Finding Local Color in Ho Chi Minh City

Getting off the tourist path is sometimes hard to do. Luckily, Ho Chi Minh City offers numerous places to eat and shop that are not tourist traps. Virtually every neighborhood has a market selling food and necessities. Also, there are innumerable small street side restaurants, coffee shops, and bia hoi (fresh beer) cafes.

Most of District 1, AKA Downtown is expensive, as are downtowns worldwide. District 3, has a couple of markets and several quiet neighborhoods that offer a glimpse of local color unseen in Pham Ngu Lao’s tourist neighborhood or the more jet-set surroundings of District 1.

Recommendations: Ho Chi Minh City is a city of narrow alleyways. Wandering down any of them is usually safe during daylight hours. There are numerous cafes, restaurants, street stalls, even entire markets, hidden away from view.

Tan Da Market (Hai Ba Trung just past Vo Thi Sao) is the closest to City center. Along the outside of the market are spots serving lunch during market hours. Some noodle stalls take over business in the evening (Try Bun Bo Hue at the one on the end of the row, farthest from Hai Ba Trung). This market has a neighborhood feel to it, and if you make several visits, people will start to recognize you.

One thing that you can get around Pham Ngu Lao is decent late night fare. Pushcarts hover around the area serving chicken, beef or eggs with fried rice. The price is cheap and food good.

Storefront restaurants are best across the street from Pham Ngu Lao. Though crossing busy Tran Hung Dao blvd. can be intimidating, it is worth it when you wander a few blocks into the neighborhood around Ky Con Street. The morning means some of the best Pho and noodle shops in the city are open for business. At lunch time, there are several rice carts and some Chinese noodle shops worth visiting. Just look for the crowd of hungry office workers hunched over their bowls. At night, the pushcart vendors take up their trade on the sidewalks. Despite the smallness of their operation, the soup is first rate. Look for the steam carts and their battery powered florescent lights.

District 5 is called Cho Lon. Translated to English that means “Big Market”. It is just that. Some of the markets in D5 are intimidating in their bigness. But again, there are small shops worth visiting, especially along Nguyen Trai Street. As District 5 is also the home of Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown. Some of the best Chinese fare can be found in the little shops that line the streets.

The most attractive thing about visiting bustling Ho Chi Minh City is that is is easy and safe to wander through the various neighborhood and get a taste local life.

(Check out this map online for some ideas on what part of the city to visit)