Noodles - pho bo

Pho shops are aplenty in Saigon. There's Pho 24, Pho 2000, and many roadside stalls. Pho 2000 was where US President Clinton dined, as the framed photos on the wall show. But the most popular among the locals and tourists alike is Pho Hoa on Pasteur St. (address: 260C Pasteur St.). On each visit to HCMC, I always order pho bo tai to get a bowl of steaming white noodles with raw beef. The idea is to let the steaming soup cook the raw beef. On the table you will find plates of blanched bean sprouts, basil leaves and many other leafy veggies, sliced chilis and lemons and a cluster of stainless steel containers of chili paste, fish sauce and soy bean paste. Add bean sprouts and the the fresh leafy veggies. Stir in a spoon or so of the orange chili paste and the dark-brown soy bean paste, according to your taste. Squeeze a lemon slice and The soybean paste mixed with the beef broth gives it a truly unique flavor. It is absolutely delicious. Remember to use chopsticks. A large bowl of pho costs VND30,000 (USD1.90 or P84).

After your meal at Pho Hoa, be careful when choosing the taxi to flag down. Walk a few meters away from Pho Hoa and call a "company" taxi. These are the yellow, white or green cabs with their company name displayed on top or on the body, such as the yellow Vina taxi, blue and white Vinasun, and white and green Mai Linh Deluxe. The bantam no-name taxis which have altered meters are often parked right in front of Pho Hoa and other tourist establishments. It can rip you off three times what it will cost you in a "company taxi". I've been traveling to HCMC perhaps more than 50 times over the the last 17 years but it was only last year that I learned from a Rex Hotel porter about "company" taxis.