I decided to take a trip to Vietnam since my sister ended up getting a cheap ticket to Southeast Asia so she asked me to meet her. We decided to go at the beginning of January, and left at the end of February, so we did not have much time to plan. I have to thank my sister for doing the planning since I was busy with a certification test and work. She found a tour group from Vietnam called Hoi An Express that was affordable. It gave you the choice of three, four, or five star hotels. I am so glad we upgraded to four since the people on the tour did third class, and said it was bad (I would not do three star hotels in SE Asia). I would recommend doing five star since the last couple of accommodations on the tour were not good. I have mixed feelings about the tour for several reasons. It basically got you around the country and to your accommodations. There was one activity a day that the tour took you to, so there was plenty of time on your own to explore. However, the guides changed at every location, and they were not good. There was a lack of communication as well. Some people in our group didn’t know they were getting picked up at a certain time, and couldn’t even get ready. So if you like escorted tours this isn’t for you. If you like a hands off tour you might like this, but I believe everyone likes nice guides and communication. So I can’t recommend the tour group, but I still had a great time in Vietnam with my sister. The dates of this tour also worked perfectly, and it was a lot more affordable than the “better” or more well-known tour groups. I liked the tour from the beginning to Hoi An, and then it went downhill in Northern Vietnam. I also liked that we flew to destinations instead of taking overnight trains which I heard were sketchy. So again there were pros and cons, and I did enjoy myself, but wouldn’t recommend the tour group unless guides and communication improved, as well as the bus you were on when traveling to activities (one word: uncomfortable).
I flew to Ho Chi Minh City where the tour began the next day. The tour sent us a visa letter, and a person to help us with it at the airport. After receiving the visa, I waited another 45 min in line to get through customs. My suitcase was sitting there waiting for me, thankfully, by the luggage belt. My sister was there waiting since her flight came earlier. One of the people from the tour group gave us the tour paperwork, and put us on a shuttle to our hotel. The hotel was nice but we had the afternoon ahead of us so we decided to go to District One and explore. I found it challenging to walk around, and crossing the street just sucked. The rules of the road are not obeyed, and motorbikes even go on the sidewalk. We had to cross the street with locals. District One is where most tourists visit since that is where most of the best cafes and bars are so that is where we headed.
Our first stop was at the Ben Thanh market to get some delicious food. I had a chicken noodle dish, fresh coconut water and this awesome potato roll. We left the market since we were not in the mood to shop after no sleep. Again, walking around was annoying so my sister got us a Grab ride (a cheaper version of Uber in Asia). We got dropped off by the Reunification Palace, which you can visit. There is even a tank on the grounds that crashed through the gates of the palace by a North Vietnamese tank. The palace was the headquarters of the Southern Vietnamese army.
After checking out the palace, we walked along the boulevard and ending up finding the Vietnamese version of Norte Dame, which was constructed by French colonists during 1863 to 1880. The main religion is Buddhism so the colonists needed a church to attend. Another neat building nearby is the Saigon Central Post Office also constructed during French occupation. The post office sells cool stuff like perfume in neat bottles, and you can still mail your post cards if you like doing that. Tourists love visiting it, and it worth taking a look at. I loved how the city was decorated for Chinese New Year with flowers that light up along the streets. We walked around some more, and decided to call it a day since we were exhausted by our day of travel and no sleep.
The next day the tour officially began. We were picked up early in the morning and headed to pick up the other people since we were staying at different hotels since we upgraded. The people on the tour were thankfully in their 40s and really chill. No college kids and 20 somethings to deal with. The van was not comfortable with headrests or a cup holder, but at least we had air conditioning. Curtains would have been nice to shield from the sun since South Vietnam is hot. We had a long ride to go outside the city to visit the Cai Bai Floating markets and village. This was such an awesome excursion. When we stopped for bathroom break, I got an iced coffee which was so delicious. You have to drink the coffee in Vietnam; it is so good. I love that they make it iced as well since most countries do not drink coffee that way.
Seeing the village was fun. The people make coconut candy that we got to try, and snake wine (yes, there are snakes in it and yes I did try it). The people in the village make everything from rice including popcorn and candy. We got to try the local sweets with some jasmine tea. I also got to hold an anaconda which was probably one of the scariest things I have done (I did pet a tiger in Thailand). I trusted the guy who had the snake that it didn’t bite. That sucker was heavy! I couldn’t hold him for too long, but thankfully he was a nice snake, and did not try to eat me. The store where the locals sold souvenirs was probably one of the best on the trip, and I wish I bought more stuff since it was original stuff that was made there. I managed to snag some snake wine, coconut candy, original sketches, and really cute magnets. The prices were really reasonable.
After the village excursion, we got back on the boat and went to an islet nearby where I got to try some local fruit like rose and milk apples, guava, and mango. I really liked the milk apples…I have never had one before. We had a great lunch of local fish that was used to make spring rolls, then chicken, pork, rice, and soup. We went for a soothing boat ride in one of the local canoes. I noticed the women cover every inch of skin possible, and that is because they do not want to get any color on their skin. People are obsessed with light skin tone since darker skin connotes farm work which is looked down upon. Men also cover up for the same reason. I also learned people in Vietnam are only allowed to have two children since the population is pretty large (94 million). After returning to main boat we were treated to more fresh coconut water and made our way back to the city.
We decided to check out The View rooftop bar in order to watch the sunset. The prices were crazy high for Vietnam, pretty much what I’d pay in Chicago for a glass of wine, but the décor was great with lanterns and heart shaped lights. Stick with local beer there since it is much cheaper and pretty light so it goes well with hot weather.
After that we headed to the area near city hall to the Cafe Apartments, a complex of coffee and tea shops, as well as restaurants and boutiques. Take the elevator up and then stairs down in order to explore floor by floor. We found an English style tea shop that was super cute. We stopped for a slice of Matcha cake, which was really good. It was decorated with different tea pots, and fun colors. My sister and I loved the place.
Afterwards, we walked outside to the statue of Ho Chi Minh that the city was renamed after. He was the revolutionary leader that led the independence movement from the French and founded the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. His statue overlooks city hall. It’s nice because no motorbikes are allowed in that plaza so you can walk in peace.
The next day was another early day since we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels are in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City. The tunnels are the Vietnamese Vietnam Memorial. The tunnels were the Viet Cong’s base of operations for the Tet Offensive. The Viet Cong were able to hide in the tunnels, and use them as supply routes, hospitals, weapons caches and living quarters. Life in the tunnels was rough since most of the soldiers were sick with malaria and parasites. It was also humid. The passages are small and tight, and I can’t imagine going into the network since you have to crawl. The tunnels for tourists were widened and made taller so the ones we went through weren’t the real deal, but I don’t think I could manage the actual tunnels.
On display are the traps the Viet Cong used on the American soldiers. You can fire an AK-47, which I declined since I hate guns. You have to get your picture in the tunnel that is camouflaged with leaves. There is an old tank on display that I got to climb. At the end of your visit, you watch a documentary made by the Viet Cong, and it is eerie since it keeps repeating “kill Americans.” It shows young girls in village as soldiers killing American soldiers. It is definitely uncomfortable to watch. It is a sad place since all these lives were lost in this war on both sides. I think going to visit the tunnels is a great learning experience, seeing the war from the Vietnamese point of view. I highly recommend a visit.
After the tunnels we were off to the airport for our flight to Da Nang, which was experience in itself since we went with a Vietnamese airline (imagine survival of the fittest for overhead space). The flight was delayed, and we got into Da Nang late so we just chilled at our hotel’s rooftop bar in order to recharge for our next day’s adventures. To be continued…
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