The Saigon Diaries - Dining Al Fresco and Coffee for Nightcap

For our second night in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), we had no idea where we would be having dinner. Well, we came up with a list but these were quite a distance from our hotel. And we were just too tired after a whole day of travelling (being cooped inside the coaster can be tiring, too). So our group decided to walk the whole block from our hotel in search of dining places (although the hotel serves dinner, we opted to dine out).

We found ourselves infront of Rang Dong Hotel and saw low tables and chairs being set up at the hotel's parking lot and locals occupying some tables. After making an inquiry, we decided to have our dinner al fresco at the parking lot, just next to a very busy street. Food was good and the price reasonable. We also had the chance to interact with the locals.

No, they aren't spring rolls. These are wet towels.

Row of condiments

Rice

Fried rolls

Vegetables

Squid

Noodles for the hotpot

Hotpot

Our tab was 1,477,000 dong which was roughly Php 3,000+. Not bad for a group of 11.

Getting to know their tourist police.

We ended the night by having dessert as well as tea and coffee at a Starbucks branch.

It was also during this trip that our travel group got the name Pink Family, thanks to our guide for the day who gave the moniker. We were all wearing pink shirts and the name stuck.