Three nights in Vietnam

The last weekend (Fri - Mon) we visited Saigon (a.k.a Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam. It is the biggest city in Vietnam with population of over seven million people.

I was there with four Canadian friends including my roommate Vincent. We all stayed in a very nice, small and cheap hotel called Phan Lan Hotel in the district 1 very near the city center. The service was some of the best I've ever had in any hotel with the same price class. The room had aircon, flat TV, own bathroom and the breakfast and wifi were included in the price. Also the streets nearby are full of nice bars and restaurants.

Me and the Canadians on a tank from the Vietnam War

Saigon is an interesting place. A big city with just a couple of skyscrapers and without a metro system. Actually the city was very flat and widely spreaded. Near the city center streets were full of tourists and local people trying to sell all kinds of stuff to them. Roads are full of mopeds all day long and the traffic is a mess, still you get used to it pretty quickly. Taxis are very cheap and a ride with a moped (if you dare) even cheaper.

All the highest buildings in the city center

There are plenty of tiny streets and alleys in Saigon

One of the places we visited was Bến Thành Market. The market is one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon and one of symbols of Hồ Chí Minh City, popular with tourists seeking local handicrafts, textiles, áo dài (Vietnamese national costume), and souvenirs, as well as local cuisine. Bargaining is a normal procedure and as a tourist it's important to realize that.

Another places we visited in the city were post office (Bưu điện thành phố), city center in general and the riverside where we took a short cruise with a big restaurant boat.

One hour car ride away from the hotel are the tunnels of Củ Chi. The tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces.

The tunnels were mostly very narrow

One of the nasty traps of Viet Cong

The Canadiens went back to Singapore on Sunday so I had one day to go solo. I met a lot of nice backpackers (mostly from England and USA) and I spent most of my time with them. On Monday I did a tour with one of the many moped guys (they call themselves tourist guides) who are everywhere trying to get tourists drive with them. I spent two hours for sightseeing with him and I saw the country side and interesting areas of the local people. It is very important to make a deal about the prices and terms beforehand and remember to bargain. On Monday evening I had my flight back to Singapore. After all the trip was interesting as Vietnam seems to be way different from Malaysia and especially from Singapore. It was also my very first visit to a socialist country.

Balut (a fertilized duck embryo) is typical food in Vietnam, mostly sold on streets

Tomorrow I'll have my last pill of antibiotics. After over three weeks of being ill, I really hope this thing is gone for good. At least right now I feel good. I'm looking forward to a party on Saturday!