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Late street party in Sai Gon - Ho Chi Minh city

Late street party in Sai Gon
By day, Sai Gon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City, is in constant motion. But come dark, the city's residents unwind, whiling the night away at countless cafes and restaurants.
Sai Gon never sleeps. By day, the city's residents are hard at work, everyone in a rush to get somewhere. After dark, the frantic pace slows. The workday over, people gather at the cafes and bars that line avenues like Dong Khoi, Le Quy Don, Pham Ngoc Thach, and Vo Van Tan. Lovers stroll along Ton Duc Thang street or on the Bach Dang Wharf, or cruise aimlessly on motorbikes, enjoying the cool breeze. As the heat of the day fades, the appetite picks up. While Hanoi's late-night dining options are limited to the area around Hanoi Station (for cheap eats) and Cam Chi (for pricier fare), Sai Gon boasts thousands of choices for an after-hours feast.When the Saigonese think of a late-night snack, the first thing that comes to mind is chao, a bowl of rice gruel. While plain rice gruel doesn't sound very enticing, this disk is quick, tasty and easy on the stomach and the pocketbook.The most famous purveyor of chao in Sai Gon are on Ly Chinh Thang street, which many Saigonese still call by its former name, Yen Do. Here, a number of small stands operate well into the night, their fame revealed by the lack of advertising. One small signs simply states: Plain Rice Gruel.The stands actually offer much more. Customers can liven up their rice gruel with salted eggs, fried "three-colored eggs", white herring, dried white herring with sesame, salted shredded meat, or shrimp. Various herbs and vegetables are also available, allowing diners to create mixtures exactly to their taste.Another popular spot for a post-bar snack is Da Kao street, famous for its steamed rice pancakes. By night, small stands on Da Kao offer chao, noodles and rice pancakes.Perhaps the busiest late night food centre in all of Sai Gon is Ba Chieu market. Open all night, this wholesale market is bursting with activity, and a large number of food stalls have sprung up to sustain the porters, shopkeepers, drivers and traders who keep the place humming until daylight. The food kiosks open at around 8pm and, come mid-night, are packed. Since most of the customers are workers in the market, the fare is both cheap and quick to eat: a bowl of steaming noodles costs about VND3,000.For those in search of a more luxurious setting, there are plenty of fancier places catering to post-club crowds. The ABC Restaurant at 172H Nguyen Dinh Chieu street states on its menu that it stays open until 4am. Located in the city centre, this place attracts a lively crowd of actors and singers on their way home from performing in local clubs -along with their audiences.Here, diners pay about VND14,000 for a bowl of chao with salty egg that would cost about VND8,000 at the stalls only Chinh Thang street. Rice gruel with shrimp costs VND24,000. The extra dong buy a more relaxing and comfortable setting than that on the street, plus the chance to rub shoulders with Sai Gon's showbiz set. For something different, people with late night hunger pangs head to Hai Trieu street, near Ham Nghi street. This area, popularly known as Cam Chi (the name of a famous food street in Hanoi), specializes in northern-style dishes. Here, customers will find various northern-style noodle dishes, served with plates of bean sprouts to remind diners that they're in the south. Not surprisingly, among the crowds of native Saigonese at these stalls there are always a few homesick northerners happily slurping pho (noodle soup).While a day in Ho Chi Minh City can leave you worn out, be sure to muster enough energy for a night on the town. An evening spent eating, drinking and watching the world go by is one of the true pleasures of this vibrant city.