Yesterday was a day with a good mix of new and old. Today was a day of mostly old, with a small smattering of new. I'll mix up the order a bit to talk about the new first, and then get to the olds. The first new was the Museum of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine, which yes is a bit of a fake conceit built on mysticism and pseudo-science adn what-not, but if you get past all of that, you get a super interesting museum with a lot of history, architecture, art and artifacts. The museum is in a small brownstone like structure five stories high, each story telling one part of the history of ancient medicine. Each floor had a theme, like a floor with old style mortars and pestles, to another floor with medical drawings of plants, to a floor with old vases. There was also really nice architecture, like inlaid pearl all over one floor. Its a quick jaunt, and not too cheap (about $8), but well worth it.
The other bit of new was going to 7 Bridges Brewing - which has a location in little japan. It's small, cozy, perfectly Vietnamese brewing style, and they had some great beer, including a truly fantastic nitro stout. The place reminded me a lot of the beer bars I went to in Hanoi, where seemingly places were a bit more stretched for space.
Okay, now that we got the new out of the way, let's get to the old, the familiar - including a little retrospective at the end on HCMC in general. As a quick hit, here were all of the things I went to "again" today: the War Remnants Museum, Cuc Gach Quan for Lunch, Anan for dinner, three different pagoda's that I had all been to previously, and of course Summer Experiment and the Observatory. You would think this would be a bit boring, In truth, defienitely some of the pagodas were a bit "yeah, I get it" after going to the same one a third time. That said, they are all beautiful.
The Vinh Ngiem might be the most accessible, right on the side of a main throughway heading out of the city. The setting is gorgeous - as is the wide open halls of the main building, a really nice koi pond tucked to the side, and generally just the space the Vinh Ngiem gives itself. The second pagoda, the Phap Hoa Pagoda, right on the bank of the smaller of the two winding rivers in HCMC, is the opposite. It's tucked in the side of a small street, it's lush and green, with lanterns hanging from the foliage. It was beautiful - more so this time than I remember. Also, I for some reason have a memory of there being a "no pictures' policy last time, which very much was not a thing this time. The final pagoda was the Xa Loi which is right in the middle of the city, cramped but still so floral. There are dozens more pagoda's - including a godo half dozen others I've been to over the years, but these three are my favorite.
The other one that was a bit of a downer this time was the War Remnants Museum. Granted, the subject matter is a downer. They don't hold any punches in both (a) showing how harrowing the war was and (b) how much to blame the US is. Fair on both counts. I see this as my penance being an American visiting Vietnam - it is a way to pay my respects. The issue this time was two-fold - (1) it was super crowded (great to see tourism in Vietnam really buzzing!), and more importantly (2) their AC units were either not working or simply not on. They have been in past. Without them, the place was a sauna - so given I've seen it three prior times I just ran through quickly.
The meals were excellent - not a surprise as it is hard to go wrong. Cuc Gach Quan is my favorite lunch spot in the city. The sprawling restaurant built into an old house, the place remains special with a lengthy menu of home-style Vietnamese classics. I got my traditional main of stewed, braised beef with lemongrass, and paired it with a new starter of "banana flower salad with grilled chicken" which was amazing. It will take me many trips to try most of their menu - and I'll definitely take on that challenge.
Anan is no longer the only Michelin starred restaurant in HCMC, but it remains the first, and the only one serving pure Vietnamese cuisine. The meal turned over a good 7-8 of their dishes since my visit last year, with the ones remaining being among their best - their wagyu banh mi, their bunh cha bourdain bite, adn the salmon mousse tart. The new ones were all incredible as well - from a ridiculous pigeon dish, to the best preparation of the classic Vietnamese dish Ca Cha Van Long, to a coconut and caviar based dessert. On the whole, Anan remains a truly great restaurant, and the first salvo in a series of five tastine menu restaurants on my trip.
Finally, Summer Experiment and The Observatory are justt great - both holding firm to their respective spots on my list of cocktail spots (honestly, Summer Experiment may rise), and Clubs. For Summer Experiment, my only real critique is their flavors aim more sweet than tart - but when I challenged them for a bitter drink they gave me something great. For the Observatory - it was the most crowded I've ever seen it - in a great way. It was also an inversion of their pre remodel, where they were hosting a special night with "live acts" (basically meaning a DJ with an accompanying live instrumentalist), but hosted those in the inside club. It led to a packed place - a great vibe but honestly maybe too much - I preferred the semi-crowded-ness and the authenticity of the place on Friday. I think this actually may be a wider preference than just The Observatory - say in Cape Town, I also prefer Modular on Friday's than Saturday's. Anyway, something to monitor.
As I wrap up my time in Saigon, I want to do a bit of retrospective thinking for a minute. To put my love for HCMC succinctly in one sentence: I'm so sad I'm leaving I almost feel like the trip is over, even though it is just beginning. Granted, this might be some pavlovian thing, whereby in 2022 and 2023 I ended my trip with HCMC, but really - I feel like somethign is over here. The rest of the trip to some degree is an unkniown. HCMC isn't.
It is true every time I come I find something new to enjoy, but also see the country rise a bit further and further - one more skyscraper, one degree cleaner of street, one more fancy restaurant or bar. Ho Chi Minh City will never get the recognition or importance, touristically, of a Bangkok, but i prefer it wholeheartedly. It isn't going to rise in my city rankings - currently I have HCMC 10th - and quickly scrolling the list, I can;'t make a case it is better than any above it. But remember, part of that ranking is for someone visiting cities for the frist time, not the fifth.
I wrote a piece about familiarity years ago - it was in 2022 after I went to Cape Town for then a 5th time. Since I've gone twice more, but have mentally decided not to go in President's Day 2025. That feeling of familiarity - of just being at peace, of being "at home" in a place, defintieyl extends to HCMC at this point. I've done my ranking of cities many times. What I really need to do is a ranking of places that I just feel home / safe / in control in. That's a different list. Part of it is time spent there - for instance I have Athens #8 (two spots ahead of HCMC), but I've only been there once. Part of it is size - I have Madrid #1, but it wouldn't be on that familiarity rankings. Speaking of which - let me just start writing that. It's a goal of mine on my upcomign two days of travel (with Bangkok thrown in the middle).
