A Healthy day in Thao Dien - The Saigonese way

AmanakiHotelsBlogAHealthyDayinThaoDienSalaPark

Amanaki Thao Dien

Our stories

Live Like A Local |26/06/2023

5 minute

Follow a local’s guide for a healthy lifestyle

Vietnamese people are known for their agility and healthy lifestyle. You can see it reflected in their cuisine, which always has a variety of herbs and veggies to keep the dish in balance with the meats and carbs, or see it in the early morning, when the parks are crowded with people coming to exercise, especially the elders.

If you want to find ways to show your body and soul some care, but still don’t want to miss out on all the fun and delicious things in Thao Dien, a simple leisure day in Saigonese style will get you covered.

7 AM: At the park
Photo: Stocks
The Vietnamese, especially the older generation, has a habit of waking up very early in the morning, either to prepare for their business during the day, or boosting their body with simple exercises.

Though as early as 4 am, you will still see a few people going to a park or even standing in their front yard for some fresh air and doing exercise. To the elders, that even becomes their favorite part of the day because they get the chance to meet up with friends.

In parks at early hours, you feel a vibrant energy of elders dancing to the music, or doing graceful martial art movements and can really see that they are enjoying their life and their health despite their age.

If you want to try to wake up before the whole city does and get some fresh air, Sala Park is the nearest park in town with about 5 KM from Amanaki Thao Dien, where you can enjoy a nice walk, do a running section in a green surrounding next to a lake.

9 AM: Enjoy Phở Thìn for a local breakfast

Photo: Phở Thìn by Sol

After getting some fresh air and the city slowly waking up, the people would like to go for a coffee or breakfast to cool down and get their energy intake for the day.

Pho, our national dish that you might have heard of, is one of our favorite dishes to enjoy at breakfast. Here in Thao Dien, you can find a few Pho eateries that serve traditional Pho, but our personal favorite to stop by is Pho Thin by Sol. A Restaurant that serves the traditional Pho with stir-fried thin beef slices in a contemporary and spacious space.

You can enjoy a bowl of Pho with many other northern Vietnamese dishes and drinks just 900 meters away from Amanaki Thao Dien.

Address: 37 Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Opening hours: 6:30 - 21:30

AmanakiHotelsDiscoverSaigonCulinaryPhoThinbySOL

AmanakiHotelsBlogAHealthyDayinThaoDienVuonThaoDien

12 PM: Lunch at Poke Saigon

Photo: Poke Saigon

After enjoying a morning in a green surrounding, the next stop for our healthy day is Poke Saigon, one of the best places that offer the healthy Hawaiian dish to the people of Saigon.

With this dish, eating a salad is no longer boring but truly a personalized and fun experience. You can choose a variety of ingredients for your base, veggies, toppings, and pair them with their sauce collections to create your own colorful salad bowl.

Their choices include fresh and healthy ingredients such as fruits, sashimi salmon & tuna, mushroom, broccoli, tofu,... and they also offer fresh juice. A refreshing lunch ideal for the heat of Saigon just 200 meters from Amanaki Thao Dien.

Address: 39A Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien Ward, District 2,Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Opening hours: 10:00 - 21:00

AmanakiHotelsBlogAHealthyDayinThaoDienPokeSaigon

1 PM: Enjoy a short nap time

Photo: Stocks

Normally after lunch, when the heat is the most intense, people often go for a short nap for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before they are back to their day.
Even in office buildings, they have spaces made for that purpose. Some companies even have a policy that allows their staff to move the table and provide mats so they can sleep on the floor, some staff might bring their own pillow so they can sleep right at their own desk.

Some foreigners might find this habit strange when they first come here, but once you try it, you will see that the short nap not only prevents you from getting tired caused by the heat but also an effective way to calm your mind and regain your energy for the afternoon.

3 PM: Meet up with friends at Saigon Outcast

Photo: Saigon Outcast

After getting all that energy from your healthy lunch and a quick nap, why not join some physical activities or meet up with friends with an ice cold cup of craft beer? Saigon Outcast is the place for both.

Located in an open space in a quiet area the place offers a chill outdoor atmosphere in the middle of Thao Dien. Beside their restaurants and cold beer taps which you can enjoy really nice food and drinks, they also have a modern push climbing center for the local people to participate with their friends and family.

Address: 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Opening hours: 10:00 - 23:00

AmanakiHotelsBlogAHealthyDayinThaoDienSaigonOutcast

7 PM: Dinner at Laang

Photo: Laang Restaurant

There is nothing like wrapping your day with loved ones in an intimate villa that offers healthy options for your dinner. Just about 200 meters away from Amanaki Thao Dien, you can enjoy healthy, vegetarian friendly dishes that were inspired by Vietnamese traditional cuisines at Laang Restaurant. Some of their signature healthy dishes include granola fruit bowls and raw juices, Greek kale salads, Coconut Quinoa kale with freshly-squeezed juices,... Their ingredients claim to be fresh and sourced locally for an all-day healthy dining experience.

Address: 22 Dang Huu Pho, Thao Dien Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Opening hours: 7:00 - 23:00

AmanakiHotelsBlogAHealthyDayinThaoDienLaangRestaurant

Tags: Saigon, Live like a local, Wellness

Sleep-walking through Saigon

So drunk with the city’s timeless allures, one needs to experience it while sleeping and awake, where the parallel narratives of the past and present collide. Let us join you in a 2-day adventure to our curated destinations and suggested engagements.

Wellbeing

The healing magic of sound

How can sound bring your body and soul to the balance point? Modern life offers us a diverse amount of options for our health, in terms of technology, methods, as well as consumer products. However, have you ever thought that our body and mind can completely find back balance just by just a simple action: listening?

Art & Culture

The world of Vietnamese Coffee

A short and simple 101 guide for your Vietnamese coffee adventure Coffee plays a crucial role in Vietnam’s culinary culture, especially in Saigon. As you go past any streets, big or small, you will encounter coffee stores of all kinds, from large spaces with unique concepts to small vendors with setup as simple as some plastic stools on a sidewalk.