Montreuil - Marché Croix de Chavaux

 
Yeahhh! One of my favorite places in Paris. The market in Montreuil: Croix de Chavaux. One of the most colorful, positive, cheap, crazy, awesome places ever. Enjoy! (or Yalla!)

Selfridges - Birmingham

Main entrance to Selfridges, Birmingham. (c) House of Hall. Flickr.

Selfridges is the name of a British chain of department stores. The most impressive in terms of architecture is the one in Birmingham, which was listed as one of the Worlds's Greatest Attractions and one of the 100 stores to visit in the world by Retail Week magazine.

Designed by Future System and inaugurated in 2003, the curvy building was honored by the  Royal Institute of British Architects, who said it was "clearly one of the most provocative of all the year's submissions because of its uncompromising and unprecedented outward appearance". Indeed, it quickly became an iconic symbol for this old city with new ambitions. 

(c) Malias. Flickr.

Besides the shape and the curves of the building, the truly impressive feature is the 15,000 aluminium disks that cover like scales the International Klein Blue exterior, looking very much like a smooth, silvery sequin dress. The lighting of the interior during daytime is predominantly natural and comes through a large roof atrium.

(c) House of Hall. Flickr.

Unlike any other department store that you have ever seen before, Selfridges in Birmingham reflects all the neighboring buildings and change with the weather.

JolieBox Paris

If you are in Paris and feel like spending money on French cosmetics would be crazy, then... do not despair! You can subscribe to JolieBox, an affordable beauty box subscription service in France. For 10 Euro a month, you get between 4 and 6 travel-size beauty products, Le JoliMag (their beauty magazine), and exclusive invitations to JolieApéros. They have one month, three month, or year-long subscriptions - the 1-year subscription helps you save 20 euros. More details here: http://joliebox.com/.

Good news for the British - JolieBox has recently entered the UK market: joliebox.co.uk. 

Metro An Phu (District 1)

Major shopping today. Where to go? Our friends told us about the Metro Cash&Carry in District 2 (An Phu). We took a cab in the Zoo area (Nguyen Binh Khiem St.) - 85,000 VND (roughly $4).

Metro An Phu is like any other Metro store in the world - the layout and the concept are the same, only the products are different. In order to be able to do the shopping here, you need a one-day pass. They will issue you one on the spot, after you present your passport and a photocopy of it.

What I liked about that place was that you can find everything you need under one roof and, it's fairly inexpensive, and the price tags display the name of the products in English. Otherwise I would have found myself in big trouble :). The downsides: they do not take any kind of Visa, Mastercard, or American Express and you are not allowed to have any kind of bag or any bottle of water or juice on you.  That's insane.

Metro sample prices:

Fresh clams - 40,000 VND/kilo

Vinamilk cream cheese - 25,800 VND / pack

Tuna - 54,780 VND / 4 cans

Bread - 17,700 VND

Green dragon - 5,700 VND/kilo

Water melons - 7,190 VND/kilo

Radishes - 8,000 VND/kilo

Carrots - 20,000 VND/kilo

Sweet corn - 36,740 VND / 2 cans

Rice - 78,750 VND / 5-kilo sack

Fresh noodles - 43,670 VND / 3 packs

Nuoc Mam (dipping fish sauce)  - 31,680 VND / 2 bottles

Chili sauce - 29,150 VND / 2 bottles

Zorok beer - 208,000 VND / 20 cans

Dalat red wine - 47,300 VND

Chile red wine - 105,710 VND

Shower gel (Lifebuoy) - 85,000 VND / 3 bottles

Raid insect killer spray - 92,547 VND / 2 pieces

Cif cleaning paste - 51,557 VND / 2 pieces

Cotton bath towels - 124,000 VN(60 cm * 120 cm)

Cleaning cloths - 24,750 VND / 3 pieces

Door mats - 49,000 VND / 2 pieces

Ironing board - 153,500 VND

Vacuum cleaner (Goldsun) - 902,000 VND

There are many other things on my invoice, but it's impossible for me to list them all here because of the Vietnamese I haven't learned yet. All in all, it's a very good place to go shopping for your house. They also have a delivery service for a nominal fee, depending on how many items you purchased. But you can just take one of the Vinasun taxis parked in the front of the store and... delivery problem solved!

Metro An Phu - An Phu - An Khanh, District 2, HCMC, Vietnam. Ph: (+848) 37 406 677; Fax: (+848) 35 190 361. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday : From 06:00 to 21:00.

