was flipping thru the recent copy of Lime and there was a write-up on hcmc. i honestly love saigon. it's my second fave tourist spot after taiwan right now. but i was rather let down by the article.

i agree, Saigon Square was quite fantastic. but Ben thanh? there are loads of stuff there but they failed to mention that the people in ben thanh were rough not very nice as those in saigon square. oh well. and i can't believe that they failed to mention the entire backpackers area.

the backpackers area is a little haven in itself. stores selling vietnamese t-shirts for 20 000vn (S$1.90). and beef pho for 16 000 vn (S$1.50). beer is as low as 12 000 vn (S$1.14). in fact, their own local saigon blue and red are not too shabby!

there are shops selling silk items. vietnamese silk is gorgeous and i was buying bags for S$10. those that you see in chomel or madam butterfly for $30 and up. small silk pouches were $1.50. not just that, there were places that organized local tours. half day cuchi tunnel tours were US$4 (S$6.15) and 1 day mekong delta was US$7 (S$10.77).

tailoring is cheap in the backpacker's area too! i made an ao dai and a brown silk dress for US$18 each. in total, it came up to about S$55! and it was a tailor recommended thru reviews on the internet as well as in the travel booklet found on tiger airways.

and oh man, accomodation? we stay at the glorious madam cuc 127. they were amazingly friendly! there was breakfast and dinner provided. dinner was comforting noodles and deep fried local spring rolls. aw man, just thinking abt it, i wanna go all the way back now. to just sink my teeth into the glorious bread and wash down everything at the end with vietnamese coffee.

from the balcony of our room at night

and we paid US$20 a night for a room with 2 queen beds. the most expensive room in the place. airport transfer was US$7. not per head, mind you. fantastic location too! we were really close to the blind massage place mentioned in lonely planet. it wasn't fastastic but it was cheap and comforting enough.
from the balcony of our room in the morning

i think the numbers speak for themselves quite a bit at this point. so i'm wondering why the Lime article failed to mention the gorgeous little area. and i just recapped my entire experience in the lovely corner of hcmc.




gosh.. to go back again. yet for now, taiwan beckons again in year-end. :)