Happy to say I am back in Vietnam! I visited the north and central regions, now I'm back for 10 days to explore the southern region before heading to Cambodia. As usual, I started my first night with a food tour. The food was soooo good. Things that I didn't have in the north or central regions. See the pictures below. Then the next day I found a Michelin rated restaurant a 4 minute walk from the hotel and I just HAD to try it! I'm so glad that I did- some of the best food I've ever had. It was a Spanish tapas restaurant, and better than any I've ever been to. I opted for the set lunch menu which was 2 tapas, and entree and dessert. I spicey tomato soup, potato omelet, Mackerel entree and yogurt with caramelized banana for dessert- Yummy!!! I also posted pictures below. Then off to the city tour.
South Vietnam has a similar history to Korea. North and South with different ideology's (Communism vs Democracy). That's how the first 11 years of the Vietnam war was started. Then other forces came to play. Russia was supporting the north and their desire to annex the 2(North and South) and both be communist. The south wanted democracy and was supported by the US. Which is how it is viewed here. The American war, not the Vietnam war. I visited the War museum and to actually see the atrocities from the American war was jarring...no pictures of that, but pictures from the other area's of the museum, Independence Square, French square and post office and Pagoda-the oldest in Saigon. An enjoyable start to the southern region! Enjoy!
I can't remember what everything was-sorry! Started with caramelized banana and sticky rice-really good. Basically a banana encased in sticky rice and covered with coconut milk-delicious. Then a noodle dish with shrimp and seafood-Bun Thai. That's served with a side of broth that was VERY tasty. Of course you doctor it up with condiments to your liking- I really enjoyed this dish. The noodles were slightly chewy, and with the spiced and bean sprouts, it was a hearty dish. Next was escargot- which is the meat minced and mixed with breading and seasoning and then steamed. I really like this dish too- I think better than traditional escargot. Also tried Vietnamese pizza- yummy! Then potato balls, and beef in lemongrass and rice paper snack. We also made our own spring rolls which were really, really good. Custard filled buns-truly enjoyed this little treat. And wait- I finally found out what chicken floss was!!! It's shredded chicken that is deep fried. I had a snack with rice cake with topping and chicken floss was on it-unfortunately I didn't like that snack, so I didn't eat it. It was greasy and didn't taste like anything. Of course in Vietnam no food tour is complete without Bahn mi, so I tried the egg Bahn mi and finished with Flan and yogurt with blueberry compote. Everything was delicious and honestly one of the best food tours I've been on. Now, the Tapas restaurant was a really pleasant surprise. Below is top right- spicy tomato soup with serano ham. Below it to the left is the potato and caramelized onion omelet, then the mackeral entree with salad and potatoes(which were also very good) then the yogurt with caramelized banana. I enjoyed it from start to finish!
The afternoon was the city tour...
Above is the Jade Emporor Pagoda-the oldest pagoda in Saigon. Below is War Remnants Museum.
It was really hard to view the photo documentation, so I didn't take as many pictures as usual. Below is Reunification Palace-this was the presidential palace for South Vietnam before and during the war. Now it's a museum, but you can see how the prior administration lived.
Below is French Square(From French Colonization) and the Old Post Office which is still functioning today.
Overall I enjoyed Saigon. You can definitely see the western influence in this part of the country. The food tastes great and definitely different that northern Vietnam. Next I'm heading out to the coast for a few days of fun at the beach!