Nguyen Kim - Mecca of Electronics

A friend recommended Nguyen Kim, this super-sized electronics store on Trang Hung Dao (just steps away from Ben Than Market or Pham Ngu Lao). You can't possibly miss it, as it's huge and loads of speakers blast loud music outside. We went there to buy a cell phone - they have a wide range there, plus all the other gizmos one could imagine, except for Apple. It's very similar to the Best Buy store chain in the US.

We bought a cheap Samsung phone for under $20 (390,000 VND, discounted from 530,000 VND) and also received a 10 porcelain bowl set as a gift. Then we went back to buy a steam iron. We chose a Panasonic for 560,000 VND and also got two Panasonic cosmetic bags. It seems they are running great promotions this July.

The service is good, although not many of the shop clerks speak English. The point-and-smile technique works wonders though. They offer decent warranty periods and after-sale service. Major downside: it's a very busy place, but I can see why. :) You can avoid all that if you buy online at www.nguyenkim.com.

Nguyen Kim - 63-67 Tran Hung Dao, District 1, HCMC. All major credit cards accepted.

Find out more about the Apple resellers in Saigon here: http://saigoninacup.com/2010/06/23/rare-case-good-service/

CO.OP Mart Shopping

Sick and tired of all the street vendors who charge us twice or three times as much as they charge the locals just because we are foreigners, we decided to visit a local supermarket and see what the real prices on the market were. The Co.op Mart on Cống Quỳnh (Cong Quynh Co.opMart - 189C Cống Quỳnh - P.Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Q1 - TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 38.325.239 - (08) 38.255.363) seemed to be really close, so we went there. This is a popular chain of supermarkets in Vietnam and going there around 11 a.m on a business day sounded like a good plan.

[caption id="attachment_1348" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Front view @ Coop Mart on Cống Quỳnh St."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1337" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Co.op Mart"][/caption]

Co.op Mart is a common supermarket, stocked with everything you need, from fresh produce and dairy to clothes and household appliances. Their private label is SGC and it's 3% to 20% cheaper than other similar goods in the store. The supermarket lays on two floors: the ground floor houses the fresh produce, processed food, personal/home care, and household appliances departments, while at the first floor you can find the apparel department, plus a small food court.







I didn't like the place very much, but I will probably go there again soon. It reminded me of the old communist shops in Eastern Europe (packed and a bit smelly), though this is much larger and better supplied. You can find most of the things you need here and for a fixed price. I can't say whether this is the cheapest one in town or not, since I can't compare it with any other supermarket in the city yet, but here are some sample prices:

Laundry detergent (3 kilos) - 66,000 VND

Raid insect repellent - 54,000 VND

Cream cheese - 28,800 VND

Tofu - 8,200 VND/roll

Vinamilk (1 l) - 30,200 VND

Eggs (1o pieces) - 22,000 - 32,000 VND

Quail eggs (30 pieces) - 20,800 VND

Seedless guavas (1 kilo) - 10,500 VND

Canola oil (1 l) - 46,900 VND

Carrots - 14,700 VND

Squashes - 5,200 VND

Baby bananas (1 kilo) - 13,000 VND

Mangosteens (1 kilo) - 25,000 VND

Potatoes (1 kilo) - 9,200 VND

Zucchini (1 kilo) - 7,900 VND

Lotus tea (20 bags) - 21,000 VND

Instant Pho - 3.300 - 4,300 VND

Sensodyne toothpaste and toothbrush - 28,700 VND :)

Tweezers - 16,900 VND

Ha Noi beer (can) - 8,700 VND

Tiger beer (can) - 10,700 VND



[caption id="attachment_1344" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Soy sauce - approx. $1/bottle"][/caption]



To me, it's not expensive at all. Take into account the fact that $1 = 21.000 VND - so... this is heaven. But the household appliances I've seen there were not very cheap. I think the best option when going shopping for your household is visiting a big market, such as An Dong or Binh Thai in District 5. Co.op Mart is good for buying fresh produce and processed food, as well as toiletries and house care products.

