I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on January 14, 2025.
I expected the street food to be good. I did not expect it to dethrone Thailand in my personal rankings.
Vietnam didnāt just meet the hypeāit recalibrated my standards. The flavors are sharper, the broths deeper, the herbs brighter, and somehow everything still lands at prices that feel like a clerical error. Every block is a menu. Every sidewalk is a kitchen. And every meal makes you wonder how you ever paid $18 for lunch back home.
I ended up writing a full breakdown of Vietnamese street foodāthe dishes, the prices, the daily rhythm of eating your way through a city. You can read it by clicking
HERE.
I knew, in a vague āfun factā way, that most clothes and shoes are made in Vietnam.
What I did not fully appreciate was how quickly that information would turn me into a shopper.
I swore that I would never own Crocs. Which is still technically true. I just forgot to clarify that I wouldnāt own two pairs of Crocs. Language matters.
I also grabbed a Nike jacket made from the same moisture-wicking fabric as the real thing. Same feel.
You canāt buy one of the items in North America for what I paid for all five in Vietnam.
I didnāt go shopping.
I hacked the supply chain.
Ben Thanh Market was wild ā tons of stalls selling every kind of knock-off brand you can imagine. If it exists in fashion, someone there is selling a version of it (and usually with excellent negotiation skills).
Here are some YouTube videos of the market in action ā they give a great sense of the chaos, the colors, the haggling, and the creative branding:
š Click the link to explore more videos and info
YouTube definitely captures the vibe better than I ever could with words ā and honestly, watching people barter for āauthenticallyāauthenticā sneakers in a crowded stall might be the closest travel gets to performance art.
The North Face, Patagonia, Nike, and Crocs all looked authentic to meāwhich, at this point in my life, is the only certification I require. š
If it keeps me dry, comfortable, and unbothered while Iām wandering through a new country, itās doing the job. Brand purity is a luxury tax. Iām optimizing for function, not corporate approval.