Halal Food in HCMC

Costly but worth every dong!

Many Malaysian tourists, enticed by ASTRO travelogue Rasa Halal Orient hosted by one of the AF winners Farrah, would be familiar with the names of Halal restaurants like VN HALAL, Halal Saigon, Satay House and Kedai Shamsudin even before they depart for Vietnam.

VN HALAL

VN. HALAL serves both Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes

On our first night at HCMC, we were taken to VN HALAL just around the corner from our hotel by Alex, our friendly local guide. The ambiance was quite cosy, with a spiral staircase and an open elevator to deliver food from the first to the ground floor as conversation pieces.
We discovered that these were indeed necessary distractions since the service was at a snail's pace. I had downed two tall glasses of delicious Vietnamese iced coffee and iced chocolate drink before our shared kampong, salted fish and patprik fried rice, all reasonably tasty, was served. While we savoured our dinner, we spotted a Mat Salleh who almost dozed off at his table while waiting for his order!
More reviews on VN HALAL:
http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d1984469-r129104739-VN_HALAL-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halal Saigon

Address: 31 Dong Du Street (just across the Saigon Central Mosque), District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.  

On our second day, we had both lunch and dinner at Halal Saigon, directly opposite the Saigon Central Mosque or Masjid ar-Rahman and diagonally opposite the Sheraton. The blood red facade led us to a tastefully decorated interior, with sephia-toned photos on the dark grey walls and chic black-and-white lampshades to match the ceiling.     

This brightly painted restaurant is run
 by a dynamic lady, who's also passionate 
about her pharmaceutical plant

The black and white floor tiles complement 
the blood red furniture and wall on the left 
as well as the grey ceiling and wall on the right    

The sephia-toned photos did not diminish 

the elegance of the interior decor

    The food was delicious and the service efficient, with the Malaysian lady owner herself serving the customers when it's crowded in the evening. I had Vietnamese spring rolls for lunch and yam shrimp soup for dinner, which was delightfully different.

    More on Halal Saigon: http://www.vietnam720.com/travel-tips/halal-food-in-saigon/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Satay House

Address: 307/25 Nguyen Van Troi St
Phu Nhuan Ward, HCM City

On my third day, I joined a tour group to the Cuchi Tunnels. On the way back to the hotel, the tour bus stopped by an up scale neighbourhood, where we were greeted by the yellow signboard above the Balinese gate which led into the Satay House. 

As soon as we enter the colonial style house, we were confronted with a blown-up photo of the owner with Maria Tunku Sabri, the host of the popular TV3 program, Jalan-jalan Cari Makan (JJMC). Since lunch was pre-ordered by the super efficient local guide Erra, it was served as soon as we freshened ourselves with the sanitised wipes provided. The 'asam pedas', 'daging masak kicap', 'sambal belacan' and other dishes deserved a rating of 4/5. The chef and owner themselves made sure that the meal was agreeable to the patrons. On the way out, we stopped to admire a smaller photo of Tun Raha (PM Najib Razak's mother)  on the left wall.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kedai Shamsudin
Address: 445 Le Hong Phong St., Ward.2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel : +84.8.6271-7494
Website: http://restaurant-shamsudin.com.vn/

Just before we checked out of the hotel, we had packed 'nasi campur' from Kedai Shamsudin.
From the conventional taste of the 'ayam masak kicap', 'sambal belacan' and 'ulam-ulaman', I surmised that the menu suited the Malay palate just fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hajjah Basiroh

This little makeshift alfresco diner is located right across the street from our hotel.  It's placed in front of a shop selling 'telekung' and 'baju kurung'. The Poh (Vietnamese noodle) was refreshingly light and the iced coffee was a good deal at RM3. Very convenient for situations when your group leader and members left you in the lurch. Do be extra patient though with the pesky peddlers and starving mothers with infants in their arms hanging around the stall. 

Cho Ben Thanh is the new Geylang Emporium

   

Updated 4/7/2012Can't Buy My Love - How Advertising Changes The Way We Think and Feel

“Cumulatively they create a climate of cynicism and alienation that is poisonous to relationships. Many people end up feeling romantic about material objects yet deeply cynical about other human beings. In a society in which one of two marriages ends in divorce, we are offered constancy through our products. As one ad says, “Some people need only one man. Or one woman. Or one watch.” Okay, so we can’t be monogamous – at least we can be faithful to our watches. Because of the pervasiveness of this kind of advertising, we learn from childhood that it is safer to make a commitment to a product than to a person, far easier to be loyal to a brand.”

Jean Kilbourne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As-salam, just returned home from Vietnam last night. 

The main entrance to Cho Ben Thanh

If the Emporium at Geylang Serai (GS) was the hub for Malaysian, Bruneian and Indonesian shopaholics in the 1960s, the focus has now shifted to Cho Ben Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). 
But, of course, there was that temporary relief in the Jakarta-Bandung trips before they (aspiring entrepreneurs, travel agent wannabes and fixated housewives with husbands and children in tow) arrive in droves to HCMC, mostly via Air Asia. 
Most of them put up at two or three star hotels with Vietnamese sounding names which line the filthy, narrow lanes leading to their new found Valhalla.

One of the lanes leading to Ben Thanh

Like addicts, they came primarily for the 'fix' from ruthless bargaining with beleaguered retailers, who pushed their wares in the congested market lots during the day and equally crammed stalls on Pan Chu Trinh Street at night. 

The crowd swarm in 
as soon as the gates open at 8am

Both pushers and addicts are out to get the best deal from their brief, or sometimes protracted, transactions. There's hardly compassion lost on both sides, just the adrenalin rush from intense bargaining and a 'high' from purchasing or disposing of coveted items at the most favourable prices. 
To help push sales, the desperate retailers were more than eager to pick up Malay from their regular patrons. Hence, calls of "Kakak, kakak, abang, abang, murah, murah" would be ringing in your ears long after you walked out of the marketplace. 

When night falls, both sellers and buyers thronged
 the night market outside

The Viet Valhalla

No shopper worth her salt would waste time
 on the figure at the roundabout 
facing the front entrance of Ben Thanh

The front entrance of Ben Thanh Market faces Quach Thi Trang Square, where the statue of Nguyen Han on his horse grace its area. Its rear faces Le Thanh Ton Street.  On its right is Phan Chu Trinh Street and on its left, Phan Boi Chau Street. There are four gates which serve as sirens to lure in the shoppers.  

On all its four sides, countless fix and mobile counters offer all sorts of stuff, from coconut juice to iPad covers. 

Inside, theMarket is choked with all kinds of commodities under the Vietnamese sun, from textiles to 'knock-off' handbags, shoes and clothings, souvenirs, nuts and candies, local hawker food, fresh fruit and vegetables. 

The entrance facing Phan Boi Chau Street