【Phu Quoc Island, Ho Chi Minh City】City Walking + Island Lying Flat - The Perfect First Exploration of Vietnam
Because I came out of scissors and Bosong came out of cloth, I ushered in the first trip in my life.
The seven-day trip to Vietnam experience far exceeded expectations, Ho Chi Minh City's urban rampage, cultural exploration + Phu Quoc's island lying flat, vertical southern French style, I am very proud to praise my itinerary is really well arranged.
The combination of real work and rest, friendly to workers.
This trip coincided with Vietnam's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the victory in the Vietnam War (1975-2025), and the celebratory atmosphere in the streets and alleys of Ho Chi Minh City was extremely strong, and it was also a mistake that made the experience full.
Considering the inconvenience of land transportation in Vietnam, I chose Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc Island, two destinations that are only 1 hour away by flight, so as to increase the richness of the journey and not be too tired. The time selected by the flight is also a relatively comfortable time period, and the itinerary is for reference:
Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City
1) Man Moi Vietnamese Cuisine
2) Bánh Mì Huynh Hoa Vietnamese baguette (70K VND for one baguette)
3) ThiBa Coffee☕️
4) Fan Ngo Lao Street
5) Five Boys Number One Smoothies Avocado Durian Shake (50K VND for one milkshake)
Day 2 Ho Chi Minh City
1) Cong Cafe☕️ (Vietnamese White Coffee, Coconut Milk Coffee 65K, 49K The latter tastes sweeter)
2) Pink Church
3）Mille Mille ☕️
4) Central Post Office (sent a postcard to my girlfriend)
5) Arabica % ☕️
5) City Hall
6) Saigon Eco Craft (Great place to buy postcards and souvenirs)
7）Grade b
8) Ben Thanh Market (not recommended, a mess)
9) Pho SOL (I was going to go to another one, it was too far, this Pho was unexpectedly delicious, two people ate 620K)
10) Saigon Riverside
11) Sun Tak Shing Street
12) Swimming in the hotel rooftop pool
Day 3 Ho Chi Minh City
1) Dabao concept café Consulate District Store ☕️
2）Pizza4P’s
3) Dabao concept café Saigon Railway Station (☕️ tried egg coffee, it was really sweet)
4）Mille Mille (flagship store) ☕️
5) War Remnants Museum (ticket price 60 for two people, the only museum/art gallery worth visiting in Ho Chi Minh City)
6) Independence Palace Unification Palace
7) Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum (ticket price 60K for two people, not recommended, really watery, the exhibits are messy and have no narrative, many are only in Vietnamese, the point is that the high temperature of 35 many rooms have no air conditioning)
8）DMDSTUDIOS
9）Waa
10) Alluvia chocolate Saigon (free tasting, white lemon and chili taste is special)
11) Takashimaya
12) Coffee Apartment
13) The workshop coffee ☕️ (It is said to be the top ten coffee shops in the world in terms of taste, but unfortunately I couldn't drink it at night, so I bought a bag of coffee beans, which is not cheap)
14) Ho Chi Minh Grand Theater
15) Pizza 4P's (Dinner came back here, two people ate 721K, you can choose two flavors of pizza on a dough, it tastes really good)
16) Swimming in the hotel rooftop pool
Day 4 Phu Quoc Island, Ho Chi Minh City ➡️
1) Museum of Ho Chi Minh City (I didn't expect this museum to be very watery, it came out quickly, not recommended: ）
2) Highlands Coffee ☕️ (In the museum without air conditioning, I was about to faint and came to the coffee shop next to me to relieve the heat, lotus seed tea and iced almond milk coffee cost twice as much as 128K VND, which is about the same as the price of Manner in China)
3) JW Marriott (Staying at Phu Quoc Marriott, known as the "World's Most Beautiful Marriott" at night)
Day 5 Phu Quoc Island
1) JW Marriott (After the morning buffet, Marriott's waiter took us on a tour, all kinds of pats, it is really worth visiting, the design of the southern French style is very interesting)
2) Sunset Town (basically didn't visit this town with a strong sense of "artificial", go straight to the cable car)
3) Xiangdao Cross-Sea Cable Car (the longest cross-sea cable car in the world, 20 minutes one way, it is still worth a visit.) It is recommended to buy tickets on Dianping one day in advance, which will be much cheaper than buying tickets on the spot)
Day 6 Phu Quoc
1) Check out from Marriott to Chen Sea Resort in central Phu Quoc
2) Swimming in the pool, swimming in the sea, and being in a daze by the sea
3) Rak Rock Lobster (two people ate 2100K VND, including black pepper lobster combo, cream crab, squid, etc., the crab is alive and can be chosen on the spot, the taste is very good and filling)
4) Kingkong Mart (It's true that it's all Koreans...!) ）
Day 7 Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc ➡️
1) Walk by the sea
2) Courtyard bath
3) Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the evening and check in to a hotel near the airport
4) Delicious Dishes - Matchandeul BBQ is a stomach pad
There are many interesting cafes to explore in Ho Chi Minh City, as long as you live in the city center, you can basically walk to all the main places. Praise the hotel I chose T-Ritz Saigon Hotel & Apartment, about 600 yuan a night, the room is big enough with a bathtub, not only a delicious buffet breakfast, but also a free lunch set, as well as a gym, rooftop pool and sauna, which is really good!
