Get on, losers, we're bicycling through hidden Saigon to the Cambodian market!
Last weekend Sieu and I had a great experience: we participated in a bicycle ride around Ho Chi Minh City that featured some great food, exciting alleyways, and awesome local areas. We went down hems barely wider than our handlebars, we crossed massive rivers of evening rush hour traffic, and we cycled through the city's biggest (and most fragrant!) flower market, all in the name of exercise, exploration, and eats.
But best of all, our mid-trip destination was the exhilarating dinner and snack stop in the Cambodian market in District 10, about 1/3 of the way through our 3 hour and 15 minute trek.
Because of COVID, Grasshopper Adventures has moved more of a focus on day trips of varying kinds. It's a genuine pleasure to explore more of this city, which hides a lot of what makes it unique inside twisting alleys (hems) and dense, crowded local markets. In olden times, this company (which operates in several SE Asian countries) specializes in longer trips, but these local ones are a fantastic way to explore your own backyard and appreciate the complexity and energy of this dynamic city.
On their evening foodie tour (which is 20km, or about 11.8 miles), you'll get an up-close-and-personal experience that you won't soon forget.
We began not far from my house, in my beloved home ward, Tan Dinh, District 1. They provided motorbike parking for a mere 10k and equipped us quickly and professionally.
Here are their home offices, where you'll begin your tour:
If you don't have a bicycle, helmet, and water bottle, you can rent all three for a song at 100k total, which includes the fee for the tour. If you have gear already, the tour fee is only 50k. A serious bargain. NOTE: These prices don't include food and drinks or bicycle parking along the way, so pack an extra 100-200k for incidentals.
Bikes are in great shape and have gears, although the pace of the ride is quite leisurely and Saigon is mostly flat as a pancake, so you won't be doing a lot of gear shifting. In any case, it's best to go slow and not spook the much faster, heavier motorbikes and autos that you'll be coming across, just as you would do as a pedestrian dealing with the crazy traffic.
Here's the complete route for the evening foodie tour:
Our guides started by taking us along the main canal via Hoang Sa (Saigon's most beautiful street, in my opinion), through mazes of alleyways, and to our first stop, the Saigon Train Station.
Our tour leaders were patient and helpful, and at each stop gave us a bit of time to breath, drink some water, and wait for stragglers to catch up, as well as provide a bit of local color (unfortunately, all in very fast and lengthy Vietnamese - I didn't even try to understand).
From the train station we zigged and zagged again, passing through HCMC's excellent flower market and ended up in a place I didn't even know existed: the Cambodian market, named for the foods and people that are largely from the far western reaches of the Mekong Delta bordering Cambodia.
Passing quickly (too quickly... it smelled amazing) through the floral paradise, we took a few quick turns and parked on a side alley next to the market, on this little alley. Lots of parking options in here, for both bicycles and motorbikes:
Our parking garage was named after President Trump, which, gag. BUT... it was just around the corner from the beginning of the market street, and you couldn't pick a better location to park for a stroll up and down the market.
The market was packed and rowdy when we arrived about 7:30, filled with young people and families enjoying the festive Friday night atmosphere (Wednesday was a Vietnamese Independence Day, so perhaps it was a bit more active than normal).
We settled down at a Peach Tea/Noodle shop and had a few specialties.
The Peach Tea stand, Tra Dao Dam, is extra-crazy-famous, as it's one of the ones that kicked off the popularity of the now ubiquitous drink, and at 10k a cup, it's a steal. Everyone and their mother and their mother's dog was lined up to try it, which causes a bit of congestion in the street, so be prepared to wait in line a bit.
Fortunately they also had a few Delta-style dinner dishes. Bun with Pha Lau (beef organs) or snails, Pha Lau with beef or snails and served with a crusty baguette, and meatballs filled with snail or crab are available and pretty cheap. Everything was fantastic.
Our tour guide went across the alley to hook us up with a Cambodian type of grilled beef, skewered on lemongrass sticks (which are NOT for eating, just the scent). They came with a rich sauce and were pretty awesome. One skewer costs 10k.
The group took some time to get to know each other. We did introductions and some of the more gregarious fell into conversations over dinner. I did my spiel and then it was time to explore the market a bit.
We had 20 minutes before our group pulled bicycles out and pedaled on our merry, sweaty way. Sieu and I walked up to the end of the market, about 6-8 small blocks, surveying our prey, and then ordered and ate on the way back down to the parking area.
We settled on two STELLAR choices: Banh Kep Hong Kong, and Kem Dua.
The banh kep was a REVELATION. It was like a little burrito pocket filled with sausage, eggs, meats, cheeses, crackers, and veggies, and I would happily brave the market once a week for this sandwich. It was outrageously good, and a steal at 40k.
Check out the cooking process in my video:
We also got one of my favorite desserts: coconut ice cream. It was as smooth and high quality as gelato, and came with a bit of coconut water, sweet corn, and toasted coconut bits - again, outrageous. We bellied up to the stand on little stools and wolfed it down. Another bargain at 25k, and probably the second best Kem Dua I've had in HCMC.
At 8:15, full and happy, we were on the road again. Our route took us south to Vo Van Kiet, and we went along the Saigon River for a stretch before heading back towards Bitexco, around Nguyen Hue walking street, and to the Post Office, where we stopped for another group photo.
After this it was a short hop and a skip back to Tan Dinh. We arrived at the offices about 9:40, where we disembarked, and, after stretching out for about 10 minutes, proceeded to head home.
For the exercise, the food, and the experience, it would have been a bargain at 200k - at half of that, I almost feel guilty! But they should definitely know that we are looking at their other day trips, including ones to other parts of the city and suburbs, including longer trips to Binh Quoi and Cu Chi. I can't wait to try them! It was crazy being on a bicycle again after so many years away from my beloved bike in Chicago, and after about an hour it was like coming home again. Highly recommended!
If you're interested, sign up on their facebook page! They are constantly posting trips, and they book VERY quickly. It's well worth your time!
Have you been on any of the Grasshopper bicycle tours? Tell me more!
Great writing, again, Ben. I felt as if I were there through your eyes and words!
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