Next morning, I had another bánh mì for breakfast, this time from a street cart. It was OK, but not so good as yesterday's. Then I headed down town to play at being a tourist for a day. It was now the weekend and so no work to be done.
I last visited HCMC/Saigon in 1988, so it had changed a lot, yet still retains its unique feel despite the modern office blocks and star-wielding hotels. It is the sort of city I like. Unlike almost all Chinese cities, they haven't destroyed the old to build the new. It is a happily confusing mix of new and old, rich and poor. Someone described it to me as "a mess". He was being disparaging. Yes, it's chaotic, but the energy levels are high.
I revisited places I remembered. The Old Post Office (built 1886-1891) has now sprouted a McDonald's next door. The post office is a popular tourist destination, but is also still a functioning post office.
Outside, I met these lovely ladies.
Next to the post office is a wonderful short street full of books, both new and second-hand (including some in English).
At the far end of the street, I found a Book Café where I settled down for a nice cup of ice tea. They have shelves of books along one wall which customers are encouraged to browse. As far as I could see they were all in Vietnamese.
Opposite the post office is the French built (1863-1880) Cathedral - Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée Conception. All the materials used in its construction were imported from France. Unfortunately, it is undergoing restoration work, so much of it is covered with scaffolding.
All this looking at things had me hungry again. There are all sorts of options in the area, but I decided on a pizza! I had passed this place with a proper wood burning pizza oven earlier in the day, and as I haven't had a decent pizza in decades, thought I'd give it a go. I was at their No. 2 location.
From a relatively short menu, I chose this baby.
It's a prosciutto and rocket/arugula and very pleasant it was, too. Also the cold beer was welcome in the heat. It was around 35ºC. Also, despite being in the heart of the tourist area, the prices were reasonable.
That's the equivalent of $13 for the pizza and $1.75 for the beer. Plus 10% tax.
