Ms. Saigon (Part 1)

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Ms. Sonya treated us (me, Clang, Keith and Shisha) to a trip to Ho Chi Minh last month to celebrate the release of our beautiful coffeetable book, Sonya's Secret Garden. This was my first visit to HCMC although I wasn't entirely new to Vietnam because I've been to Hanoi. My benefactor and her troupe, however, visit HCMC two to three times a year to shop, mostly for embroidered linens.

Our first stop (after the hotel, that is): Ben Thanh market, which was just across Ngan Ha Hotel where we were staying.

What a sensory feast! Stall after stall of fragrant fruits, coffee, dried goods and savory dishes. So many colorful handicrafts, linen and clothes. We were tapped, patted, pulled, cajoled to check out the merchandise. We sat on low stools to have a taste of various fruits peeled and cut for us by vendors. Haggling is a must. One of the power shoppers suggested we start at 50% off and negotiate from there.

Aside from shopping, we relied on Ben Thanh for many of our meals. On our first night, Sonya treated us to dinner in one of the makeshift stalls. We couldn't resist ordering fresh coconut because the one we had at lunch was so sweet and refreshing.