Traveling to Vietnam: Street Food and Packing List

April’s just around the corner and if you’re considering a trip to Ho Chi Minh City and wondering what to pack for this type of super humid weather…read on my friend, read on.

What I remember from my trip in Vietnam.
1. Food is delicious
2. I felt safe walking around alone but with caution
3. Crossing the street is not easy and requires pure focus and confidence
4. The economy is booming and you can see it through the city’s hustling and bustling atmosphere.

This was my 1st time traveling to mother land. Not only was I shit scared of being on a 12 hr flight (scared of flying) from Madrid but the fear of getting food poisoning from street food, pick pocketed, getting lost and maybe ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, nerves kicking my butt about meeting my entire family for the first time, etc. The list goes on. Everything was new to me, of course I had questions popping up in my head. Overall, I was excited for what lies ahead.

I finally landed in Saigon, stepped out of the airplane and felt the super hot wet air slapping me in the face for wearing a thick black coat, black leggings paired with leather black boots. Note to self, pick your clothes wisely when packing. Immediately, I started sweating. I walked out of the airport and almost instantly, all of my relatives recognized me through my facebook photos. While all of the women in my family greeted me with full hugs and kisses, my uncles and dude cousins gave me respectful half hugs 🙂 For two weeks in Saigon, I ate like a queen. The food in Vietnam is no joke, it’s fucken delicious. My cousins took me to all of the good spots to eat (always good if you know locals). I barely went to any fancy restaurants to eat. I actually got most my food from street vendors and from casual restaurants. My rule of thumb is to only eat at busy places to avoid the Saigon Squirts lol. Though, I do not recall the names of any restaurant I went to, I can tell you I had Pho (beef noodle soup) almost every morning, Mi (egg noodle soup), Com Tam Suong Bi Cha (Grill Pork over rice with shredded pork, vietnamese ham, veggies), and tons of seafood hot pot called Lau. Omg, everything tasted 50 times better in Vietnam than back home in the Bay Area. Here’s a list of legit places you can try out according to other folks who’ve gone to Saigon:

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Com Tâm 390 (Rice plates)
Pho Le (Beef noodle soup)
Banh Canh Cua 87 (Udon noodle soup)
Pho Hòa (Beef/Chicken noodle soup)
Quán Bánh Xèo 46A (Vietnamese crepe)

Click here for more recommendations:

While I was in Saigon towards the end of April, I remember two things: sweating and eating a ton. I brought probably 4-5 outfits with me to Vietnam and only wore 2 outfits for the 2 weeks I was there.

Here’s what not to wear: black leggings, slippers, purses, jewelry.

Black leggings made with cotton and spandex are not breathable, avoid slippers because your feet should never be exposed when you’re constantly roaming the streets, purses are no no’s because it can easily get snatched, and jewelry draws too much unwanted attention and potentially danger.

Here’s a packing list for apparel when traveling to Vietnam in April
1. Simple Tanks
2. Tom Shoes
3. Maxi Skirt
4. Pants (Convertible, thin, and quick dry) 
5. Oversized Blouse 

Tanks can pair with anything making it easy to wear. Tom shoes is thick enough to protect your feet from the filth that some streets may have and thin enough to allow your feet to breath in hot weather. Maxi skirts are soooo comfortable to wear and packable! Traveling pants will come in handy if you want more flexibility in movement, hassle free when it comes to wrinkles, and you can easily hand wash and it’ll dry within a few hrs. Oversized blouses are awesome in protecting you from the sun, loose enough to let some air flowing through the shirt, and thin enough to let you move around easily.

If you’re planning a trip to Saigon and worried about what to wear that is culturally appropriate, the list above will suffice!

Have fun!