Breakfast
For breakfast, I had my daily required coffee, and ordered a dish that had chicken, greens, and rice. I also saw Vietnamese pancakes on the menu, known as Bánh khọt.
They look like (and I thought they were eggs), but they’re actually made from flour. They were somewhat bland on their own, but came with a savory fish sauce to dip them in. Overall, a very filling meal for ₫200k (~$8)!
National Palace
The palace grounds - it was covered in grass and a handful of trees, had Vietnamese flags arranged in a circle in front, as well as a water fountain
The palace itself from the outside
President’s office
Underground bunker
In 1962, the palace was bombed by two soldiers who infiltrated the Vietnamese air force with the intent of killing the president. They were unsuccessful, and the president & his staff hid in the bunker beneath the palace:
The bunker contained lots of communication equipment so that the government could stay connected.
Haircut
After visiting the palace, I decided to get a haircut
The barber took ~45 mins and only charged ₫250k (~$10)
Snack & market
7-11 Coffee
After my haircut, I was hungry again. My barber reccomended the coffee at 7-11, since it was pretty cheap (₫25k) compared to coffee shops. Andre also influenced me to get the BTS oreos.
Souvenirs!
Once I got my snack, I started heading back to my hotel. I passed through the Ben Thanh market, and decided to buy some souvenirs for my college dorm. I bought coasters, a magnet, a teapot, and a phin coffee filter.
I think my new favorite way to negotiate is to make the seller want your business. I looked at one item that a seller was trying to sell for ₫1 million, and decided I only wanted a different item they had. They then tried to squeeze another sale out of me for the item I’d initially shown interest in.
I kept a firm & low price for both items combined, and in the interest of making the sale, the seller was really pushy but eventually accepted my low offer.
Dinner - bb.q chicken
On the 600m walk to the restaurant, it started pouring so I ran!
I tried the new secret chicken (not sure what that means), fries, and cheese sticks. I expected it to be spicy, but it was pretty sweet - maybe like orange chicken’s cousin.
Random
I’ve wanted the 7-11 tee for a few days, and bought it today 🔥
