Ho Chi Minh City
I have recently returned from an amazing journey to Vietnam and Cambodia. Below is how I spent my 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City.
Arriving into Ho Chi Minh City was an experience in itself as being immediately thrown into the chaos of the Ho Chi Minh city traffic was a great way to awaken the senses.
With hundreds of scooters seemingly flying by in every direction, the traffic moves like a school of fish, with each fish ‘swimming’ independently yet being completely aware of everyone around them, adjusting their movements according to their surrounds with a simple honk of their horn.
When pre-booking my holiday, I had come across some great scooter tours. I really wanted the chance to be able to experience the city as a local would, so I booked on a private evening city/foodie tour which had me travelling through the lit up city on the back of a scooter to some of Ho Chi Minh’s main attractions.
What I found so strange was when on the back of a scooter in the traffic it did not seem as chaotic as looking at it from the side of the road. Everyone has patience and is courteous to one another, communicating with a honk of their horn.
There were several stops along the way to experience local street food, things I would never have thought to order off a normal restaurant menu and food at local restaurants that I would have walked right by – all of which were amazing! My guide was a young female University student who was very knowledgeable, accommodating and provided a brilliant insight into Ho Chi Minh City and her own life. This was a fantastic way to start to the adventure that would be to come.
The following morning, I headed to the War Remnants Museum. The museum features a series of themed rooms with graphic imagery, supporting stories, prison cells, weaponry exhibits and military equipment within the walled yard, all of which left me feeling extremely sombre at the loss of life and the terror that is war. It is a lot to digest as it is an extremely heavy topic, but hours easily disappeared from my day at the Museum. It was well worth the visit.
The afternoon/evening was spent wandering the beautiful French influenced, tree line streets, passing the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, City Hall and Ho Chi Minh Square with a stop at a local patisserie to enjoy a Vietnamese coffee and watch the world go by, before an evening visit to the night Ben Thanh markets.
I ventured out of the city for the last day in Ho Chi Minh on a small group ½ day tour to Cu Chi by speedboat. The journey took around 40 minutes on the Saigon River and gave me a peek at traditional life along the riverbanks rather than heading there by coach which tends to take 1.5 hours. It was in the district of Cu Chi that several military campaigns took place during the Vietnam War. The site was specifically chosen as it had access to the Saigon River to the East, the dense jungles for hiding to the North and the fertile Mekong delta to the south for food. The most fascinating part of this area was seeing only a fraction of the network of connecting tunnels which were used by the Viet Kong as hiding spots during combat, as well as communication and supply routes, hospitals, weapons factories, kitchens and living areas – some tunnels were up to 9 meters deep and were home to over 10,000 people.
From the 2 tourist tunnel options I took the 40m squat crawl (forgoing the 100m option) and came out the other end speechless and absolutely amazed at how people could live down there... it was incomprehensible. The ‘tourist tunnel’ has been doubled in width to fit tourists to allow the experience of being underground - the original size is 80cm high x 40cm wide. I also witnessed how resourceful the Viet Kong were with their weaponry, booby traps and hiding skills.
I loved my time in Ho Chi Minh City, it is unlike any other big city in Asia that I have travelled to and would definitely be on my list of must-sees in the world. I can help you create an amazing and eye opening experience, just like mine for your next adventure.