Exploring Le Van Sy Neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City!

Today we explored a neighborhood in our new city of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We had high hopes for engaging with the locals and doing a scavenger hunt around this quaint neighborhood but, as it goes with kids, it didn’t go as planned! But that’s okay! When things don’t go well, it’s how you bounce back and keep a positive mindset.

We explored a neighborhood called Le Van Sy in Phu Nhuan in District 3, between Huynh Van Banh & Truong Sa streets, Phu Nhuan District. We chose this location because we wanted to show our kids some local streets/neighborhoods (called hems) where they could get a better sense of local life in Saigon. And, we read that these streets have more of a suburban atmosphere and almost a self-contained world within the city limits. It was hot and the streets were narrow and bustling with motorbikes but, as we slowed our pace and opened our eyes, we were able to get a better glimpse of local life, literally seeing inside peoples homes and making small conversation with those we passed.

Many didn't speak english so we would smile and make gestures (they would often count 1-2-3-4 -- pointing to our 4 kids) and then give us a thumbs up. Some who spoke english, we were able to have more discussions with -- about what they do, how many people are in their family, how long they lived in the neighborhood. We noticed that a simple smile and saying "hello" in the local language, goes a long way! One woman even tracked us down 1 hour later to bring us a gift of freshly squeeze aloe juice.

We were also on a quest to find a particular restaurant that we read about "Quan Le Hong", known for bo ne, a greasy thing-cute beefsteak, served on a sizzling plate with some cucumbers and a scrambled egg. For me, it was a bit greasy, but Adam enjoyed it. We ended up ordering sunny side up eggs for the kids with baguettes and they were satisfied. This restaurant comes alive at night and gets very crowded, but we were there at lunchtime so it wasn’t so busy. If you are adventurous and into trying new, local foods, I do recommend giving it a try (but note, it’s hard to find!).

On our adventure, being it was hot and we didn’t have a stroller (next time we will), our youngest daughter was having a hard time and didn't want to walk. It seemed that every street we turned onto, she was growing more frustrated and crying harder. We went between picking her up and letting her cry. It was frustrating but a sharp reminder that kids are kids and we need to either adapt to what they want, get them to change or move on! Traveling with kids is always hard but it's also exciting. Sometimes, things don't go as planned but it's important to move on from it and not let it get you down, just hope the next time goes more smooth! We usually come equipped with snacks and water in our favorite travel bag, our Rafi Nova backpack — which sometimes helps when the kids get really hangry and tired!

As always, we love to hear from you if you are enjoying our adventures! We'd also love to hear from you if you live locally and have any tips for us!

You can see this whole adventure on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO1Wgz_80jtJiTkcK4zDgzA