Ho Chi Minh City - Cho Ben Thanh Market

This statue is located directly opposite Ben Thanh Market (at the roundabout)

Ben Thanh Market is one of the famous tourist attractions in Saigon. It is loaded with varieties of goods like t shirts, shorts, beaded hand bags, shoes, lacquerware, flowers, coffee powder, fruits & vegetables etc.

What I liked the most about Ben Thanh Market are those exquisite lacquerwares. Be sure to compare the prices before you decide to buy because there are just SO MANY over there and it is very competitive for them. Make sure you BARGAIN REALLY HARD.... If the price is not right, just walk away because the stall vendors may just lower the price again and you could probably find the same one at the next store.

T shirts are mostly around 25,000 -45,000 VND. I bought a few for my friends at 31,000(Approx $2 plus SGD) at those road side fixed price stores. Since it was already so cheap, I was too lazy to bargain with those vendors. :) Most of the t shirts are those related to vietnam such as "Good Morning Vietnam" or with vietnam flag. A good buy for souvenirs.

If you are those that would not mind to buy counterfeit goods such as addidas, nike.. Ben Thanh Market have a lot!!!

Somehow, I feel Beh Thanh Market is a little bit similar to the Chatuchak in Bangkok, but Chatuchak definitely have 100 times nicer clothes and things over there.

The things that I bought in Cho Ben Thanh Market are their egg shells painting, 2 sets of children ao dai (approx $6.50 - $7 Sgd, depending on the sizes) and coasters.

Do watch out for your bags and wallets as this place can get crowded at times. Beware of pick pockets.

Name of this place: Ben Thanh Market

Address: Le Loi Boulevard, District 1, (At the junction of Ham Nghi, Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao)

Opening Hours: 6:00am to 7:00pm daily... (Night markets will be set up along the road after 7pm)

Special Cocoction for your whiskey

The Things In Ben Thanh Market




Lacquerwares, painting everywhere
More Posts On Saigon Can Be Found >>>>My Saigon Trip

Ho Chin Minh City - Pho 24

We rested for a while at the hotel after checked in. The first thing that we do is to find our way to Pham Ngo Lao Street (Backpacker St) because the nearest Sinhcafe was just located there. Both of us were kind of blurred with the road signs there cause almost all were spelt in vietnamese. We took quite a hard time to reach there, asking around more than 5 people about the right direction. The worst problem that we had was the right pronunciation of the road and the lucky thing is we have the map so we just point and they direct us. Communication was also abit of problem for us because quite a number of them don't really speak or understand good english.

Finally, we reached Sinhcafe. There were many people from all over the countries. Business seem to be extremely good for them. In my next post, i will explain more on the package we got. After some discussion, we decided to opt for the half day ho chi minh city tour plus the half day cuchi tunnel tour for the next day. We paid extra 25,000dong for the bus pick up and drop off service at our hotel too.

In Vietnam, the MUST TRY FOOD is PHO. Hence, we decided to proceed the well raved pho, Pho 24. Since there was a discount coupon at the map given from the airport staff, we used it. This was the first proper meal that I had in Ho Chin Minh. I was extremely hungry!!! We ordered a large mixed bowl (beef & chicken), a large beef bowl(same as mixed bowl, except the ingredients were beef), Beef Balls & Spring rolls. Well, that was what they have in the afternoon, i wanted to order their broken rice but they say they don't have. :)

I can't really remember how much was the damage but i remembered most of the food prices are like 15,000, 25,000, 35,000 and the most expensive that we had was the large mixed bowl that cost around 45,000-55,000.

Anyway, Pho 24 can be found almost everywhere in Ho Chin Minh. They have many outlets. :)

Name: Pho 24

Website: http://www.pho24.com.vn

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Cheap & Good Food Fare)

Crispy and Yummy Spring Rolls

Few miserable beef balls cut into half (very very small portion)

Large Mixed Bowl (YUMMY!)

More Posts On Saigon Can Be Found>>>>My Saigon Trip

My Stay with Lavender Hotel at Ho Chin Minh

I reached the hotel around 10am but i was not allowed to check in because my room was not ready yet. I decided to explore the hotel and enjoy a cup of coffee at their saigon view restaurant & bar since my room will be available in less than an hour time.

