Saturday 18 December 2010

Bitexco Financial Tower

This tallest building in HCMC was opened on 31 Oct 2010 with a big bang, boasting commercial and retail space. So thought that the 6-level shopping centre would be opened. Went there last night to a big disappointment - nothing is up. It's like a ghost town. Couldn't even see any semblance of a shop, let alone a shopping centre. Looks like it'll be a couple of months more before we do any shopping and dining there.

See? No shops!















By the way, there's supposed to be an observatory deck at Level 47 where you can have a 360 degree view of the city. Would be nice to go there ... on a clear day! The helipad is at Level 50 - hope to fly there one day - in my remote-controlled helicopter!!!

See some reports about the tower here :
- http://vnre.blogspot.com/2010/11/bitexco-financial-tower-world-class.html

- lovely photos of the opening : http://vnre.blogspot.com/2010/11/inaugurated-vietnams-highest-building.html


Wednesday 15 December 2010

Bizarre Food in HCMC

This is a very interesting page on the types of food we consider "bizarre" but probably totally "common" to Vietnamese. Have a look here.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Caphe Cut Chon (Fox-Dung Coffee)

You see it all over Ben Thanh Market - different grades, different prices etc. The ignorant me thought that the vendors were really selling fox-dung coffee aka weasel coffee aka caphe cut chon aka civet coffee beans aka kopi luwak (in Indonesia)!!! We bought a 100g pack for my mum last month for 45,000vnd (US$2.25), and thought it was the real deal. Actually, it was real dumb!!

"Weasel or Welsel Coffee?"















Did some digging around and found out that fox-dung coffee is one of the most expensive in the world. It's made from coffee beans that eaten and 'passed out' from the civet cat (which looks like a fox and so the name fox-dung coffee in Vietnam). This process supposedly enhances the taste of the beans and makes them highly desirable to coffee connoisseurs worldwide. The civet eats only the best coffee cherries and eventually excretes them out — though only after the beans have gone through a fermentation process in the animal’s stomach. Indonesia is the leading producer followed by Vietnam and the Philippines. Apparently, the data shows that only 200-300kg is produced world-wide annually, which naturally accounts for the expensive price.

Fox-dung coffee costs a few hundred US dollars a kg. So how can it be sold for US$20/kg in Ben Thanh? Thus what is advertised as weasel coffee in VN and sold at cheap prices are all fakes. Here are some photos and references.

A civet cat eyeing coffee cherries














Civet cat droppings


















However, Trung Nguyen Coffee has laid claim to an artificial fermentation process that reproduces the fox-dung coffee taste without the "passing out" process. Named the "Legendee", Trung Nguyen boasts that there is no artificial rival to it. Try it out the next time you're in a Trung Nguyen cafe.

References :
New York Times
QY-Coffee
Photos from here.

AFTERNOTE :
Bought a 250g pack of Legendee Coffee for my mum at 135,000vnd (S$8.44/US$6.75) at MaxiMark Cong Hoa on 17 Dec 2010. At this price, isn't it much better to buy the Legendee than some fake dung coffee at the market which costs the same??? Some even cost more.
The 250g Legendee pack will set you back US$16.95 if you order online in the US; the Legendee Coffee Gift Pack (250g pack, a tin of condense milk and a phin filter) cost US$26.95 (not including shipping) .
The Legendee gift pack of a mug and aluminium "phin" filter sells for 205,000vnd (S$12.82/US$10.25) at CoopMart in HCMC.
A cup of Legendee coffee costs more than S$10 in Singapore. Goodness, one cup in SG costs more than a 250g pack in HCMC - one reason why I like living in HCMC.


Friday 10 December 2010

Sinh Tourist Prices

Adrian, Agnes and family came over today for a short trip. They went to book their day tours and open bus tours from Sinh Tourist. Apparently, Sinh Tourist does not advertise their prices publicly now unlike in the past. Their brochures do not have any tour prices, only descriptions. You need to enquire at the counter - seems like overall costs have risen too rapidly and too much for them to keep printing new brochures. As of today, Sinh Tourist prices for the following tours are :

Day Tour to My Tho/Ben Tre : 218,000vnd/pax (US$10.38/S$13.70)
Half-day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels : 97,000vnd/pax + 80,000vnd/pax entrance fee (the latter to be paid to the tour guide on the bus) (Total = US$8.42/S$11.06)
One way open tour to Mui Ne from Saigon : 101,000vnd/pax (US$4.80/S$6.30)
Same price to come back
One day tour to Cai Be/Vinh Long : 280,000vnd (US$13.33/S$17.50)

