My maiden trip to Vietnam was in 2010. We only spent a night in Ho Chi Minh because this trip was mainly to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the neighbouring country.
It was an eye-opening trip for me. This is where you cross the road with confidence that the motorist will know how to somehow avoid you. The simple blind faith in the people there is just amazing. The picture above is where we were stuck for a while because we were afraid to cross over to the bus terminal.
Our first meal in Ho Chi Minh is actually from the back alley near our backpacker hostel, Red Sun. It was located at a very strategic place with many touristy spots nearby, including Ben Thant Market.
Ben Thant market is where you buy loads of stuff from souvenirs to food stuff. We were there only for a short while because we wanted to maximise our time in Ho Chi Minh as much as possible.
Along the way, you will definitely meet vendors by the road selling either local delicacies or toys and souvenirs for both locals and tourists.
Getting to Cu Chi tunnels was another interesting experience. We reached Ho Chi Minh around 10 am so it was a little late to follow some local tours. Therefore, we opted to get there on our own. After asking around, we found out that we can get there by local bus to a depot and change to another bus service. The local bus ticket was only 5,000 VND. Unfortunately, when we reached the bus depot, the touts there weren't willing to help us because we were not going to hire them to get us to our destination.
The touts work in a group. Eventually, one of the touts sneaked some information into the hands of another tourist in a privy place. I believe this is to avoid being beaten up by other touts. The local bus experience in Vietnam is one of a kind. One can board the bus whenever you managed to hail one and if it's really full, you can even choose to sit on the floor!
We finally reached Cu Chi tunnels after much troubles! Vietnam was once involved in Civil War so there were many historical sites where you can visit including landmine museums and underground tunnels. Cu Chi tunnels is part of the massive network of tunnels which underlie much of Vietnam.
These tunnels are used as hiding spots, communication and supply routes and these holes are really small. I'm a petite size and I almost can't fit into these holes.
Outside the tunnels, there was a beautiful arch that was set up. I am not entirely sure what it means because the local tour that was going on was carried out in Vietnamese language.
This pretty much sums up our short visit to Ho Chi Minh. Our next stop is to Phnom Penh!
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