Date: 30 October 2019
Upon returning to Ho Chi Minh City and checking in to Kim Dung hotel, I stepped out for lunch. I was in the mood for some Pho again. Pho is (currently) the most hyped Vietnamese dish (by foreigners). It’s basically a noodle soup, mostly served with cuts of beef.
![Pho Vietnam Tan Dinh Saigon restaurant](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pho-vietnam-tan-dinh-saigon-restaurant.jpg)
![Vietnamese beef pho quay leaves](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vietnamese-beef-pho-quay-leaves.jpg)
The waiter kept a plate of quay on my table and I figured it was part of the sides, like the veggies, and was included in the price of the pho. Well, the waiter didn’t tell me that the quay is ‘optional’. If you eat it, you pay for it. Maybe locals knew that but I didn’t. Oh well.
![Tan Dinh chicken on street Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-chicken-on-street-vietnam.jpg)
![Tan Dinh market Ho Chi Minh City](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-market-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
![Tan Dinh market drinks Saigon Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-market-drinks-saigon-vietnam.jpg)
![Tan Dinh market clothes shops Ho Chi Minh city](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-market-clothes-shops-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
![Tan Dinh market footwear shops Ho Chi Minh city](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-market-footwear-shops-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
![Cashewnuts Tan Dinh market Ho Chi Minh city](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cashewnuts-tan-dinh-market-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
Prices were slightly lower than Ben Thanh market but with some shops, you would have to negotiate harder. I decided to buy on the day I would be leaving Vietnam.
![Tan Dinh market vegetables Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-market-vegetables-vietnam.jpg)
![Pink church Tan Dinh road Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pink-church-tan-dinh-road-vietnam.jpg)
Tan Dinh Catholic Church is a famous landmark in the Tan Dinh area. Why? Well, look at it.
![Pink Tan Dinh Catholic church Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pinh-tan-dinh-catholic-church-vietnam.jpg)
![Tan Dinh pink church Saigon](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-pink-church-saigon.jpg)
![Tan Dinh area Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tan-dinh-area-vietnam.jpg)
I did some work and stepped out again later in the evening. I hadn’t seen much of Ho Chi Minh City besides District 1, which has most of what tourists come to see in the city. I wanted to see how Vietnamese live in Sai Gon, outside of the city center.
![District 1 BRTS bus Ho Chi Minh City](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/district1-brts-bus-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
Unfortunately, language being a major problem, the bus driver nor the passengers could understand much English. One young girl tried to tell me which bus to take, but figured I would be wasting time traveling by bus to an unfamiliar area. So I decided to just book a Grab bike taxi and head across the river to District 7.
I wasn’t carrying my DSLR because I wanted to travel without much weight around my neck. So I decided to just shoot videos of the journey on my phone. Here’s a bike ‘vlog’ as I went to District 7.
I just chose Crescent Mall as a landmark since it showed up in English on the Grab app. I wasn’t particularly interested in coming here just to see a mall — it was merely a landmark. Most malls all look the same to me now.
![Mango crescent mall Saigon Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/mango-crescent-mall-saigon-vietnam.jpg)
I just walked around, soaked in some air conditioning, and then went into a supermarket operated by Vincom.
![Cashews Vincom supermarket Ho hi Minh City](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cashews-vincom-supermarket-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
![Live fish Vietnam supermarket](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/live-fish-vietnam-supermarket.jpg)
![Skateboarding crescent mall Vietnam](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/skateboarding-crescent-mall-vietnam.jpg)
![District 7 apartment Ho Chi Minh City](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/district7-apartment-ho-chi-minh-city.jpg)
![Lotteria bulgogi burger Vietnam menu](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/lotte-bulgogi-burger-vietnam-menu.jpg)
Once back in my room, I did some more work and slept early as I had woken up at dawn to catch my bus to Ho chi Minh City. I just had one more night left in the city.
Next posts in this series:
Vietnam: Views from Bitexco Financial Tower observation deck
Vietnam: Saying goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City
Previous posts in this series:
Vietnam: Leaving Mui Ne, returning to Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam: Mui Ne’s Fairy Stream (Suoi Tien)
Vietnam: Mui Ne – Red Sand dunes and Fishing Village
Vietnam: Mui Ne Sand Dunes Sunrise Tour – visit to Bao Trang desert (White Sand)
Vietnam: Po Shanu Cham Towers, Hindu temple near Mui Ne
Vietnam: Taking bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne
Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk
Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street, Opera House
Vietnam: Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office
Vietnam: Cao Dai temple in Tây Ninh
Vietnam: Coconut sweet making factory, Bến Tre
Vietnam: Bến Tre canal boat ride, Tien River (part of Mekong Delta tour)
Vietnam: Vinh Trang Pagoda in Bến Lức
Vietnam: Bui Vien Street — Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife area (for tourists)
Vietnam: War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam: Independence Palace and Norodom Palace Exhibit
Vietnam: Ben Thanh Market and Mariamman Hindu Temple, Ho Chi Minh City
Flying from Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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