We made it to Ho Chi Minh. Despite getting to bed between 3 and 4 a.m., I still woke up at 6 a.m. We got ready and went looking for pho for breakfast. Luckily we found an amazing pho at the JW Marriott Saigon. After breakfast, we met our driver Hieu who was our private driver for the next two days. Although he didn’t speak much English, we made it work. Our first stop was at Saigon Square where we found oodles of bags, accessories, and clothing.

Shopping made us hungry and Hieu found a yummy banh mi shop for us. The bread is what I’ll remember. Crunchy on the outside. Soft on the inside. Not too much bread to overpower the fillings. So good! We found a head spa two doors down from our banh mi stop. We were able to walk in for treatments. I got a facial, shoulder massage, and shampoo and blowout all for about $35! Hieu dropped us off at the hotel after which we walked around the neighborhood. We practiced crossing streets in between motorbikes before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

On our second full day in Ho Chi Minh, we went back to our breakfast pho spot. This time, I decided to get Bun Bo Hue and I did not regret my choice. It hit the spot. We met Hieu again and asked him to take us to a custom clothing store. We didn’t find anything that we wanted to order at this shop. So, we then headed to a local product and arts store. There, we found some lacquerware, coffee, and even a pepper grinder. We went back to Saigon Square to get more t-shirts and omiyage for our friends and family. And I bought a couple of suitcases to take home all my purchases. Lunch was at SH Garden where we relaxed after a day of shopping. By this time, it was late afternoon so we dropped off our bags at the hotel. The last scheduled stop of the day was at La Spa Saigon for our second spa visit of the trip. We all ordered 2-hour treatments, again for a very reasonable price. We walked back to the hotel that evening.

We were awed by the sights and sounds of the hustle and bustle of nightlife in Ho Chi Minh. The street food looked interesting but we didn’t partake tonight since we were still full from our late lunch. Back to the JW Marriott Saigon where we packed and prepared to fly to Hanoi in the morning. Living Hilo Style in Ho Chi Minh.