Most people are shocked when I tell them I haven't been to Saigon's infamous Ben Thanh Markets - despite living here for 5 months.
Sadly, after almost 2 years in Vietnam, every market feels a bit "same, same" and the thought of visiting yet another tourist trap didn't hold much appeal.
After some prodding from my colleagues, who raved about the dining delights at the Ben Thanh Night Market, I decided that tonight was the night for me to shake off my apathy and behave like a newly arrived tourist.
The fact that we were dressed in our work gear must have looked slightly odd as we mixed with the sunburnt, shorts-wearing foreigners, but I must admit it was good fun!
Ben Thanh's Night Market is held on the two streets that run either side of Ben Thanh Market - a vast building that straddles the block between Le Thanh Ton and Le Loi Streets in District 1.
On recommendation we headed straight to Hai Lua - a streetside restaurant at the night market with plenty of plastic tables and chairs surrounding an open air kitchen.
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| Ben Thanh's Night Market |
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| Hai Lua restaurant at the Ben Thanh Night Markets |
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| Interesting...all the barbecue chefs at Hai Lua are female! |
If you can stomach it, wander to the far side of the kitchen to watch the chef pluck a live fish from a bucket of water and scale it while it flops around (in vain) on the chopping board. A wee bit cruel but nice to know the meals are fresh!
We ordered a barbecued whole red snapper, a plate of salt and spicy squid (a little thick and chewy), Cantonese fried rice and a few beers, all for under US$15. The fish was delicious. A little small and only 140,000VND - I'd recommend ordering one per person.
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| Delicious red snapper |
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| Dining at Ben Thanh Night Markets |
As a resident (albeit a temporary one) it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you'll get around to seeing the sights one day, or reaching the point where you become blase and bypass the local experience because it feels too touristy.
Tonight I discovered that, despite almost 2 years in Vietnam, I still actually enjoy behaving like a tourist!
To my surprise I also learned that I'm (thankfully) still not immune to the charms of the local hawker children touting their wares.
The staff at the Hai Lua restaurant do a great job of moving on the kids if they look like they're bothering the diners, but one young girl (around 7 years old) caught my attention.
With her olive complexion and gorgeous smile she tried to convince Rob to buy a hand held fan.
"You buy one from me?" she asked politely. Rob declined. "You sure you won't buy one from me?" she persisted. "How about I buy zero from you," Rob retorted (with a grin). "How about you eat zero then," she shot back (with a cheeky laugh!).
Clever girl. She had me. I found myself handing over 100,000VND for a packet of 3 hand held fans that I'll never use. They mean nothing to me, but a lot to her family.
After dinner we wandered the markets, drunkenly giggling at the tourists buying all manner of tack (realising we were once like them!) before making a snap, alcohol-fuelled decision to walk to the backpacker area on the edge of District 1.
Our destination was the very busy Bui Vien strip - a tourist area lined with heaps of bars, restaurants and shops for foreigners.
We were coaxed by the CO2 bar's roadside touts to pull up a plastic stool in front of the bar. A few too many dodgy wines and mojitos, but it was a fun (albeit unusual) Friday date night in Saigon!
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| The backpacker bar strip on Bui Vien |
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| Roadside drinks at CO2 bar on Bui Vien |
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| Here comes the hangover! |
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