Ho Chi Minh City: How to spend 3 days
Of all the places I’ve visited, the city of Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) in south Vietnam, is a place that truly encapsulates the phrase “organised chaos”.
With 14 million people and roughly 10 million mopeds, this city is constantly buzzing. The vibrations of bodies, vehicle exhausts and beeping horns is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Whole families, including the dog, pile onto the back of scooters. The streets are so jam packed with motorists, not even the pavements are safe! It was a great way to begin our Vietnamese adventure.
Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh
After an hour’s bus journey (20k VDN/70p) through the city from Tan Son Nhat International airport, ogling at the morning’s commuter traffic, we arrived at our home for the next few nights, The Like Hostel & café.
Sadly, as we arrived early, our room wasn’t quite ready. We dumped our heavy backpacks and went off in search of some food and something to keep us awake. We decided to head to the War Museum as it was only a 15 minute walk from our hostel.
The War Remnants Museum
At 40k VDN a ticket (£1.30), the War Remnants Museum is a harrowing but informative way to start the trip. We quickly realised we knew nothing about the destruction of the Vietnam War that shook the country for many years.
The design of the museum is that you climb to the top of the building and work your way from room to room down each floor. It’s well worth a visit, but note it’s not for the faint hearted. The display presents shocking photographs that show the true horrors of war. Many include images of the toxic chemical concoction Agent Orange devastation, still affecting many generations of families even today.
Afterwards, we grabbed some food (2 portions of fried rice and dodgy, soggy chicken, plus 1 extravagant fruit platter) from a nearby restaurant. Then, headed back to the hostel where thankfully our room was ready.
Feeling more refreshed from a nap in our 8-person mixed dorm room (£6pp per night), we headed out to visit a friend from back home. She was teaching English at a school in Ho Chi Minh post travelling some of South East Asia.
Through her recommendation, we ended up at Indika Saigon. A little Italian place hidden in the back streets of the city – one of those places you’d never discover.
It’s crazy who you come across halfway round the world.
Day 2 in Ho Chi Minh
Waking bright and early the next day, the hostel hosted a delicious breakfast on its communal rooftop area. Then, an 8:30 am pick up initiated a day trip to the Mekong Delta.
Knowing we had limited time to explore half of the country, we pre-planned most of our trip before flying out. To ensure a place among a well-reviewed tour, we booked all of our Ho Chi Minh excursions. We opted for Vietnam Adventure Tours and I couldn’t recommend them enough! They host small group tours that are timely and informative.
Mekong Delta
A 1.5-hour journey, including a coffee rest stop, took us to the Delta. The morning began with tasters of traditional Vietnamese cuisine…
lessons on the process of their coconut sweets…
a shot of snake wine…
your classic “hold a snake” break…
…before a spread of lunch, including the catch of the day.
Post meal, we took a 30 minute bicycle excursion through a neighbouring village before heading for a little jaunt down the river, hats in position.
A day trip only allows for tourist viewed snippets of life here. So if you have more time to spare, I’d recommend opting for an overnight homestay. You can embrace a more traditional experience of life here on the Delta.
The last stop of the tour had us admiring the giant Buddha and surrounding temples just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. Our karaoke-loving tour guide, Lockie serenaded us one last time before our drop off at a local food market for a spot of dinner. All in all, well worth the £25 price.
Day 3 in Ho Chi Minh
Another early start, another tour with VIP Adventure Tours and we were soon on our way to the Cu Chi tunnels, with Sally as our guide.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Costing roughly £20pp, the day is full of insightful information regarding the daily life of the Vietnamese living in these underground communities during the war. Built with 3 levels up to 10 metres deep, these tunnels were a vital network allowing the Vietnamese to stay hidden, communicate and survive.
The tour had us experiencing the “western” size of the tunnels, which even then are not for claustrophobics. Thankfully, there’s the option to take shorter routes or even not go inside if necessary.
Wandering around the site, the ingenuity of the Vietnamese was paramount. To ensure oxygen reached the depths of the tunnels, bamboo sticks were used for air-ducts. They were cleverly disguised as ant hills above ground. When American soldiers came snooping with their sniffer dogs, the use of chilli powder or even the scent of the Americans via found clothing helped disguise the scent of those underground. They only cooked in the very early hours as the use of chambers ensured the slow release of smoke which appeared above ground like morning mist.
Sally pointed out huge bomb bunkers showing the ease of destruction upon these underground communities. Even with the vast information supplied to us, it’s hard to fully grasp the enormity of this wartime effort. Particularly, the day to day survival this society had to endure.
On to Hue
Fresh from a day of learning, we arrived back at our hostel mid-afternoon, and made our way back to the airport for the next stage of the trip.
Ho Chi Minh City’s busyness can certainly be overwhelming, but in a few short days you’ll have the confidence to cross the road! This busy city is well worth experiencing when visiting Vietnam. And best seen before moving on to fresher air and quieter streets.
To continue reading our Vietnam experience, follow the next part in our journey; Hue to Hoi An; Driving the Hai Van Pass
Els x
