Michi Photostory

Vigan, Ilocos Sur, is not only known for its Spanish colonial architecture but also for its local delicacies, handicrafts, and other unique finds. Some of the most iconic pasalubong items include Vigan Longganisa, Bagnet, Sukang Iloko, Royal Bibingka, Chichacorn, and Vigan Empanada. 

When it comes to handicrafts, Vigan is famous for its Burnay Jars, Abel Iloko, and wood crafts. 

You can buy food items and local snacks at the Vigan Public Market. For pottery and burnay jars, visit the Pagburnayan Jar Shops. Hidden Garden offers local delicacies, natural products, and pasalubong packages. The most famous place is Calle Crisologo, where several souvenir shops sell almost everything, making it a one-stop shop for souvenirs. 

During our trip, we were able to visit Pagburnayan Jar Shops, Hidden Garden, and of course, Calle Crisologo. 

My mom bought food items from Hidden Garden, but I only bought a plant. I'm not a plantita, but I was sold when the staff told me that this plant is good for indoors because it helps purify the air and is low maintenance—watering it just twice a month. I'm happy to say that we now have many of these plants at home, and my husband is the one taking care of them. Hehehe! 

I was also tempted to buy a clay cooking set. When I was young, it was my dream to have one. I wanted to heal my inner child, but I knew it would probably just gather dust at home.

We bought longganisa and bagnet at Irma’s Longganisa and Bagnet, while my husband bought bagnet and sukang Iloko at Calle Crisologo for his officemates. 

We visited different shops, but most of the pasalubong we bought came from Tongson’s Royal Bibingka store because they accept credit cards. We didn’t want to withdraw cash anymore. 

It was our first time trying the famous Tongson Royal Bibingka. We just reheated it using an oven toaster. Sayang, I only bought 8 pieces—next time, I’ll get the larger size!

What is inside our packed meal? We have bottled water, hot beverage, fruits, and bread. We ate our breakfast at the airport while waiting for our flight. 

We arrived so early, and the staff informed us that we could ride the first flight because there were still available seats, but we declined since we are traveling as a group. 

Da Nang International Airport is not that big, so there are only a few choices if you want to eat, drink, or buy souvenirs. I bought some pasalubong pero hindi namin type yung nabili ko. 

Read: Pasalubong from Vietnam 

Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City via Vietnam Airlines - 1hr and 20mins 

Layover 4hrs and 10mins  

Ho Chi Minh City via Philippine Airlines - 3hrs  

Our flight was a little bit delayed, but we were not in a hurry because we had more than 4 hours' layover in Ho Chi Minh City. 

During our flight, we had wet wipes, bottled water, and in-flight streaming services, but I did not watch any movies or shows because our flight was only 1 hour and 20 minutes. Mabibitin lang ako sa panonood.

When we arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, we rode the bus from the airplane. The boarding was still closed and late din nag-open. Ang tagal namin naghintay kaya late na rin kami nakapaglunch. My son and I chose Burger King meals while my husband ate Pho. 

We also bought some pasalubong here because we still have Vietnamese Dong left. Baka mahirapan na rin kami ipalit pa so gastusin na lang. 

Travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to Manila Philippines is 3 hours and this was our meal. Umalis ng madaling araw and nakauwi ng gabi na.