One Day in Ho Chi Minh: Layover Guide

As we arrived Ho Chi Minh early in the morning, first thing first is coffee. We went to 96B Cafe & Roastery as soon as it opened. Looking at the entrance of the shop I fell in love with the style. Usually, I’m a bright colorful person, but something about the concrete and gray in the bright sun gave cool chic vibes. We sat at the bar to watch the barista brew Michael’s pour over with Vietnamese beans.

Her brewing method was flawless, and that really reflected in the taste of the coffee. I got a hibiscus soda with jam. Putting jam in drinks must be a trend in Vietnam, because I also had it in Hanoi. We had a really good time talking with the barista about coffee and Vietnam. Michael loved this cafe so much that he bought drip bags to bring home. He has never done that before, but he trusted the barista and they were really good at home.

After having a great experience at 96B Cafe, we took a short walk to The Hummingbird Cafe & Roastery. This cafe was originally on my list, but when asking the other barista for a recommendation she recommended here as well. I felt really good about my choice with the extra confirmation. I could tell that this cafe was quite popular, as we had to wait a bit to grab seats. It has a different vibe compared to the first coffee shop, with a variety of seating inside and outside with random trinkets everywhere.

They have fresh baked pastries and lots of coffee options. I could tell it really hones in on its craft, as there were only two non-coffee items on the menu. Michael got another pour over with Vietnamese beans, and I got a fresh squeezed orange juice which I haven’t had in years. We also haven’t had breakfast which resulted us in getting a gluten free banana cake. In all honesty, if we had to recommend a shop we would choose 96B Cafe, but Hummingbird is a really close second.

Tan Dinh Catholic Church, also known as the Pink Church is well known because of its bright color. This Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in 1870s and is the second largest church in the city. They have visiting hours to view the inside, but they are closed on the weekends so we weren’t able to go inside. It was still a beautiful site to see especially, during the evening as it has a glow on the outside.

The Lunch Lady only sells one noodle soup a day, rotating daily. On Saturday, the soup is bánh canh cua (crab udon soup) with a side of fried spring rolls and veggies. I’m not usually the biggest fan of seafood, but this surprised me. The soup was full of shredded crab, pork, and shrimp. It had a very meaty and savory taste rather than fishy so I really liked the fixings. I have never had Vietnamese udon before, so I was curious how it differs from Japanese udon. The Vietnamese udon noodles were chewier than I expected because their noodles are made out of rice and tapioca flour.

After getting a massage in Thailand, I always try to get a massage in South East Asia, as the cost is lower compared to the U.S. We decided to visit AN’s Spa as it has amazing reviews. It’s recommended to make a reservation in advance, but they take walk-ins as well. I decided last minute, so we hoped that they had some availability. As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed with yogurt and tea while we were waiting.

Michael doesn’t like massages since he is sensitive, so he opted for a special head massage and a neck and shoulder massage. Michael said he melted when his hair was washed. As for the neck and shoulder massage, it was okay because his head isn’t too sensitive. Our massages both finished as the same time and we were so disorientated, as we haven’t been this relaxed in a long time. The cherry on top was the special friend we made who was sleeping on their shift. It remained there the whole duration of our massage. The staff was nothing but friendly, communicative, and did an amazing job. Whenever I visit Ho Chi Minh, I will definitely visit again.

We headed to the largest church in Ho Chi Minh which is the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. This cathedral was made by the French in a neo-Romanesque style which was opened in 1880. As we couldn’t go inside the Pink Cathedral we had high hopes here. But little did we know, the whole cathedral was being restored. There is nothing to be seen except a statue of Mary.

Right across the street is the Saigon Central Post Office. I never thought that going to a post office would be a tourist destination, but once we saw the exterior we knew why. The post office is a bright yellow color with green windows. This building was made while the French were still in rule, therefore it has a European style. It is really stunning as it was renovated in 2014, and is very different from traditional Vietnamese styles.

The Cafe Apartment is one of the trendiest building in Saigon. This building was originally made for apartments, but now houses cafes, restaurants, and small business. Technically, the cafes are illegal, as the building is not zoned for commercial use, and it is not built for that capacity. However, due to it’s popularity, the apartment has not been demolished. There are 9 floors with diverse in layouts. We decided to go up on a few of the floors and look at the decorations.

There is an elevator, but to use it there is a small fee. For us, it was fun going up the stairs. Viewing the cafe from the outside versus the inside is a really different experience, because it feels like a tall winding maze. At every turn and corner there is something different. The style is not cohesive but that is what makes it so unique. It feels like 20 cafes from around the world were smashed together into one massive Frankenstein building.

We visited the coffee chain %Arabica. It’s a Japanese chain that has a similar model to Starbucks. We’ve visited this chain in Hong Kong and Shanghai, so we were confident that we would like what they offer. Michael usually gets a cup of coffee, but after having two cups earlier in the day he decided to join me on the non-coffee journey. I’ve lived in Korea for too long so it was nice having a lemonade rather than a lemon “ade”.

We both got sparkling lemonades which were not just syrup at the bottom that you mix into sparkling water. It’s actually a lemon drink. While we were relaxing and hiding from the rain, we got a cookie to munch on. Who knew that their cookies were so amazing! It’s slightly crunch on the outside and doughy on the inside, my ideal style.

For dinner, we went to another local street vendor called Bánh Xèo 46A. This restaurant actually has indoor seating, but on the other side is the traditional outdoor area. This is another Anthony Bourdain find which has a Bib Gourmand on the Michelin Guide. Their most popular menu item is also the name of the shop, bánh xèo. This dish is a rice pancake filled bean sprouts, pork and shrimp. When we were in Da Nang, we tried bánh xèo but it was a very different style, and I had no clue how to eat it.