It's the last day of our CF Mekong by CroisiEurope Mekong River Cruise and we have reached Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, our final destination. With so much buzz and activity it seems light years away from the tranquility of the Mekong River for the past few days. We stop by some of the highlights but then seek a refuge of our own, away from the frantic pace of Ho Chi Minh City.
It's the last day of our cruise and Mr NQN and I get ready for an 8am start. The ship has docked at Saigon's port overnight and we emerge from our stateroom at 7.55am only to find out that our new start time is 8:30am. Not a problem as I finally get to check out the breakfast buffet that I have missed every day in favour of my morning routine with a cup of coffee and exercise.
I look over the selection which is very impressive for a small ship with 28 passengers. There's French toast and syrup, congee, cold cuts, cheeses, pastries, sausages, bacon, potatoes, grilled tomatoes and fruit. I am very tempted to give it a try since I am here but I decide against it just in case there's something interesting to eat in Ho Chi Minh City.
Today's program has switched around a bit. We were supposed to see the Reunification palace, Notre Dame cathedral, Saigon central post office and city hall (most of which I'd already seen in a previous trip to Saigon) but that is now in the afternoon and we are on our way to the Giac Lam Pagoda and the Flower Market. It takes us 45 minutes to reach it mainly because of the amount of traffic flowing in every direction. There are motorbikes going every which way, all of them wearing helmets, masks and jackets, some carrying bowls of soup for their morning repast. Our guide Bang tells us the name for these are "Motorbike ninjas".
We drive down a street with gentlemen sitting in barber chairs on the side of the street. They're receiving haircuts by students who are learning their trade by offering it as a free service for low income individuals.
Sometimes you can get a bit pagoda'd out especially in this sweltering heat when you have to don additional layers. I sit in the courtyard of the Guac Lam pagoda and inhale the aroma or fresh jasmine flowers and incense before Sarah asks if anyone want a coffee. "Oh yes I do very much want an iced coffee!" I say and we take a short walk to a coffee shop and order two iced milk coffees. They hand these over to us in little slings. The coffees are strong but deliciously sweet and cooling.
Our next stop is for a 30 minute walk through Chinatown but I feel a headache coming on. Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as it is also know, is the location where I had my first and only migraine and I am actively trying to avoid a repeat. I stay on the bus with some others who are also feeling the oppressive heat, smoke and pollution. After a couple of minutes John muses out loud, "I feel like a banh mi," and I follow him off the bus in agreement. We walk down the street before finding a banh mi stall. Banh mi are available everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City as this where they originated from and we hand over the 25,000VND or around $1.50AUD for a banh mi. I get one cut in half to share with Mr NQN.
Jut outside the bus is a cafe where a man has his tiny apricot teacup poodle in a basket. I sit there playing with it for a while until I board the bus to eat my banh mi. There's pate, mayonnaise, two types of cold cuts and I asked them to slice some chilli up for me. While it is very good, I actually do think that we get some of the best banh mi in Australia if you love lots of filling with fresh herbs and lots of salad. Still, I am in my happy place with this banh mi, iced coffee and doggy time.
After a while, the bus leaves to pick everyone up from another temple and I greet Mr NQN with the banh mi half (that I was very tempted to eat and pretend never existed). He wolfs it down hungrily and we make our way to the next stop of the flower market. By now it's noon and the flower market is reaching the end of its day. Huge bouquets of real (and fake) flowers sit in buckets, tiny droplets of water keeping the petals and flowers from wilting. Large bunches of roses are 120,000VND each or $7AUD. By now our side Bang realises that everyone, unlike the blossoms, are completely wilting in this heat so we head back to the ship for our last lunch on board.
It's pasta day and there's penne and spaghetti with a choice of bolognese, carbonara or pesto sauces. I am happy with the salads as the heat really supresses the appetite. Dessert is a bread and butter pudding with creme anglaise as well as fresh cut fruit.
We have just over an hour after lunch where we can rest and we realise that this afternoon's stops are full of things that I did on my last visit to Ho Chi Minh City. Mr NQN and I decide to do our own thing as we want a respite from the hectic traffic of Saigon. We book a Grab through the app on our phone and head towards Banh Quoi Village, about 25 minutes 10kms/6.2miles from Saigon Port. This lush, verdant and serene village is spread across 3.4 hectares. Make no mistake it is set up for tourists but it is also a gorgeously green space to enjoy and so close to the bustling metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City.
The classic photo of Banh Quoi Village is located just as you walk in with a monkey bridge across it if you dare. I can imagine it gets busy on weekends but on this Tuesday we see just three other tourists. It's a popular spot for wedding shoots too. We order drinks and take a seat in the lanais and enjoy the sound of nature.
What is surprising too is that it is completely free to enter. As we leave around 5pm we see two groups of half a dozen Vietnamese women who look like they've come straight from work. They look to be in their 60's and 70's and they excitedly climb on the monkey bridge and do their own photo shoots.
At 7:30pm we head upstairs for a farewell cocktail and dinner. Everyone has gathered on the sun deck and Mitch the purser re-introdues all of the staff to us and we farewell them with a screwdriver cocktail.
Dinner tonight starts with a prawn cocktail with one large prawn and a couple of smaller prawns with a dab of cocktail sauce.
The carrot and ginger soup is smooth and creamy in texture and I love the generous amount of ginger added to it.
This is followed by a vegetarian Pad Thai served in an egg omelette.
And for dessert? A scoop of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. But they're not done with the surprises. The lights turn off and Mitch is holding a birthday cake with candles for Mr NQN as it is his birthday tomorrow. The crew and guests sing him Happy Birthday and whilst he is normally embarrassed of doing this in front of strangers, after this week it feels like he is celebrating with family now.
So tell me Dear Reader, what's your go-to street food when you're travelling – something sweet, savoury or both? Would you dare to cross the monkey bridge for that classic photo?
NQN and Mr NQN were guests of CroisiEurope but all opinions remain her own.
CroisiEurope
To celebrate 25 years of cruising the Mekong, CF Mekong and CroisiEurope are offering a 25% discount code for tours departing October-December 2025 on a first come first booked basis.
25% discount prices begin at AUD$2,371 (US$1,559)
October 2025 Departures
Upper deck price per person in a shared cabin: USD$2,279 (25% discount USD$1,709)
Lower deck price per person in a shared cabin: USD$2,079 (25% discount USD$1,559)
November to December 2025 Departures
Upper deck price per person in a shared cabin: USD$2,569 (25% discount USD$1,926.80)
Lower deck price per person in a shared cabin: USD$2,369 (25% discount USD$1,776.80)
https://cfmekong.com/cruise-types/discovery-cruise/
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