Hustle bustle divided districts just like something pulled out of the “Hunger Games”. District 7 is where I found myself beginning and ending my journey with my best friend and her boyfriend.

Upon arriving in the wee hours of the morning we rode in a mobile taxi app known as “GRAB” to my friends place in District 7  known as “Koreatown”. It was like I was riding through my own little “Chinatown” of Vietnam the whole way. It was so quiet and very few shops were lit up. It wasn’t until the morning when I got to really see what Saigon was all about. It was hustle and bustle with thousands of motorbikes and business after business. 

I remember watching locals wake at the early dawn and go for walks with friends, or sip coffee and eat local delicacies like “Banh Mi” and “Pho” for breakfast. I had no idea that “Banh Mi” is actually a more common breakfast food for many locals and rather cheap I might add (approx. $2). I was fortunate to be right across a mall which included a variety of foods and mid-high end stores. In fact, the more I explored the city I realized that there were many elaborate malls decked out with beautiful displays like the one below:

Another fun fact about my time in Saigon was the fact that it was almost time for their Mid-Autumn Festival which meant there would be “moon cakes” galore. A moon cake is most traditionally a flaky pastry like cake filled with whole egg yolk  with a variety of fillings like azuki bean, chocolate, custard, and fruits. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time which many Asian cultures celebrate the lunar phases.