Exchange rate today:
US$1 : 21,000vnd
S$1 : 16,000vnd

(Take note that Sinh Tourist normally round up the figures when you pay in US$; actually they will quote in US$ first, and then tell you in vnd if you ask)

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Why we love HCMC

Joyce needed a pair of glasses - progressive, anti-reflection, light and thin. She checked with her optician in Toa Payoh (Singapore) for a new one - that will set her back some S$800-900 with frame. The last time we made it here with Tien My (see photo below), it costs over a million dong (about S$100) then. But it was heavy and thick, so she didn't use it. We have been making many spectacles with Tien My for the last 3 years as their prices were reasonable.

This time, we tried the neighbour (Nhan Quang) and had a pleasant surprise. The frame cost 500,000vnd and the lens 800,000vnd - total 1.3 mil vnd (about S$78). It turned out to be as good as the old glasses made in Singapore. So one can fly to HCMC (from Singapore), make a pair of progressives, have a 4D3N holiday that includes airfare, accommodation, food and shopping and probably still have some spare change leftover to save in POSB!!!

If anyone's interested, please visit :

Hieu Kinh Nhan Quang
104 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist 1
Ho Chi Minh City
(the road at the back of Ben Thanh Market)
Tel : 38292206
Mobile : 0909 925 558 (Ms Loan)

Look for Ms Loan - she speaks good English and is such a pleasant and cheerful lady. She also knows her work well (from our conversation with her) and is able to give very professional advice. And talking about service, we got our 2 pairs of glasses done overnight (Mum made a pair of progressives too).

Nhan Quang and Tien My














Ms Loan is at the extreme right

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Mum and Dad's Visit

Mum and Dad paid us a visit (19 to 24 Nov 10) and they joined our teachers for our annual trip - this time to Vung Tau. They liked Vung Tau and said it was better than Mui Ne - there's more to do in Vung Tau. It's a pity they couldn't climb up the hills to see the Jesus and Mary statues. We visited Cho Vung Tau and found, to our surprise, that it was a big market. But the road to Vung Tau had deteriorated to a very bad state - potholes, poor state of repair (if at all), you name it they have etc - that we decided to take the hydrofoil back. That wasn't a pleasure ride too - the one we took was a smaller craft and overcrowded. But it still beats a 4-hr bus journey back - took 1.5 hrs to get back to HCMC.

Their fav place in HCMC? Club Ace at the Ramana Hotel in Dist 3. The casino is new, there's free food and no crowd, service is great, so who could ask for more? They were even given their own member cards, complete with personal photographs - all done on the spot. Looks like a return visit is due real soon.


Mum praying at the church in Vung Tau where the Mary and Baby Jesus Statue is.














At Mary & Baby Jesus Statue (Vung Tau)



















Dad at the Hydrofoil Terminal in Vung Tau















Dad at the Small Mountain (Vung Tau) where the Jesus Statue is















Mum & Dad at the foot of Small Mountain (Vung Tau)



















The interior of Green Line hydrofoil















This table is suppose to seat 10 pax!!! The worst seats!!!














This is what the Green Line Hydrofoil looks like















Dad drinking coffee at Cho Vung Tau



















Cho Vung Tau














Cho Vung Tau is quite big



















Fruit stalls outside Cho Vung Tau














Johnny is so cute!















Binh likes his lollipop














Lollipops for every child














Joyce and Mum at Saigon Square 2














Mum and Dad at Club Ace



















Mum and Dad at Ramana Hotel




















Our fav stall at Cho Ben Thanh















Bought superior weasel coffee 45,000vnd for 100g
















BAGS GALORE

This costs 280,000vnd (S$17)














600,000vnd (S$36)














350,000vnd (S$21)


















600,000vnd (S$36)















Kipling Bag 120,000vnd (S$7.20)















Kipling waist-pouch 100,000vnd (S$6)















Kipling Bag 300,000vnd (S$18)




















Kipling Bag 85,000vnd (S$5.10)

Sunday 21 November 2010

Vung Tau - Review

My latest visit to Vung Tau - 20-21 Nov 2010. If I have to go there again, it will definitely not be by road.

