Good day Saigon

Thanh Nien, Vietnamese restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City

Saw some locals having lunch here and that the comfy deco. also drew my attention to give it a try.  The dishes may not be too appealing but the cooking method is quite nostalgic, like meat & veggie boiled in hot water first before stir frying.  Also noted is that they don't put in a heavy thickening sauce but the stir fried dishes aren't too watery.  I'm also surprised the dishes aren't too salty, nor too sweat.  However, for those who prefer heavy seasoning and heavy flavour, this isn't the place.  

Maxim Nam An, Vietnamese restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City

If I haven't tried Propaganda this time, I'd still list this restaurant on my top choice.  Now that it would be the 2nd, but it's still pretty good.  The restaurant has arranged some live band and dance show; so if we count the dining atmosphere for a classic dinner, this would be a plus.  After all, I am happy to have had a 2nd trying of this place.  It's been 7 years since I came here for the first time.

Au Parc, Mediterranean restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

As we had a nice experience with its sister restaurant next door (Propaganda), the next day, we came to this restaurant for lunch.  Perhaps its sister restaurant is much too good that we had the same highest expectation.  Though it isn't disappointing, I'd still prefer Propaganda to Au Parc.  After all, this place is worth visiting for its mediterranean atmosphere.

Propaganda, Vietnamese restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I was so happy to have finally found a nice restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City that I really hoped I could visit it again in the next day.  At first glance, I thought the restaurant seemed to be a place for drinks.  It isn't.  From the peanuts, spring rolls, beans tofu salad, pork chop on rice and beef pho, to the bean curd sweet and the passion fruit salad.  Not a single miss.  All are superb.  This restaurant simply rewrote my dining experience in Ho Chi Minh City.  I chatted with the waitress and fondly got informed they will open a shop in Hong Kong, after their 2nd branch recently opened in Dubai.  I'll definitely look forward to their HK branch.

Ho Chi Minh City at night