Hungry in Ho Chi Minh

As you’ve learned by now we take advantage of any three day weekends in Singapore to explore somewhere in the region.  The July holiday weekend was no different as we decided to explore Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) with our friend Mario Paradise* who was visiting from the States. I can officially say that this was one of the best trips we’ve taken in awhile. It was the right combo of travel buddies and fun activities.

We started our trip with a cooking class at Saigon Cooking Class by Hoa Tuc with Chef Hong. He patiently taught us how to make beef noodle soup (pho bo), caramelized pork with fresh coconut juice in a traditional Vietnamese clay pot (Thịt kho tiêu), BBQ pork vermicelli (Bún thịt nướng) and fresh spring rolls with prawns, pork and rice noodles (Gỏi cuốn). Southern Vietnamese food is quite different the Northern cuisine and surprisingly Vietnamese dishes are made with a lot of sugar and a lot of fish sauce, which is made from fermented fish that is slowly pressed.

One cannot enjoy something like this without making it into a bit of a cooking competition. We were all winners as we ate some great food but one of us may have performed their touchdown dance and we stopped keeping track after two rounds of cooking as it was becoming a bit of a blow out.

Our hotel, the Caravelle Hotel, was in a great area in District One (the touristy area) where we could walk to dinner and we enjoyed a cocktail atop the Majestic Hotel overlooking the Mekong River. 

You can’t talk about Ho Chi Minh without talking about the scooter insanity.  There are 7.9 million people who live there so there are scooters EVERYWHERE sometimes carrying three people, groceries, goods to sell at the market, you name it you’ll see it! When you cross the street you simply walk at a steady pace and they go around you. Surprisingly there are not many accidents as everyone drives max 25 MPH but it’s certainly a sight to see.

Photo credit: wikipedia.org 

Since this trip was a trip of a lifetime and packed with more than we can talk about in one post, you’ll have to stay tuned next week for Scooting in Saigon. Trust me – it’s worth the wait. Until then, you're welcome to come on over for some Vietnamese home cooking!

Happy Trails, 

Amy & Raegen 

*Great name right? I know, but it's not his real name.