Lavender Hotel was opened since May 2008. Although it was a small 3 stars hotel but I would say everything was new and stylish. The staffs were helpful and friendly. In fact, I would give them an overall 4.5 stars for their excellent service.

Just like its name, many things were in purple and you will see lavender flowers all around. Even inside your room or bathroom. What I liked the most about their Lobby is the two purple chairs below. I think it is unique and cute.

On the other side, they have cool and comfy european style sofas. Christmas decor outside since it was christmas season. :)


This is the picture that I took at the saigon view restaurant, located at 8th floor. Diners can enjoy paranomic view because of the outdoor dining area that they have.


This is Ben Thanh Market. I can oversee the whole of Ben Thanh Market at the restaurant. Lavender Hotel is just located across Ben Thanh Market and it is only 2 minutes walk from the hotel.



At around 10.40, we finally checked into our 5 days 4 nights home. Wow! It was spick and span. Although this was a smoking room, it still smell good. I am glad there was a small window because some of the 3 stars hotel in Saigon do not have windows. The standard room that I am staying was small but comfy enough for the 2 of us.



The Tv Console area. There was a mini bar, fridge,tea making facilities. 2 Bottles of complimentary drinking water everyday. They have almost everything that was needed in a hotel including a Safe Deposit Box.

You can tell how small it was but both of us were quite fine with it because the positive points have already covered the flaws found.



You do not need to worry that the TV Channels are boring. They have many channels, it was just like our SCV. They have HBO,Discovery Channels, Hongkong Serial, Chinese,Hindi. I am sure it will definitely be enough for you to watch.


There was nothing special about the bathroom but it was at least modernly equipped to meet our needs. What I liked the most about their bathroom was the electronic weighing scale inside. I used it to measure the weight of my luggage so that it won't exceed the luggage weight requirement. I think this is quite thoughtful of the hotel to think of that.




You will be given chocolates and a card every night around 8pm. The card will indicate "Have a sweet lavender dream". How sweet they are! Another thing that I liked about this hotel is their tied up service with Vinasun taxi. Vinasun taxi was the more realiable source of taxi in Vietnam and there will be a lady in Vinasun uniform standing just outside the hotel. Hence, everytime when you need a taxi, you just need to inform the hotel staff and they will assist you in calling a cab.

During the time upon check in, I actually left my addidas jacket at the restaurant. However, the jacket was brought to me by the restaurant manager personally after 10 minutes without even knowing I left the jacket there. I think that is a thing that it is worth mentioning about their service.

Overall, I would give 4.5 stars for this 3 stars hotel in saigon. :)


Name: Lavender Hotel
Address: 208-210 Le Thanh Ton Ben Thanh Ward Dist 1 HCMC
Tel: (84 8) 2222 8888, 2220 2120
Fax: (84 8) 2220 2121
Website: www.lavenderhotel.com.vn

More Posts On Saigon Can Be Found >>>>My Saigon Trip

My 5 days 4 nights Ho Chin Minh Trip

Woohoo... I am SOooooo excited that I am flying off to Ho Chin Minh City Tomorrow. This will be my first time there so I was wondering if I would really like that place. I am sure Ho Chin Minh would be a great place with nice food but I am not so sure about the shopping there.

I would be travelling on Jetstar Asia Airways and the flight is early in the morning 7.15am. I think the duration of the flight would take about 2 hours and the time in Ho Chin Minh is slower than our time by an hour.

Here are some of the details for my free and easy package.

Air Tickets: $366 For 2 Pax
Lodging: Lavender Hotel, ROH Double with window (Approximately round off is $100 per night)
Each pax: Approx $383 per pax

I think it is cheap for a 5 days 4 nights stay. Moreover, i am counting down my christmas there. Anyway, I wish all of you a wonderful christmas this year!

More Posts On Saigon Can Be Found >>>>My Saigon Trip

Brewbaker at Anchorvale CC

Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar is one of the newly opened outlet under Jack's Place. It is a hidden gem located in the neighbourhood area, Sengkang at Anchorvale Community Centre. This place will serve a great hangout place for those people who want to get away from the hustle bustle city,especially when you are staying just around that area and you just do not wish to travel too far to the town area.

The total bill was $49.79. Please see below for more details.

