Mannequins in Shoe Alley

Mannequins inside one of the stores along Shoe Alley near the Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Market Shoe Alley

Though there is plenty of hustle and bustle inside the Ben Thanh Market there is also a shoe alley located on the east side of the Ben Thanh Market. It is filled to brim with knockoff Puma, Nike, Adidas, and Converse shoes. Also a place to find tops and jeans. The picture shows the shoe alleys entrance light up at night. It was taken sitting down across the street at one of the many outdoor restaurants set up at night.

Nightime in District One

Saigon Square

Saigon Square is located near the Notre Dame Cathedral in District One. Its a place where people come to shop for clothing, purses, groceries, and especially DVDs. They go for about 1 dollar per dvd. These photos show my favorite spot where the DVD's are sure to work and if they don't they will let you return them for new ones.

Gallery Deli

This spot located right along Dong Khoi sells all sorts of food but so far I have only stuck to the desserts. After a night of dancing a craving for chocolate set in and I sat down for one of the best brownie in my life. There are about 3 layers of chocolate crumbly brownie layered with dark rich chocolate frosting for approximately 40,000 or 2.50 cents. Though pricey for Vietnamese standards, chocolate is relatively expensive and Gallery Deli is located right along the main tourist trail.

Ben Thanh Refreshments

Funky Drinks available at the Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Market Eating Area

Cracking coconuts for fresh coconut juice.

Photo of the eating area inside Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Market

These is a picture of the interior of the Ben Thanh Market, which is a hub for both locals and tourists. The picture shows my favorite stall which seems to be called Com Tam # 1048. It's the one with the man sitting in the greenish shirt towards the back of the picture. You can get a great cut pork with sweet sauce and rice for only 15,000 dong at this spot and a refreshing lemon juice (with a little sugar as they tend to pile it on) for 4,000 dong. Yum Yum!

Ben Thanh Market

To travel to the Ben Thanh market from Phu My Hung the best way to get there is by the local bus complete with leopard print seats. The fare is only 2000 dong per person, which is about 12 cents. The pictures were taken using the drivers mirror and if you look closely at the front seat you might be able to spot my mother and I.

Givral Cafe and Restaurant

A while ago I was out with my mother and happened to stop at this cafe. We had heard a few good reviews about and decided to see for ourselves. Unfortunately, Givral's cafe and restaurant failed to live up to our expectations. The cakes were good but fairly stale, and can be found at the Brodard Delicatessen or Brodard's Cafe. The service itself was less than desirable with the waiter sneezing in his hand before serving us and then ignoring our table for the remainder of the time. I give fair warning to any person that ventures inside Givral's doors, especially with so many other good cafes and restaurants right around that area.
Also, my mother was disturbed by the single bathroom. HA! There was no girls/guys bathroom which always leaves the problem of the toilet seat being left up.

Phu My Hung to Ho Chi Minh City

These pictures show the journey from Phu My Hung to downtown to District 1, Ho Chi Minh City via the bus.


The Phu My Hung Bus

Saigon River Along Highway
The 1st Bridge Over the Saigon River


The 1st Bridge Over the Saigon River

The 1st Bridge over the Saigon River

The Floating Market - Lots of fruit and vegetables!



The classically narrow Vietnamese style houses lining the sides of the bridge.


More classic Vietnamese style buildings

Phu My Hung and Ho Chi Minh City

This is a typical apartment in one of the run down parts of Ho Chi Minh City. The picture below is the My An apartment complex which is located in Phu My Hung and shows the difference between the buildings downtown, and outside in the 'suburbs.'

Phu My Hung Gardens

This garden is located on the main road, Nguyen Van Linh that runs through Phu My Hung.

There are quite a few spacious gardens and walkways, as well as closing off roads at night which creates for an almost tomb like silence along the streets.
However, every morning at around 7:00 a man walks around Phu My Hung singing Christian religious songs. While some enjoy this mans windpipes, others are less amused!

Phy My Hung

Phu My Hung, a 'residential' area about 8 km outside of Ho Chi Minh City. It is a project being developed by a group of Taiwanese, who were formerly led by Lawrence Ting. As he has now passed away, his wife and children have continued to run the business. This area was once nothing but swamps and wetlands, but it has now been transformed.

It is a mixture of houses and apartments through which two busy roads cut. Unfortunately the planning committee has decided to enlarge the roads so now the two halves of Phu My Hung will be cut by a 10 lane highway.