For Phu Quoc, it is very suitable to lie down and rest, it is recommended to choose a few good resort hotels, do not spend too much financial resources and energy to the so-called classics, it is really better to enjoy it in the hotel. The most beautiful beach is the white sand beach in the south. Marriott is really interesting, with the theme of University, each building is a "college", the design theme is very distinct, the storytelling of the whole hotel is well done, the service is also thoughtful, the breakfast buffet is delicious, it is worth experiencing.
Those cafes worth checking in
1. ThiBa Coffee☕️
2. Cong Cafe☕️
3. Mille Mille ☕️
4. Arabica % ☕️
5. Dabao concept café Consulate District Store ☕️
The photos I took
1. ThiBa Coffee☕️
Many cafes in Ho Chi Minh City are very "hidden", and so is ThiBa Coffee, you need to walk into the alley and climb up the stairs a few floors. Because it was late when I went, and the style of the store was very dim, it was difficult to take good photos. The overall style is more "ruined style", with many quaint containers on display and many "peeling" styles on the walls.
The spaces are all decorated in a vintage style with warm wood brown tones and delicate ceramic items, and every corner of the store is carefully decorated with a beautiful small aquarium, gentle dried bouquets, and cozy yellow lights. The spaciousness, in particular, is equipped with wooden furniture and decorations full of old impressions, creating a nostalgic feel.
2. Cong Cafe☕️
There are many Cong Cafes in Ho Chi Minh City, and the most famous one is probably the one facing the Pink Church. At first, we really went wrong, and the navigation took us to another one, so we spared it for a while. Fortunately, the core area of Ho Chi Minh City is not big, so I found it while wandering around. The advantage of City Walk is that after a few days, the level of understanding of the city has increased - even though it is the first time to visit the city, it is quite strange to be able to identify the place that was passed by at a certain time yesterday.
3. Mille Mille ☕️
It is also hidden in an alley that is not a main road, and there are two in Ho Chi Minh City. It seems that the croissant is more famous, and the overall design style is relatively bright and simple.
4. Arabica % ☕️
Located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City's District 1, this % Arabica Roastery boasts a prime location adjacent to the Central Post Office and overlooking Notre Dame Cathedral. When we visited the Central Post Office, it happened to rain, and the post office closed early, so we took shelter here for the time being. I was destined to experience this special coffee space firsthand.
This store is a great example of the fusion of tradition and modernity in urban architecture as a renovation project – it skillfully combines traditional and modern elements.
5. Dabao concept café Consulate District Store ☕️
Both Daobao coffees have particularly quiet small courtyards, although they are afraid of mosquitoes + hot stars and do not dare to stay longer, but even if they hide indoors and look out the window, they will feel very comfortable. The Vietnamese flag also complements the greenery and architecture, forming a very harmonious decoration.
In Ctiy Walk, Ho Chi Minh City
Unexpectedly, a random journey coincided with the 50th anniversary of the victory in the Vietnam War (1975-2025), and the streets and alleys of Ho Chi Minh City were filled with relevant propaganda posters. Overall, several art galleries in Ho Chi Minh City are a bit disappointing, with no air conditioning in the interior on such a hot day, the exhibition line is chaotic, and most of the exhibits are only introduced in Vietnamese.
In contrast, the War Memorial is unexpectedly good, and it is not surprising that there are a large number of foreign tourists in it. As someone who went to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial at a very young age and was left with extremely deep "psychological trauma", I feel that the war memorial in Ho Chi Minh City is relatively "mild" compared to it.
One of the most memorable was a special exhibition on the Vietnam War organized by two surviving war photographers to commemorate those who died or disappeared in the war. Walking on the streets of the city at such a time will always remind us that peace is really precious and that we are grateful to be alive.
Man Moi Vietnamese restaurant
As our first meal in Vietnam, it tasted really good. But the "Michelin restaurant" advertised by many netizens is actually a big oolong, and after chatting, it was found that the real Michelin restaurant is actually a vegan restaurant upstairs. Of course, this one is really worth a try.
If you are interested in understanding the introduction of the restaurant's dishes, you can search for my ID name "Azula's Ideal Life" on Dianping, and search for man moi, which will not be repeated here.
Cathedral of Notre-Dame
Stop and go in the streets and alleys selling books in front of Notre Dame
Ho Chi Minh City
Central Post Office
"The busiest post office in the world" – designed by the team of Gustave Eiffel (whose other masterpiece is the Eiffel Tower). There are some good postcards and souvenirs to buy here, but unfortunately there is still no air conditioning.
Therefore, being able to complete a series of operations such as buying postcards, writing cards, buying stamps and sending them here while braving the sweltering heat can be called "great friendship".
Saigon Eco Craft
It is a great place to buy postcards and souvenirs
Ho Chi Minh City
Pho SOL
The Pho here is unexpectedly delicious, and many Koreans and Japanese also eat it in the store. Although the food was served a little slower.
Pizza4P’s
A pizzeria with a sense of design, and the pizza is also delicious. You can choose a double combination of dough flavors. If you do not make a reservation in advance, you will need to wait in line.
Finally, I have to praise the hotel where I stayed for three nights in Ho Chi Minh City, and for the first time, I encountered a hotel that included not only breakfast but also lunch. We ate all the lunch without wasting it at once, and the budget was saved! Not only that, there is also an open-air swimming pool, sauna, and gym on the top floor, which is located in a very convenient location to most places, and the room price is between 500~600 per day, which is really good!
The French style of "the most beautiful Marriott in the world"
Grand prize for sea view rooms
Phu Quoc sea view villa looks at the sea in a daze
The world's longest cross-sea cable car experience
Xiangdao cable car
The wife here is really beautiful, I can only say that Jing Meiren is even more beautiful!