Category: Vietnam

A weekend trip to Saigon , September 2016

Ho Chi Minh city does not have subways but it is the home to about 8 million people as of 2016. According to a signage on the street, It seems that Japan is helping it to build its subway, and the famous Japanese department store Takashimaya also has its branch, where you will see lots of Japanese and international food and products.

Once again, I saw another southern east country that is under heavy influence of Japan. No wonder that I stumbled into many Japanese wives of expat(駐在員)

 

Through a conversation with a local, I heard some interesting anecdote about the men’s mentality towards women’s sexual experiences. For example, many Vietnamese guys prefer to marry a virgin , they will be upset if they discover that the bride is not virgin. So many girls here thrive to keep their virginity.

I didn’t know that Vietnam is one of the biggest coffee bean producers until I hit the famous Bến Thành Market and found myself surrounded by numerous coffee bean stalls. I bought a few Vietnamese coffee beans in the market, and I will try them out with my Mazzer machine in Singapore.

I discovered some new fruit that might be unique to Vietnam. For example, Sapoche smoothie, and Mia Lau tea and a lime smoothie which is very tasty and refreshing!

And for the first time, I learnt how a papaya tree look like in Vietnam

Since, there are currently no subway. The scoot-like motorbikes are like streams on the street , they are ubiquitous, rampant and never stop even in the middle of the night. Check out this video below:

Vietnamese cuisine is amazing. I fell in love with it . The food is affordable, healthy and tasty, compared to the food in Singapore anyway. Meals usually include fresh herbs and veggies. Apart from the famous Vietnamese phô , which can be found in other countries. I tried many dishes that I have never seen in my life before

This is a desert. It may look not as sophisticated and pretty as western desert, but it is simple, primitive but yummy and healthy. It suits my Asian tongue well.

Despite that I have to give up my vegetarian diet for 3 days, food in Saigon is cheap and incrediblely tasty and pleasant for my tongue. I tried so many tasty food that I never had in my life.

The broth they made is very tasty.  I gave up 3 days of my vegetarian diet to try the local food, I still do not like the meat in it. Actually, I got a bit “drunk” – some strange reaction from my body, radish on my skin (maybe allergy). Nevertheless, I recovered from that in an hour or so. I especially loved the spring roll with vegetables.