Conveniently located in the heart of the downtown tourist area, known as the District 1 area of Ho Chi Minh City, the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon opened in September 2009, offering luxury accommodations and an excellent array of dining options.
Market 39 - Featuring Vietnamese and French Cuisine
Market 39, the main hotel restaurant is located just off the lobby with large picturesque windows, offering views of the Saigon cityscape. Diners can get lost in the visual frenzy of scooters and tourists passing by while shielded from the noise of the big city.
The restaurant features a large menu of Vietnamese and French entrees, along with a buffet. The lunch buffet is approximately $22 USD and features a number of stations and types of cuisines. The Vietnamese section includes specialties like Pho Bo and delicious crepes known as Banh Xeo. There is a grill station where diners can choose from fish, chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp paste on sugarcane, along with accompanying sauces. Other delights include sushi, freshly shucked oysters, salads, other hot entrees, and a gourmet dessert station.
Each food station is manned by a friendly chef, each preparing items fresh and subsequently delivered to the table. The chefs and wait staff are eager to answer any questions and are quick to provide advice and suggestions on the traditional way to enjoy their local Vietnamese cuisine.
Market 39 is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many of the items are also available on the room service menu for those looking to enjoy a more romantic meal in their room.
Yu Chu Chinese Restaurant - Cantonese and Peking Cuisine
Tucked away on the second floor is another culinary gem known as Yu Chu Chinese Restaurant. Yu Chu is open for both lunch and dinner; however, the Sunday dim sum brunch comes highly recommended. Serving a variety of Cantonese and Peking specialties, diners can watch chefs preparing signature dishes such as handmade pulled noodles and Peking duck.
Diners will not see the familiar carts of typical dim sum restaurants as everything is made fresh to order, served table side. The all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch features some unusual items such as rock salt roast pork belly, crispy frog's legs with spicy salt, century egg and seafood rolls, and baked apple barbequed pork puffs.
The dim sum brunch is $550,000 Dong (about $30 USD) and $700,000 ($40 USD) for free-flowing wine, beer, and/or soda. The brunch also includes several selections of hand pulled noodles, which is an impressive artistic display. Each bowl of noodles is made when ordered and is a treat not to be missed. Enjoy them authentic Beijing style - dry with minced pork, or in a variety of soups like sliced smoked duck breast.
Asiana Saigon's Club Level Access
Currently, the hotel is offering discounted rates with the flexibility to pay approximately $30 more for a club level room, which includes a room on a higher floor, free wi-fi, and access to the club level on the 19th floor. A variety of refreshments and cocktails are served throughout the day, including breakfast, afternoon tea, and an evening happy hour with wine, beer, and canapes.
Asiana Saigon's club breakfast menu includes the Vietnamese specialty, Pho Bo, served with all the condiments. The evening canape selection changes nightly and features various themes, many centering around mainland China delicacies.
The higher room rate is worth the views and internet access alone, but the delicious gourmet snacks are an added bonus, allowing guests to try even more Asian cuisine specialties, while still enjoying a dinner out in town.
Location and Directions to Intercontinental Asiana Saigon Hotel
The Intercontinental is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh's District 1, approximately 15-30 minutes from the airport depending on traffic. Many cab drivers are still relatively unfamiliar with the hotel as it is new, so be sure to stress it is the new Intercontinental versus the Continental Hotel most drivers mistakenly assume.
The Intercontinental Asiana Saigon is on the corner of Hai Ba Trung Street and Le Duan Blvd, opposite the Kumho Asiana Plaza complex. For reservations, contact +84 8 3520 9999 or see the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon's website to book online.
Erin De Santiago - Erin is a freelance travel, food/wine, & Disney writer in Taipei, Taiwan, who has traveled within 40+ different countries to date.
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