Nicole's visit

Nicole came over from 16 to 20 Feb 2011. Reason? To extract her wisdom tooth.
Cost : 530,000vnd (S$33) vs "from S$600" quotation from Singapore.
The price is all-inclusive - x-ray, extraction, medication, an English-speaking dentist, a proper dental clinic (like any in Singapore) ... the whole works. After deducting VN dental fees and airfare, she still has S$200-300 for shopping compared to having it done in Singapore. So who wants to go next??

Dinner at MK Restaurant - Vincom Center

"Great" experience for Nicole at Aldo (shoes) in VINCOM Center. It goes like this :
Size 36 is a bit small. Do you have 37?
Yes, please wait a while ... here it is.
Size 37 seems a bit big, can I try the other side of Size 36?
Er ... sorry ... we lost the other side.
Oh dear. Never mind. Can I try the other side for Size 37?
Er ... sorry ... we also lost the other side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We couldn't help falling over laughing as we made our way out. Can you beat that?

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)

Vincom Center HCMC

The latest and perhaps most luxurious shopping center scheduled to be opened in HCMC on 30 Apr 2010 - Vietnam's National Unity Day. Just walked past it today and the fences have been removed, giving pedestrians a glimpse of this big modern shopping center.  It has 3 basement and 5 ground levels of shopping, dining and entertainment; a total of more than 250 shops. So far, there's nothing like this here in HCMC so this is a first indeed. 

Related to this is that most of the shops opposite Parkson on Dong Khoi St have been vacated, including the relatively new Eden Mall. Wonder what they're planning to do next. Only Fahasa Book Store is still intact there.