January 10th - 15th - Ho Chi Minh City

Modes of transportation: bus, cyclo and of course bicycle!

Places visited: All of central HCMC (Saigon), some of the outskirts and Cu Chi tunnels.

Costs of things: Beer (65 cents), Meals ($3 to $6), guesthouse ($12), excruciatingly long cyclo ride (we suggest not approaching senior citizens to pedal two people across town)($2).


As we rode into Ho Chi Minh City, the traffic became increasingly heavier, but we had the luxury of a bicycle/moto lane, so as usual, it did not bother us. It was definitely loud and the fumes were none too pleasant, but it did not take long for us to hit the more central part of the city. Ho Chi Minh City was by far the largest city we had been to since Bangkok (there are about 9 million people there including the suburbs) and the incredible mass of motos could give one a serious feeling of claustrophobia while riding amongst them. History-wise, it was the main port of Cambodia (then called Prey Nokor), before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Renamed Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1975, Saigon was taken by the communist forces of the North, merged with some surrounding regions and renamed Ho Chí Minh City (although the name Saigon is still frequently used, particularly by its citizens).

After a long, frustrating couple of hours looking for a place to stay (basically don't bother going to any places listed in your guidebook if you're traveling, because unless you've booked ahead, they're all full), we finally found a nice little family run place outside of the backpacker area. After settling in, our day of frustration continued, as we decided to walk over to a cool sounding restaurant a couple of km's away. The walk to way longer than it should have been and after going up and down the street, we finally came to the realization that the restaurant was just not there anymore. Another lesson learned; guidebooks, as recent as they may be, are not necessarily 100% reliable. The night ended with an unspectacular meal at a restaurant on the main backpacker street.

We spent the following day getting our bearings and seeing some of the town on foot as walked to the Laos embassy to get our visas for that part of the trip. Unfortunately, we were using a one year old Lonely Planet to guide us and it turned out that the embassy had relocated. Verifying with a newer book we picked up from a street vendor, we saw that the embassy was nowhere near where we were, so we decided to check it out another day. Dinner led to more frustration, as the restaurant we had picked from the guide was no longer there, but luckily the large luxury hotel we had chosen for a rooftop drink was still around.

The next day was a day of fun and games. We decided to go to a local waterpark, but of course the one we originally wanted to get to was closed, so we headed for our second choice. It was Sunday, so when we got there it was packed with children, but it was a beautiful day, so we paid for our tickets (all of $3!) and headed in. They actually had a separate tanning and changing area for tourists and we were not even allowed to use the locker facilities for the general public. We had a great, relaxing afternoon and were actually pretty impressed with the size and quality of the waterpark. After a nice dinner (good quality restaurant that was actually in the guide book!) we went to a club that sounded it like it might be alright, but once again, the guide book let us down. Full of sad looking tourists (mostly middle-aged males) and young looking local females, the vibe was not at all what we were looking for. Wandering the streets, we ended up following our ears to a dance club in a fancy hotel full of happy, partying groups of locals, with only a few other tourists to account for.

We switched back to tourist mode on the 13th of January, as we had a booked a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a 250km long network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City. They were the location of several military campaigns during the American War, and were the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels were used for multiple purposes, including hiding spots, supply routes and even hospitals. We were able to actually go in some that had been widened for the purpose of tourism, but even they were tight and very claustrophobic. We could not comprehend how the soldiers were able stay in there for months at a time. Also of note: we had a crazy tour guide who kept giving up guilt trips for not staying with the group the whole time. On the way home, we stopped at the Reunification Palace, which was the main government building for South Vietnam before the communists from the north stormed the city and took over in 1975. It serves mainly as a museum now, though the government does hold large meetings and conferences there from time to time.

The 14th of January was supposed to be our last day in Saigon....SUPPOSED to be. We wanted to stay away from the price gouging of the tourist buses, so we went for some local transport at the bus station. Well, the price of tickets was slightly lower than the tourist bus, but they wanted us to pay over three times the price of a ticket for each bike! They would not come down to anything ressembling a reasonable price, so even though we had missed the scheduled departure of the tourist bus, we left the local bus station out of principle and checked back into our guesthouse for one more night. The remainder of the day was spent buying tickets for the tourist bus (they made us pay for two tickets each to cover the cost of the bikes, but it still came out to less than the local bus) and then visited the War Remnants Museum, which depicted the American War from a much different angle than we are used to in the West. Well, they did win it after all. Of the many displays, the most distressing was the tribute to all the people who were and continue to be affected by Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant used by the Americans as a weapon in the war.

Finally we left Saigon on the 15th for Dalat, in the central Highlands of Vietnam...