Xin chào to the land of delicious banh mi and pho in Southeast Asia – Vietnam! This was my first time in Vietnam, and the whole experience was a lot more fun than I expected.
The city is a popular location for backpackers and those interested in street food, war museums and vibes. While Ho Chin Minh is known for its culture and history, we were a lot more aware about it being a shopping haven. That was our main trip objective, and yes, our luggage definitely gave birth when we headed back to Singapore.
What to do in Ho Chi Minh
1. Saigon Halal Street (Nguyen An Ninh Street)
There is a street in Ho Chin Minh dubbed as the “Malaysia Street” or “Saigon Halal street”, which is located right beside West Gate of Ben Thanh Market. One can find an abundant choice of halal food, hotels, cafes, souvenirs and tailored clothes along this 100m street!
Most sellers here are able to speak Malay, as they are ethnically Muslim Cham. You can also pay in multiple currencies, including Vietnamese dong, Malaysian ringgit, and US dollars. So, expect to see huge groups of tourists from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Brunei.
The street also turns into a busy night market daily, and the shops close really late (I saw them close at around 12am and finished cleaning by 2am.)
Address: Bến Thành, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Psst, catch the locals selling homemade kuih and Vietnam coffee and Juice in the area! The snacks are always sold out early. You can also pre-order and also infaq and pay it forward for the drinks! The orange juice is sooooo good. There were a few fruit sellers on bicycles too.
2. Ben Thanh Market
The market is always packed with people from all around – literally because Ben Thanh Market has four main gates to the surrounding streets and are comprised of 12 entrances!
Expect a wide range of items, from food stalls to snacks and drinks, to clothes and accessories and handmade souvenirs. Most shops sell the same items, but you NEED to bargain (even if you think you lowball, just do it). From what I’ve observed, they instantly mark up the price the moment you are a Caucasian, and you get better rates when you explore alleys.
We even spotted people doing Facebook/TikTok live at the shops. The stall owners often give testers too. If you tailor clothes or bulk buy snacks, they can deliver it to your hotel directly, so you can continue shopping.
They are super straightforward towards others and generally have no filter. It was quite amusing because when they found out we were Singaporean and not Malaysian, the seller said to our face “If I had known, I would have charged a higher price” 🥲 Another said “You young, you can walk to the stop to collect so I didn’t need to come here”.
Address: Bến Thành, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3. Ho Chi Minh Shopping Tour (via Aamin Travels)
There were Muslim-friendly wholesale shops around Vietnam, so we hired a van for one day. We arranged for pick up from the airport including breakfast on the move and headed straight to shop. All these sellers can speak Malay and we could pay in Ringgit. Also, you are advised to wear easy to remove shoes.
Linda wholesale
This shop is great if you are buying ready made clothes for Hari Raya for the family, with a variety of designs. There are also some casual clothes for females available. It’s best to try the clothes to check on the design and sizing before asking them for a new piece.
The cool thing about this place is the throwing up and down of the new pieces through this square hole.
Address: 616/61/46 Đ. Lê Đức Thọ, f15, Gò Vấp, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam
Sarah’s Collection
This shop is smaller and sells more casual clothes, shoes, and accessories. We preferred to check out other shops instead.
Address: Lo 1. 14 Viva Riversde
Danny fashion house
A two-storey shop which has a pretty good range of muslim clothing and accessories, especially the tudungs. They also had casual clothes. The material was light and comfy, so I thought it was worth the purchase. We bought quite a few items here.
Address: 10 Số 39, P, Bình Tân, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Binh Tay Market
The architecture is reminiscent of the olden days, and there are only staircases at this two-storey building. There’s a variety of products as it is a market frequented by the locals, from home goods, snacks, fresh produce, spices, textiles, handicrafts, clothes, shoes and more. Good to buy more and bargain. Home clothes and socks there were comfy and actually fit quite well for us!
There is a temple right in the middle of the building, with intricate statues around it. Not everyone can speak English, and you pay in local currency.
Address: 57A Tháp Mười, Phường 2, Quận 6, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700900, Vietnam
4. Backpack Shop Rose
The shop is near Ben Thanh Market, with the chillest staff ever. The store owner had someone doing her nails for her as she was talking on the phone and bargaining the prices with us. They have a wide selection of bags, and a clothes section with well-known brands (like Essentials, Stussy, North Face etc).
What they usually say is the items are export overruns, and was produced from the same factory as the original. Just do your checks based on the material and design. Their bags are quite affordable. There are “brands” like North Face, Under Armour, Fjallraven etc. Remember to ask for additional discount especially if you are buying a lot of items with you and your friends or family.
Address: 12 Đ. Phan Bội Châu, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
5. Al – Mubarak Collection
The clothes here were so pretty and elegant, and the material is not too bad too.
Address: 16 Trương Định, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
6. Sài Gòn Square
Similar to Bugis Street in Singapore, this two-storey indoor market sells “designer” goods and other things. You probably have to really discern the quality based on the material itself. Of course, this is another bargain hotspot.
Mostly bought clothes from here, which is comfy, and fits the body well. I chuckled when I bought VCOOCVCIS SRECET undergarments in one bundle set with their Victoria’s Secret items. You get what you paid for, and I think it’s worth it!
Address: 77-89 Đ. Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
7. Saigon Centre
Located just across Sài Gòn Square is this upscale shopping mall with international brands, a grocery store, and a variety of dining options. The grocery store has quite a few local products!
Address: 65 Đ. Lê Lợi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam
It is really fun to explore nearby streets, these were so many aesthetically pleasing cafes, restaurants and shops! There were also street vendor sellers who sold miniature hand-painted things and F&B. Here are some examples:
8. Saigon Eco Craft Souvenirs & Crafts
They had many pretty household items here that you can buy to gift your loved ones back home. I did not see items from this store being sold at other souvenir stores.
