The first impression I had of the streets of Ho Chi Minh was the mopeds! After that, one thing after another, including hawkers and night markets and plastic chairs kept reminding me of Taipei, perhaps in different periods of economic development. Binh Thay Market was flooded with people and everyday goods from backpacks to fresh food to be sold. When not busy, some moms helped their kids with homework while sitting on red, plastic stools next to towers of shrimp chips, and some young people tended to each others' acne problems...
One fruit I saw for the first time was what the locals call "bom bom." It looked small, round potatoes, but strung up like grapes. The skin is thick and soft, the meat tastes like pomelo, the texture like lychee, but the seed is tiny enough to accidentally swallow. It was good!
We did't get much time to explore the city, including its historical, multi-cultured sites, but I hope to next time!
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