Adventurous and Unique Ideas for the Saigon Backpacker

I lived and worked in Saigon for nearly eight months and during my time in the city, I found myself in many unforeseen, bizarre, and unique situations. Sometimes I looked for them, but many other times my adventures unfolded independent of my doing. They became some of the most memorable parts of my time in Vietnam.
Today I want to show you how to engineer these adventures for yourself. To do this it will take a bit of courage, but with an open-mind you will make some very unique memories.

Coffee Shop Exploration
I’ve heard before that Saigon has over 8,000 coffee shops! Around the city there are hidden cafes in old apartment buildings, quiet neighborhoods, and everywhere in between.
For an adventure, google search the address for an interesting café and write out the directions. Then, get on your motorbike and attempt to find it!
I did this often and I always came away with either a cold café sua da or at least an exciting story to tell. This exercise is a great way to get to know other parts of the city and especially the neighborhoods where regular Saigonese live and go about their lives. You will get a peek at local life and feel the thrill of being the only foreigner in a ‘locals only’ café.

Eat Street Food with the Locals
Fresh and delicious street food can be had almost everywhere in Saigon, but there are two streets I found that were better than the rest. If you want to sample a ridiculous amount of food in a short period of time, then go to Co Giang Street in District 1 or Su Van Hanh Street in District 10.
I was lucky enough to rent a room just down the road from Co Giang Street and so I quickly realized how much was food was available every night. On this street and the surrounding streets (De Tham and Co Bac) I found delicious hu tieu, Vietnamese barbecue, bo ne, goi cuon, seafood, and my favorite bowl of pho! It was a wonderful area to live in and experience each night and I took full advantage!
Su Van Hanh Street in District 10 is a little outside of the tourist area that is District 1, but I highly recommend checking it out as well; your stomach will thank you! District 10 is a residential area of Saigon full of universities and university students. With many students, it should come as no surprise that there are a lot of cafes and street food vendors too.
I once met a friend in District 10 where we had dinner. There were so many vendors lining the streets that I didn’t know what to pick! To meet, interact, and eat with Saigon’s student population, I highly recommend you check out Su Van Hanh Street!

Stroll along the D7 Promenade
Are you looking for a way to escape the noise and chaos of the city and see what the future holds for Saigon?
If so, then the best way is to ride south to District 7 where the sleek and modern Crescent City mall and waterfront pavilion will make you feel as if you have left Vietnam. Here the streets are wide and less crowded and there is less hustle and bustle. Things are pristine and feel new because they are new. Perhaps the best thing about this area is the relative peace and solitude compared to the other districts that are choked with people, motorbikes, and cars.
Here there is space and room to breathe. I recommend that you ride down here yourself to experience the density of District 1 and 4 begin to peel away as you enter District 7. The outer districts of the city are much less populated and it becomes readily apparent when you ride out there and see for yourself.
The promenade area behind the Crescent City Mall is a perfect place for a leisurely stroll at night time. Palm trees and light fixtures light the way as the walking area curves gently alongside the water. On the opposite side is a bridge which connects both sides of the crescent shape. From here you can admire all of the light from the promenade reflecting on the water. It’s a very relaxing space still very much within Saigon and I would encourage backpackers to get outside the city center and see it for themselves.

Sing Karaoke with the Vietnamese
In Saigon, there are karaoke venues all over the city. I had a Vietnamese friend who would go and do karaoke with his friends after classes at least three times a week. In my experience, the Vietnamese love karaoke.
In Vietnam karaoke is done differently than my home country (United States). Whereas in the U.S. one person (often drunk) goes on stage in front of the entire bar and sings their favorite song, in Vietnam you arrange for a small room with your friends where everybody takes turns singing songs together. If it sounds like a lot of fun, then well that’s because it is! There is very little embarrassment or worry to be had. It’s just you and your friends having a fun time.
Backpackers should try and make friends with local students and engage in some local activities with them. For me, one of my favorites was always karaoke. It’s a great way to laugh and make friends all while exchanging culture and learning more about each other. Go for it and have fun!

Conclusion
The Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Opera House, the Post Office, and Ben Thanh Market are wonderful places to visit, but there is a lot more to Saigon than just the city center. For the adventurous backpacker, I encourage you to go coffee shop hunting, gorge on delicious street food, explore the future of Saigon, and sing some karaoke! These things are all extremely fun and they will give you a better appreciation of the city and a deeper look at what makes Saigon such a dynamic and whirlwind of a place. So, go get lost in the city and when you finally come out you will come to understand it much better.

To read more blog posts written by Matthew Cardoza, go to his blogging site: http://www.cardozafootprints.com/

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