Day 1 in HCMC - The Arrival and Culinary Day

We arrived in Tan Son Nhat International Airport, HCMC at 08.40 a.m. After immigration checked and brought back our luggage, we met Phùng Thanh Huy -- our new friend, a student of HCMC University of Technology -- and went to our hotel by taxi. That taxi we used was really expensive, we spend 400.000 VND (about 18 USD or 250.000 IDR) to get from airport to the hotel which is only about 7 km. I think we've been cheated by the taxi in that time, even Huy maybe can't haggle down the price anymore. So, tips for you who will go travel to HCMC, make sure the range of price from the first time before you use the taxi or you can use the applications, such as GrabTaxi, so you won't be cheated by the driver (But, I think GrabTaxi will be hard to use when you are at the airport (?)).

After checked in to the hotel, we went to the HCMC University of Technology and had a breakfast near the campus. We ate Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) for the breakfast and the taste was really delectable. I think, the taste of the spices is almost the same with Indonesian cuisine. Based on my taste, the broth is composed of the spices such as cilantro, garlic, ginger, and onion. What makes it special is the noodles - you rarely find in Indonesia. The noodles are made of the rice, so it is called rice noodles. Phở Gà is served not only as chicken soup with noodles, it also is served with the chili, lime, herbs, and vegetables. The vegetables contain spring onion, bean sprout, basil, water spinach, and 'jantung pisang' or heart of banana or edible banana flower. The overall appearance of Phở Gà is quite similar to Mie Kocok (Mixed Noodles) from Indonesia, but of course with different ingredients and type of noodles. 

Four portions of Phở Gà

A serving of Phở Gà

The price of that serving of Phở Gà is cheap enough that is 28.000 VND. With that price, we'd all already full so we skip our lunch and took a rest until afternoon. After taking some rest, we went to the nearest supermarket and searched some food stalls that allow us to buy rice-only. You must be thinking, "What's on earth is buying rice-only?" Well, for some Indonesian, especially for the students who want to save their money, this is one of a common thing to do. I, Gio, and Alex were bringing side dishes from Indonesia to spare our money in buying food. LOL. However, it's quite difficult to communicate with the people there, they do not understand English well, even we finally decided to communicate by using the picture, haha. For example, when we're asking whether a food contains pork or not, we show the picture of a pig and cross the hands to indicate "no pork (?)". 

In short, in the evening, Huy and his friend, Hoa, treat us to enjoy some street foods, beverages exactly. We tried a kind of dessert, called Chè. It is a traditional Vietnamese beverage, made of blended mung beans and 'santan' or coconut milk which is separated into two layers. We have to stir it first, to enjoy the taste. The taste is sweet and dense. 

A glass of sweet Chè

Huy also ordered Rau Câu, a Vietnamese jelly cake which is made of agar and coconut milk. It is combined with coffee and ice which enrich the taste of this dessert.  

Rau Câu, Vietnamese jelly cake with coffee and ice

While enjoying the dessert, we learned some basic words in Vietnamese, such as how to say 'thank you', the greetings, what is 'rice' in Vietnamese, and 'pork' also so it makes us easier to buy food in Vietnam. Alex and Hoa had a serious yet interesting topic about the ethnic and urban planning of HCMC. 

In the middle of the conversation, Huy offered us with another beverage named Mủ Trôm. It is a Sterculia foetida processed beverage which is packed in a bottle and served as a cool drink.

Mủ Trôm

I thought, the taste of Mủ Trôm and Aloe Vera drink were very much alike. I heard that this drink is also nutritious and savory.

In the end of the night, we made a plan to visit some destination for the new year's holiday which can make us know more about the culture and history of Vietnam, especially we're really interested in the history of Vietnam War. Then, we went back to the hotel and took a rest. That's all about the first day in HCMC. Write to you later for the second day about attending thesis defenses of Environmental Geology Engineering Department at HCMC University of Technology.