Ouch, getting up at 09:00 am is really hard given the jetlag! The hotel offers sushi for breakfast, amongst regular European-like choices. The French influence is still all present and the croissants are really not bad at all. Breakfast was included in the rate so you don’t have to worry about going out looking for something else.

Whenever I arrive in a foreign country I love to check out the local dishes. As street food is the most authentic way to experience great food it is obligatory to taste a lot of it, even though it might seem strange and I can’t really identify what it is…

Market halls are literal melting pots – not only can you find the most peculiar food here, but also get a good glimpse on the country’s culture that way. While one of the first things to recognize is the smell (and compared to other market halls I’ve visited in my life the odors of this one were not too bad) there are many other things for sale here: arts, fashion, watches, household goods and a lot more. I like to believe that even in touristy areas, locals are fond of the spirit in these halls. Sure, they also get different prices and double or triple the price of Kopi Luwak, Cat Coffee or Civet Coffee, is often determined by a nose tip or pale looks (for those foreigners).

Kopi Luwak is one of those peculiar things we came across – a Vietnamese coffee specialty of which you don’t want to know the ingredients. Ok, let me tell you anyway: Partly-digested coffee berries that came out of a wild cat cater for the flavor (and the name, apparently).

My favorite Vietnamese street food dish for now is folded rice paper with egg, herbs and something that could be sun-dried crabs (not sure though). This I found close-by the old Notre Dame church and the iconic Post Office, both of which were built during the French occupation.

Later today during our explorer tour through those offsite alleys and walkways we also found funky little Octopus balls with red (hot) sauce – another unusual taste for the European mouth I wouldn’t want to miss.

// market: Bến Tành Market