Van Thanh Park is the entertainment area mostly prized by Ho Chi Minh City citizens.The park lies on the bank of the Thi Nghe River, a branch of the Saigon River. From the park, there is a view of Vung Tau.
Do the sounds of motorbikes buzzing by and taxis and buses horning ever stop? No, but you can escape from them, and you don’t even have to go too far from downtown HCM City. To be precise, you have to travel three kilometers.
Then you reach Van Thanh Park. Inside the park, quietness and peacefulness surround you. You can sit in one of the pavilions on the lakes, wander on the green lawn along the river or look at stone-carving, weaving and pottery-making village replicas.
Apart from this asset and a host of entertainment services, several restaurants sit on the spacious area, covering some 5.5 hectares of land and 2.5 hectares of water.
Altogether those can serve 3,000 guests at a time. Thien Thai seats 500, Hoa Su 450 and Hoa Vang 200, and there are many more.
A stunning 60-odd dishes, specialties of northern, central and southern Vietnam, are put up for Saturday and Sunday buffets from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The choices include chem chep mo hanh (oysters broiled with onion), ca nuong xien (grilled fish), ca basa nuong me (basa fish broiled with sesame) and oc buou nhoi thit (snails stuffed with meat).
Eating at the buffet costs VND89,000 for adults and VND59,000 for children. Additionally, the restaurants offer reasonably priced breakfasts.
Many city dwellers come to eat breakfast by the river and lakes in the fresh morning atmosphere, although, unfortunately for some, many travel companies have chosen to drop off tour-takers at Van Thanh for breakfast before they leave the city.
Besides this for the most part individual dining, Van Thanh has also successfully organized large food and culture festivals.
48/10 Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District