Brewbaker, sitting near the bar

Name: Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar

Address: 59 Anchorvale Road #01-06 Anchorvale Community Club

Telephone: 6886 1811

Website: http://www.brewbakers.com.sg

Operating Hours:

Mondays To Thurs : 11.30am - 11 pm

Fridays To Sats: 11.30am - Late

You can catch live soccer if you want to because they do have a tv screen inside. :)

Bar Counter

Brewbaker have both indoor and outdoor dining. One thing i really loved the most is their freshly brewed beer sampler pack. It comes with 3 different flavors (Archipelago Traveller's Wheat, Samui & Archipelago Trader's Brown Ale). If you does not know what flavor you should try on, then you should try this. I prefered Traveller's wheat and samui more than brown ale. Brown Ale is simply too bitter for me. Brewbaker also serve wines as well.

Beer Sampler Pack ($9.80 Buy 1 set get 1 set free) Promotion

Well, as for their food, I think they still have rooms for improvement. Both the mixed grill and fish & chips tasted very normal. Fish & Chips was a bit cold when it was served to me. I think it will taste better if they can serve hot the next time.

Mixed Grill ($18.50)

Traditional Fish & Chip ($14.00)

Overall, I think this place is great for gathering with a few friends, but if you are looking for good food, I think other places may fare better. However, if it is a beer session, i think i really quite enjoyed their beer.

Rating: 3 stars for ambience / 2 stars for food (Totalling out of 5 stars)

Chalk Restaurant At Mount Sophia Road

Bread

Duck Confit ($31)

Escargot ($13)

Suprema 12 Inch Pizza ($19)

Lamb Rack ($35) Ribeye Steak ($33)
Outdoor Dining (great view of orchard behind)
( Scary?)

Here is a new hangout place that i found out recently. It is at Mount Sophia Road, just directly behind Plaza Singapura. This restaurant, Chalk is located inside this creative hub( Old school) was formerly a methodist girls school. Chalk was just opened barely for less than a month and is starting to attract some crowds. I am sure this place still need time to attract more people, it also reminded me the olden days of Demsey Road where there isn't many people. Other than that, this place have some art related businesses and gallery space.

Name: Chalk
Address: 11 Mount Sophia Road, #01-03
Tel: 6883-2120
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Initially, we wanted to go the restaurant which is directly opposite Chalk but the attitude and service of one the staffs really turned me off and her customer services was really bad. We asked for a table for 4 and this was what happened.

She rudely asked us "Did you make any reservation?"

We replied "No".

She replied, "Huh?? Do you know we do not have any seats available until 9.30 pm?"

I asked her again, "There are still so many seats available, can you just try to get us a table for 4 or may be you can just help us to check what time those people will be coming in?"

She impatiently replied and rolled her eyes at us, "This place is very popular, if you don't make any reservation, we will not have any tables for you."

Hello, what kind of attitude is this? She think i have no money to eat? She did not even bother to check her list before replying us. Straight away, i just tell my friends to dine at Chalk Restaurant. Anyway, Chalk restaurant looks much nicer and classy than this place.

The moment we stepped into Chalk Restaurant, we were greeted and welcomed by the friendly staffs. There is an indoor and an outdoor dining. The outdoor dining offers view of orchard road and the look and feel of the restaurant is very comfortable. The staff served each of us a glass of champage(drink of the day) first and also patiently explained the menu to us. We are also able to look into the kitchen from where we were seated. I was quite surprised when i found out that the chef was a young english lady and she is also the wife of the manager.

What I loved the most about their food was their bread. You will be served with different types of bread before the main course. We ordered a few to try. Escargot, Ribeye Steak, Duck confit, lamb rack and suprema 12 Pizza. All the food we tried were quite nice except escargot was abit salty. i specially like duck confit and ribeye steak the most.

Guess what? The total bill was only $131 for so much food and please do not worry that the portion will be small, even though it looks like a fine dining restaurant. Beside that, they did not charge us the champagne and service charge. I was wondering if it was because my boyfriend happened to know the manager. Hehehe... :)

Overall, it was a nice experience at Chalk. It is a good place for chit chatting with your friend or if you are planning for a romantic dining with your girlfriend, but yet is a little bit tight on the budget, try this restaurant.

Bysi Warehouse Sales from 5 dec to 8 dec 2008

Here is another update on warehouse sales. BYSI is having its year end warehouse sales from 5 dec to 8 december. Their items are going to start from $6 onwards. I think office ladies can replenish their wardrobe with the cheap buys over the weekend. :)

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