"Sundown in Saigon, and the streets are steaming. The air vibrates with the whir of nine million motorbikes and the chatter of eleven million people, all spilling into alleys, balconies, and roadside noodle stalls. Everywhere I look, the doors are flung open. Old-timers chew the fat over ice-cooled beers, aunties in silken pajamas fan charcoal grills heavy with skewers of lemongrassy chicken and caramelized pork. Pocket parks double as public gyms, Vietnamese pop thrums from tinny speakers. It's dizzying, so fantastically alive. So very Vietnam."
"The best way to make sense of it all is to dive straight in, which is why I'm clinging to the backseat of a clattering Vespa driven by my guide, Bui Quan Khanh, a young Saigonese fresh out of tourism school. We swerve through a snaking mass of red and white taillights, past the coffee shops and neon-lit bars of the hip Binh Thanh district and the gleaming new towers of Thu Duc City, which have mushroomed in recent years."
Saigon's streets steam at sundown, vibrating with the whir of nine million motorbikes and the chatter of eleven million people spilling into alleys, balconies and roadside noodle stalls. Open doors reveal ice-cooled beers, charcoal grills laden with lemongrassy chicken and caramelized pork, and pocket parks doubling as public gyms while Vietnamese pop thumps from tinny speakers. Immersive Vespa rides weave through neon-lit districts, narrow alleys and working-class neighborhoods. The city is undergoing rapid transformation with a new metro network and a recent mega-city masterplan aimed at economic growth. Street stalls serve tiny stir-fried snails, tamarind lemonade and bánh xèo wrapped with Thai basil and wasabi leaf near the historic Mong Bridge.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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