Website - http://www.saigonco-op.com.vn

The list of Co.op Mart supermarkets in Saigon:

1. Cong Quynh Co.opMart, District 1; Address: 189C Cống Quỳnh - P.Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Q1 - TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 38.325.239 - (08) 38.255.363

2. Hau Giang Co.opMart, District 6; Address: 188 Hau Giang Str, Ward 6, District 6, HCM City; Telephone: (08) 39.600.913 - (08) 39.600.255. Fax : (08) 39.600.254

3. Nguyen Dinh Chieu Co.opMart, District 3; Address:168 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, P.6, Q.3, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 39.301.384, Fax : (08) 39.301.386

4. Dinh Tien Hoang Co.opMart, District Binh Thanh; Address: 127 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, P.3, Q.Bình Thạnh, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 35.100.091 - (08) 35.100.090

5. Phu Lam Co.opMart, District 6; Address: 06 Ba Hom Str (Phu Lam Rotary), Ward.13, District 6, HCM City; Telephone: (08) 37.514.798 - (08) 37.514.799; Fax : (08) 37.514.801

6. Thang Loi Co.opMart, Tan Phu District; Address:02 Trường Chinh, P.Tây Thạnh, Q.Tân Phú, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 38.155.483 - (08) 38.155.484 - (08) 38.155.486; Fax : (08) 38.152.969

7. Nguyen Kiem Co.opMart, Phu Nhuan District; Address: 571-573 Nguyễn Kiệm, P.9, Q.Phú Nhuận, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 39.972.472 - (08) 39.972.477

8. Xa Lo Ha Noi Co.opMart, District 9; Address:191 Quang Trung, P.Hiệp Phú, Q.9, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 37.307.233 - (08) 37.307.234 - (08) 37.307.551; Fax : (08) 37.307.240

9. BMC Co.opMart, Tan Phu District; Address:787 Lũy Bán Bích, P.Phú Thọ Hoà, Q.Tân Phú, TPHCM, Telephone: (08) 39.736.303, Fax : (08) 39.736.312

10. An Dong Co.opMart, District 5; Address: 18 An Dương Vương, P.9, Q.5, TPHCM, Telephone: (08) 38.352.677

11. Phu My Hung Co.opMart, District 7, Address: My Phuoc Residential quarter, Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard, Tan Phong Ward, District 7, HCM City, Telephone: (08) 54.120.084 - (08) 54.120.085 - (08) 54.120.086, Fax : (08) 54.124.944

12. Ly Thuong Kiet Co.opMart, District 10; Address:497 Hòa Hảo, P.7, Q.10, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 39.572.857 - (08) 39.572.856 - (08) 39.572.847; Fax : (08) 39.572.843

13. Nhieu Loc Co.opMart, District 3; Address:Tầng trệt cao ốc SCREC, P.12, Q.3, TPHCM; Telephone: (08) 62.904.804 - (08) 62.904.808; Fax : (08) 22.904.802

14. Binh Tan Co.opMart, Binh Tan District; Address: 158 đường số 19, Bình Trị Đông B, Q.Bình Tân, Tp.HCM; Telephone: (08) 37.626.706

15. Hung Vuong Co.opMart, District 5; Address:96 Hùng Vương, P.9, Q.5, TP.HCM, Telephone: (08) 38.338.156, Fax: (08) 38.338.159

16. Pham Van Hai Co.opMart, District 8; Address: 40-54 Tuy Lý Vương, P.13, Q.8, Tp.HCM; Telephone: (08) 39.515.465

17. Nguyen Anh Thu Co.opMart, District 12; Address: 167/2 Nguyen Anh Thu, Trung My Tay Ward, District 12, Tp.HCM; Telephone: (08) 37.185.455; Fax : (08) 37.185.479

18. Suoi Tien Co.opMart, District 9; Address:Toạ lạc tại Khu Du Lịch Suối Tiên, P.Tân Phú, Q.9, Tp.HCM; Telephone: (08) 37.252.060; Fax : (08) 37.252.059

19. Co.opMart Rach Mieu; Address: 48 Hoa Sứ, P.7, Q. Phú Nhuận. TP. HCM; Telephone: (08) 35171368

20. Co.opMart Phu Tho, Dist. 11; Address: Khu A, Chung cư Phú Thọ, P. 15, Q. 11, TP. HCM; Telephone: (08) 38687007

21. Co.opMart Hoc Mon, Huyen Hoc Mon; Address: Đặng Thúc Vịnh, Xã Thới Tam Thôn, Huyện Hóc Môn, TP.Hồ Chí Minh, Telephone: (08) 37 107 186

[caption id="attachment_1347" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The menu @ the Co.op Mart food court"][/caption]