Bong Sung Vegetarian Restaurant — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Went to the restaurant at 8:50pm, the restaurant closes at 10pm. The first thing the waitress tells us is it's last order and they only have a few dishes left. After a few confused looks, she goes back to the kitchen to ask if the rest of the menu is available, which it was. Then when we get our meal and start to eat, the staff started rearranging tables and chairs. The chairs and tables were heavy, so they made a lot of noise dragging them across the floor. They also decided to chat to one another very loudly across the room. This continued throughout the entirety of our meal. We couldn't even have a conversation because they were so loud. They also broke a couple of dishes and made some loud banging sounds because they were being careless.

There was a whole other room they could have escorted us into if they had to rearrange the room like that. They also should have been quieter when their customers were eating. Additionally, they should've taken the time into consideration. The first thing you say to your customers shouldn't be you need to order now because it's last call and you can only order these dishes, especially if it's not true.

When we were given the bill, they had the nerve to add the service charge on there. I told them to take it off. They asked me why and I said because they were extremely loud and disruptive during our meal. They said they had a big group coming in the next morning and had to rearrange the tables. I asked them then why didn't you put us in the other room? They had no answer... Why couldn't you have waited until we left? No answer... Why didn't you do it quietly? No answer... If we were back in America, the meal would have either been free or greatly discounted because it was clear they didn't care about us being there.

SKIP THIS PLACE! THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS IN HCMC WITH...

Decided to stop here since it was close to the cathedral and post office that people rave about going and seeing. I arrived about 0830 am and was told all of the inside seating was not available as they were cleaning; so I sat outside and over-looked the street scenery.

WiFI There is Wifi was okay and marked speeds; 3.47 Download 8.66 Upload

LOCATION At first, it can be a bit difficult to locate as it is found in a tiny and dark alleyway. There are a few signs, just have to keep a lookout. Once you locate the final sign, it will point left. After that, it's a short walk up a flight of stairs to the restaurant.

COSTS Pho = 63,000 Converted to USD = $2.76 USD

FOOD It was my last morning/afternoon, so I ordered something that is authentic to Vietnam; which is their Pho Nudc. When it arrived, it was boiling with a few toppings; which appeared to look good. Sadly and maybe because a lot of foreigners come to this restaurant, not sure, but the pho was very bland. What it didn't lack was the presentation, but where it did was in flavor. For me, if I had to choose between the two, I would select flavor always.

TOILETS They required some love and attention, but to their defense, they may be working on cleaning that next.

With so much selection available in Saigon, I would strongly recommend exploring other options.....

If you found this review helpful, please let me know with a quick "like"; so I can be aware that the time spent is helping someone along...

Having been introduced to a life less meaty by my much better half (no one will take bacon from me though) we are always looking for interesting spots to eat and Bong Sung is definitely one of them. The setting is amazing around the corner from the Old Church in D1 with an inside and outside area that you need to walk down a typical Vietnamese alley to get to it's hidden stairs. The food was incredible and my gf was super happy which is tough, cause she's French (it's a joke, everyone calm down). She had the veg curry with fresh spring rolls and I had these thin fried mushrooms with a peanut soy sauce and a broccoli soup (which I added some salt which I prefer to do anyways so just heads up). The cá phê sữa đá was great and we shared a snow lemon which is a lemon slushie. So banging! Top beverage! Bill was 400k VND which is very fair for good food and ambiance. Waiter was a champion and English levels were good but being in a foreign country shouldn't mean them speaking your language. It's nice learning new things anyways. Go check out Bong Sung. Let me know your experiences. Have a wonderful...