Our first stop Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon the historical capital of South Vietnam, is the largest and most populous city of Vietnam. This fact paired with around 3 Million tourists a year results in a busy City, which might be overwhelming for some. We however, loved the functioning and vivid chaos.
Impressions
The most dominant impression in HCMC is undisputedly the traffic – for us a joyful adventure to watch and participate in.
However, the cafes, shops and street food have a captivating charm in itself, if you are willing to embrace it.
Street Food
We visited HCMC oldest and poorest neighborhood with two friendly locals, to enjoy some authentic and delicious street food.
Countless street food vendors, surrounded by 4 floor buildings, selling a variety of delicious dishes. As most of the 30 to 40 square meter apartments don’t have a kitchen, most habitants in that neighborhood eat out. Hence, making it a great location to sell street food. Not only for locals – we had great Phu, grilled sticky rice banana, the famous Banh Mì and much more.
Oh… and make sure you try some egg coffee. That shit is delicious!
Another great place to eat Pho is Pho Hoa Pasteur Restaurant, where most clients are locals.
Some History
From 1954 to 1963 Vietnam was governed by a catholic governor. Even though the majority of Vietnam was Buddhist, he started to oppress the buddhists. In protest to said oppression, the monk Thich Quang Duc, set himself on fire to get the world’s attention.
As the protest didn’t have any immediate change, more monks started to burn themselves alive to join the cause, while being mocked by the governor’s sister, who mockingly offered them more petrol, so she could keep “enjoying the barbecue”.
Eventually, the governor was assassinated, bringing an end to the senseless oppression.
The monument of Thich Quang Duc is unexpectedly captivating.
There also exist a real life picture of the incident, making the story much more gut wrenching.
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