It’s a shame that my first impression of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was the international arrivals hall of its airport! Immigration was slow and the luggage slower… not helped by the baggage carousel belt stopping at least three times when items got stuck 😩 Nevertheless, I was finally united with my taxi transfer, and made it to my hotel right in the city centre. My arrival afternoon was spent on a quest for Dong (the Vietnamese currency) and sun cream. Thankfully I was successful on both counts. I then freshened up ready for an evening out on a food tour by moped.
‘Saigon-by-motorbike’ has a crew of young drivers who take tourists on a 3-hour, multi-stop gastronomical treat around the city. It was a fabulous introduction to Vietnamese food, and a great way to get to see other districts of central HCMC. We started with beef noodle soup on one of the oldest ‘estates’ of District 3, then Vietnamese pizza and roll-your-own street food in District 10, where we also strolled round the outskirts of the flower market. Other things we ate were squid on a stick, banh mi (Vietnamese baguette) and a dragon fruit smoothie. My driver, 21 year old ‘Amy’ (real name Ai, but it’s common for the boss to demand tourism-industry workers adopt an anglicised name), was a great driver and a chatty guide. I’d have liked her to slow down and explain a little more as we walked through the food market, but for a relative rookie she was pretty good. I certainly felt safe on the moped, and it was quite something to become part of the ‘swarm’ of mopeds that characterise the roads of HCMC (apparently there are some 8.5 million mopeds / motorcycles in the city). I got back to my hotel just before 10p.m. and was happy to tumble into bed.
Day 2 started early, as I was being picked up at 8 for a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels – the network of tunnels in which the Viet Cong hid from the American forces during the Vietnam War. It was a 2-hour drive to get to Ben Duoc, a visitor centre with war artefacts and the chance to learn about and go down into a part of the tunnel complex. We had a brief history lesson en route from ‘Harry’, our highly enthusiastic guide. Walking though the site, we saw all sorts – bomb craters, pop-up ‘lids’ in the ground, traps, and we went into lengths of tunnel ranging from 15 to 50 metres in length. They were incredibly difficult to ‘walk’ in … basically you were bent double, shuffling along and trying not to hit your head! Unfortunately in the first tunnel I caught the sleeve of my top of the tunnel wall and ripped it… I’d have made a rubbish Viet Cong soldier 😂 We saw reconstructed meeting rooms, medical rooms, dining rooms and began to understand how the whole set up functioned so effectively. A very good tour.
Back in HCMC by 3pm, I had an hour’s downtime before heading out again. I grabbed a cocktail at the roof bar of the Caravelle Hotel, before attending a circus performance at the Saigon Opera House. Great fun… although not quite as fun as the scenes that greeted me as I left the hall… I’ve arrived at the tail end of Tet – the Lunar New Year, and the most important holiday in the Vietnamese calendar. This has meant that the city hasn’t been totally back to normal over the weekend, but has also meant that I’ve got to see some of the wild city decorations and celebrations…! Outside the Opera House, I walked into ‘last night of Tet’ celebrations – a live performance by singers and dancers and a full-on party in the park. Madness! But beautiful madness, as the photos attest. I wandered for a good hour before grabbing some food and heading back to my hotel, exhausted.
Day 3 was a chance to see some sights within the city. I had a leisurely breakfast before heading to the War Remnants museum. Quite challenging in parts, and difficult not to conclude that the American forces were … how shall I put it… b*st*rds..? Afterwards I stopped for what turned out to be an amazing Vietnamese iced coffee before visiting the Independence Palace. I took the time to watch the historical documentary there before looking around its carefully staged rooms, which helped my understanding of the history of the place. Next, I took a walk to Notre Dame Cathedral (not accessible, due to restoration work) and Saigon Central Post Office, where I sent a postcard to my mum… let’s see if it ever reaches her! Lunch was a Banh Mi and then I headed back towards my hotel for a chill by the pool. In the evening, I treated myself to a(nother) foot massage and dinner in a restaurant local to my hotel.
My final morning in HCMC was pretty leisurely, as I had pretty much done all I wanted to. I wandered to the opera House to see if the hoardings had disappeared to allow me a photo, but it was still masked by scaffolding. I wandered down Nguyen Hue, which had been cleared of all the flowers and displays, and investigated the famous Cafe Apartments, where I got a delicious coconut coffee in SaigonOi on the 5th floor. Then back towards my hotel, I did a final trawl of Ben Thanh market and got a bowl of Pho for lunch, before checking out and heading to the airport for my flight to DaNang.
50shadesofbrave 