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ENJOY YOUR STAY IN VIETNAM
ARRIVAL IN HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM
"Tan Son Nhat airport (tel 08/844 3179) is 7km northwest of
the city centre. The excellent SASCO Visitors Information and Services
Centre near the exit of the international arrivals terminal (daily
9am–11pm; tel 08/848 6711) stocks free maps and brochures and can assist
with information, car rental and hotel reservations. Just outside this
terminal is Vietindebank's foreign exchange kiosk (daily 8am–9pm);
another branch outside the nearby international departures terminal can
exchange traveller's cheques and arrange cash advances on Visa and
MasterCard. There's also a post office outside the international
departures terminal (daily 7.30am–11pm). Metered
Airport and Saigon Taxi taxis wait outside both the domestic and
international terminals and charge $3.50–5 for the journey into the
city. Make sure that the meter is on and that the driver is wearing an
official name badge, and always insist on being taken to the hotel
you've requested; very often taxis will claim that a hotel is full or
closed and take you to an alternative one for their own commission gain.
A cheaper option is to try and gather enough passengers (normally six to
eight) to fill a minibus taxi ($2 per person), or you could get a Honda
om or cyclo ($2) from outside the airport gates."
SHOPPING
Generally speaking, shops open daily 10am to dusk, with some
larger stores staying open beyond 8pm. For lacquerware, ceramics and
other handicraft souvenirs, try Art Arcade at 151 Dong Khoi,
Precious Qui at 27–29a Dong Khoi, Bich Lien at 125a Dong Khoi, or
Butterfly 26, 26b Le Thanh Ton. Kim Phuong at 77 Le Thanh Ton, Minh
Huong at 85 Mac Thi Buoi, or Authentique Interiors at 6 and 38 Dong Khoi
are all good for hand-embroidered household wares and clothes.
For tailoring, try Albert at 22 Vo Van Tan or Zakka at 134
Pasteur, while for ao dais head to Vietsilk, 135 Dong Khoi.
Paintings on silk and rice paper can be found at Workshop Hai,
239 and 241 De Tham. Recommended picture galleries are Gallerie Lotus,
55 Dong Khoi, and Nam Phuong, 156 Dong Khoi. For traditional musical
instruments try the shops along Nguyen Thien Thuat. Check out the
booths inside the main post office and on Dong Khoi itself for old
coins, stamps, notes and greetings cards featuring typical
Vietnamese scenes. Ho Chi Minh's best bookshops are found on Dong
Khoi: Bookazine at no. 28 and Xuan Thu at no. 185. Lao Dong, opposite
the Rex at 104 Nguyen Hue, stocks a wide range of magazines and
newspapers. The city's biggest market is Ben Thanh, at the
junction of Tran Hung Dao, Le Loi and Ham Nghi, where you can find
everything from conical hats, basketware bags, Da Lat coffee and Vietnam
T-shirts to buckets of eels and heaps of pigs' ears and snouts. Cholon's
equivalent is Binh Tay Market, below Thap Muoi. If you're looking for
American and Vietnamese army surplus, try Dan Sinh Market at 336 Nguyen
Cong Tru.
EATINGHo Chi Minh City offers an extensive scope
of culinary options, ranging from streetside stalls to cafés and
sophisticated restaurants. Expats, tourists and foreign influences have
somewhat fuelled the global choices now available, with a mushrooming
number of international establishments; however, flavorsome, good-value
Vietnamese cuisine can be found almost everywhere. Where phone numbers
are given, it's advisable to book ahead.
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