Address: 90 Đ. Lê Lợi, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
9.Văn Phòng Phẩm Stationary Shop
Reminds you of the primary school stationary stores :’)
Address: 54 Đ. Lê Lợi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
10. Circle K Việt Nam
Always fun to explore convenience stores. They had some commons brands which is available in Singapore, but not the flavours.
Address: 271 Đ. Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
11. 141, Trai Cay Cao Cap – Le Thanh Ton
It felt like an air-conditioned fruit market. It did not look so appealing in terms of variety and freshness, but it works if you are suddenly craving for some local produce.
Address: p. q. 1, 242, 244 Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Other Ho Chi Minh attractions:
People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City
This was a French colonial city hall built in the early 1900s, now the headquarters of the People’s Committee. But what was so memorable was because it was the spot where I saw a Caucasian family of four riding on one motorbike on the street. I could never.
Address: Số 86 Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 710212, Vietnam
Nhat Ha 1 Hotel
Go for a massage in Ho Chi Minh! There are lots of options, but just have to be careful not to get scammed as usual.
Address: Vietnam, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Quận 1, Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, 252BC
Food
Food along the Halal street are all comparable to one another. Most of the stalls sell Asian dishes such as rice cooked in coconut milk and served with dried fish or eggs. Each shop has a specific dish that is tasty.
You can also buy plain banh mi bread to bring home – put them in the freezer and heat them up when you want to eat it.
Restaurant Halal Osman
Address: 35 Đ. Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Kedai Muslim Halal Al-Amin
If I’m not wrong, there is a room service available where they send to your hotel room.
Address: 31 Đ. Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Nhà Hàng Basiroh
Address: 33 Đ. Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Restaurant Hjh Hawa (Halal)
Address: 37 Đ. Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Cafes
Vietnam’s coffee and tea culture is AMAAZING. I am not a coffee drinker, but the number of times I drank coffee here and had no regrets or stomachaches! Also, it seems there is always a free tea served to customers at most cafes.
Highlands Coffee
A Viet franchise, which can be found almost everywhere, be it the mall or at the airport. Such a staple, I love it.
Bill & Ball Coffee-Tea
I realised local cafes prefer to have their face as their shop logo. We met the cafe owner and he looked exactly the same in the logo, it was pretty cute. The staff barely spoke in English, and the customers were all local, so they were a bit shocked to see us tourists at his store and asked us how we found his shop. They staff were all so friendly and tried their best to understand our orders and explain the drinks.
Address: Bill & Ball Coffee-Tea, Chung cư Viva Riverside, 445-449 Đ. Gia Phú, Phường 03, Quận 6, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Cafe Amazon
I was surprised to see this Thai cafe in Vietnam, but yes this cafe needs no introduction.
Address: 97 Hai Bà Trưng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 71000, Vietnam
Cafe Vy
All over Vietnam, you can find sit-down coffee shops and casual street-side stalls with little plastic stools that literally only sell coffee and tea. Cafe Vy opens 24 hours I believe, so we sat there from 10pm till 12am with a drink each. They also serve a free glass of tea for all customers. I have no idea how they earn money from this, but it was an enjoyable experience just hanging out and taking in the atmosphere.
There was another popular coffee shop behind this street, but it was super packed with Vietnamese youths. More street shops:
Address: 277E Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Tonkin Specialty Coffee
We were randomly walking and this young lady offered some egg coffee by the street. It was actually delicious, so we popped by the cafe.
The path to the cafe was so sus because we had to go through a narrow secluded alley and pass by people’s home with a sign that says to not disturb them because this is a home and not a cafe.
So, I can understand why they had to have someone by the street to pull people in. The vibe and service there was so good, and you can also sit by the balcony for cool views.
Address: 91 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
SOKO Cake Bake & Brunch – Nguyễn Trung Trực
This was the only store that had cromboloni, but….it was sold out for the whole week! The cafe had a Korean-cafe concept, and reviews online sounded good.
Address: 27a Đ. Nguyễn Trung Trực, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Katinat
This coffee shop has a pretty good range of drinks and snacks, so it was a good place for a break. Since it is located beside Ben Thanh Market, it is usually full of customers, and the staff generally knows English. I tried the rambutan milk tea, it was not too bad actually, and it came with 2 rambutans in the drink.
Address: 56-58 Đ. Phan Bội Châu, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
From Singapore to Ho Chin Minh
We took Scoot – a morning departure flight and evening return flight.
Remember to be two to three hours early for your return flight, because the immigration there is crazy long. Everyone looked like sheep waiting to be slaughtered in the queue, and there were so many rude and entitled people thinking they can cut queues. The officers there were great though, because they were strict and forced them to re-queue.
There are some takeout coffee shops at the international terminal but only 1 halal restaurant at the end of the shops.
Just be on the lookout that your boarding gate may highly likely change, without being informed through the speakers. And since it was a budget flight, we took quite a while to board as they made us take a bus to drive all the way to the “back” of the airport lanes to board.
Accommodation
We stayed at Cochin Sang Hotel which is at the Malaysian Street, booked through Aamin Travel. We received a free hair spa at the other branch – Cochin Zen Hotel. The services at the hotel were limited, so we also had to visit another nearby partner hotel for our halal breakfast.
There are actually lots of hotel options in that district. But because we travelled in a group, we chose the one that seemed to be the bigger ones along that street.
The room is huge and comfy. Different rooms had different layouts, and they were all pretty. My room had like a traditional bench, which was vibes, really.
Address: 28-30 Đ. Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
It was a truly eye-opening experience as my first trip to Vietnam! Hope to visit again to shop at their local fashion labels and explore historic sites too.
Uminsummer 