The road to Vung Tau

The worst trip to Vung Tau so far. Never remember the road being so bad, especially after National Highway 1A when we turn in Highway 51. The potholes, the roadworks or rather the lack of it makes travelling to Vung Tau a living nightmare, and to add to the woes, the bad roads of course give rise to those notorious Vietnamese traffic jams - 4 lanes of traffic converging onto one lonely lane ever so often. There must be a good reason for this - there's always a reason for everything.

And we finally found out why when we met a VN tour guide gathering his "sheep" and he thought we were one of his "lost sheep". He explained that the local authorities awarded the upgrading of the road to Vung Tau to SEVEN local companies which then sub-contracted the works to even smaller contractors. So any surprise that the road is still in a condition of dis-repair?? It was supposed to be up and running by Jan 2010 - and this is already end 2010 with no "end" in sight - forgive the pun.

Horrible road condition









So if you have a bad back, motion sickness, or allegy to traffic jams and bumpy rides, give the road trip a miss and take the hydrofoil. Not that the hydrofoil's a great sailing experience either, but it certainly is the much lesser of 2 evils.


The Hotel - Thuy Duong Hotel

This is a 2-star hotel just next to the 4-star Dic Star Hotel. The hotel looks like it serves mainly Vietnamese tourists. We were the only foreigners there. Anyway, no complaints about the hotel. It's neat and clean; toilet and aircon in working order (aircon is LG and looks new). The bed is firm enough but the bed cover did have a musty smell about it. No blankets though - so I guess we're expected to use the bed cover which we didn't, of course. The toilet is quite new and all in working order, including the heater. Hot water (for drinking) is supplied through traditional hot water flask which you have to ask from the reception - quaint! Actually, I think it's cool - haven't used that kind of flask for many years. Overall, the hotel fulfills the basic needs of a traveller and nothing more. That's something to be grateful for given the price we paid. So thumbs up for Thuy Duong.





















































Toilet is quite clean and new.












This is the suite that they have there. Good for groups that want to sleep together.














Facilities

There is a function room that doubles up as a karaoke room - or is it the other way round? The sofa's torn and in a bad condition. That's a minus. There are 2 bikes for hire - we're talking about those kind of bikes meant for 2 riders. A lonely single computer sits next to the staircase for guest use. The good thing is that there are toilets along the corridors which are convenient for use. The restaurant is a simple place. Breakfast (complimentary) is a bowl of pho or french loaf with egg. Iced coffee accompanies. Palatable and acceptable.

There is a massage parlour just next to the hotel. We found out too late that firstly, Dad was overcharged (200,000VND) vs the local price of 120,000VND, and secondly, that place was meant solely for "activities" other than a massage. Dad said the massage was pathetic, so did my teachers.

New Cable Car at Vung Tau

Saw a new cable car line that leads to the top of the hill. Doesn't look like there's anything up there so we didn't try it out. Checked the cable car out later and found this :

http://vungtau-city.com/?p=566


Tuesday 9 November 2010

Road Block

Look what blocked my way home?
Not uncommon here in Vietnam but definitely a rare sight back home in SG, if at all.


Wednesday 27 October 2010

Dream bikes

Dreaming on ...


































































Source : www.walyou.com

And some helmets to accompany ?










Saturday 2 October 2010

Great shopping in HCMC

We walked around town today. One reason why shopping is great in HCMC is that you'll never know what bargains are in store for you. Bought Joyce a Mickey Mouse Raincoat - an original from Tokyo Disney Resort, and paid only 150,000VND (about S$10.50) when the going price was Y3,900 (about S$62). Good bargain @ Russian Mart!




















Can be stuffed into a compact bag thru the back pocket.
































Craved for the Floss Bun (@17,000VND) from BreadTalk - so took a walk after Mass to Vincom Center. Found that MK Restaurant had opened a branch there - it was packed. (MK is a Thai hotpot chain - hooked on it in Bangkok). Had a great dinner there after so many days of canteen food!! Damage : 305,000VND (S$21) for 2 pax. A reasonable price to pay.

Let's see. These are the following restaurants at Vincom that I can remember : Bud's Ice Cream, Fanny's Ice Cream, Popeye, a milk tea cafe, Long Hai Restaurant, Pinochio Restaurant, a food court, Pho 24, a Japanese Restaurant, a donut cafe, Highlands Coffee, NYDC, BreadTalk, MK, Carl Jr ... and the Select Mart holds a wide range of imported products for the expat.

Yummy floss bread from Bread Talk


































A Mushroom and Swiss Burger costs 69,000VND (S$4.80)