Local Interest
Moving west from the Crescent, along the Rach Dia Channel, some of the modern architecture becomes more striking and less generic. Follow Tran Van Tra Street along the waterfront. Before its redevelopment, District 7 was mostly swampland, and it is still riddled with creeks, channels and ponds. These bodies of water, combined with the new leafy suburban streets, make riding through District 7 at night a very pleasant, and sometimes quite chilly, experience. There are hardly any street vendors and not much local food of any variety here. Instead, dozens of international food franchises and coffee chains occupy the ground floors of apartment buildings and office complexes. Some of these stay open late and there are also lots of 24 hour convenience stores. It’ s a good idea to pick up a snack and a drink and take it away to the attractive Panorama Park on the banks of the Rach Dia Channel. Vo Van Kiet continues to weave westward along the channel. The further up this road you ride, the more often you’ ll see the crumbling remains of old warehouses. These were( and, in some cases, still are) used to store produce shipped up the channel from the fertile lands of the Mekong Delta, to be sold in the markets of Saigon. Turn right onto Nguyen Tri Phuong Street and left onto Tran Hung Dao. This is Chinatown, and even at this late hour it’ s still throbbing with activity. However, the later you get here the better, because there are a lot of hidden architectural gems and fascinating minutiae on roads like Tran Hung Dao: the less traffic there is, the more freedom and time you’ ll have to take it all in, without hundreds of vehicles rushing around you.
Route: Districts 5 & 10: Chinatown,‘ Herb Street’, Temples, Night Flower Market
Vo Van Kiet continues to weave westward along the channel. The further up this road you ride, the more often you’ ll see the crumbling remains of old warehouses. These were( and, in some cases, still are) used to store produce shipped up the channel from the fertile lands of the Mekong Delta, to be sold in the markets of Saigon. Turn right onto Nguyen Tri Phuong Street and left onto Tran Hung Dao. This is Chinatown, and even at this late hour it’ s still throbbing with activity. However, the later you get here the better, because there are a lot of hidden architectural gems and fascinating minutiae on roads like Tran Hung Dao: the less traffic there is, the more freedom and time you’ ll have to take it all in, without hundreds of vehicles rushing around you. Back on Nguyen Van Linh heading west, the road passes under the red arches of Ong Lon Bridge. Bear right after the bridge, along the lush boulevards of Binh Chanh District. Trung Son traffic circle boasts some great night-time eating spots, not least several large, open-air goat restaurants: look for the signs saying: Dê( goat). Continue north on Duong Ba Trac Street until it crosses, once again, the Nguyen Van Cu Bridge. After the superior infrastructure of District 7, the roads here can seem narrow, slow and busy. Get back onto the Vo Van Kiet Expressway, heading west towards Chinatown ….
The MAG Vung Tau 17