately, the museum was really just a collection of pictures, quotes and propaganda with a very one-sided spin. As it is often said, the "winners" of wars get to write the history, but the museum seemed much more designed to criticize than to accurately depict the harrowing stories that defined the war.
I guess I'm also not the type to be impressed by helicopters and tanks staged outside of the museum.
After an underwhelming visit to the museum, I passed on going inside Independence Palace.
Somewhat disappointed, I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Alex and head to dinner. To no one’s surprise, we headed to Portofino, the aforementioned sister-restaurant, and had another amazing meal of Italian small plates (that makes it different, right?).
Tomorrow we are leaving Vietnam to spend ten days in Cambodia. Here’s hoping that Alex starts to feel better soon!