Advertisement
Published: November 6th 2011
Edit Blog Post
In our travels in Ho Chi Minh City and around we have come across some interesting sites and things to do that we have enjoyed and have encountered some memorable places and sights that we most certainly won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Arriving into the airport is unlike anything you can imagine in Australia.....we really have no idea what is going on or where to go and you just pray you are following the right people and they are taking you to the right place. So on our adventures this is what we did:-
We took a ½ day tour in the Old Quarter and went and seen the War Museum which was totally amazing and was so worth going to see, so much so that we only had an hour and a half and that wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything so we went back the following day. There is so much history in this museum that I really can’t explain how I felt walking around reading all the stories and sadness that happened in Vietnam because of the Americans. When you see all the photos on the walls of death, destruction and loss it’s really
sobering to see how the people had to live and how they were treated, how they fought back to get their independence. We saw how Agent Orange has destroyed so many lives and left so many people in homes and with little money. You can see some of the people who have been born with disabilities in the museum making crafts and playing instruments and singing, it brought a tear to my eye and really the how place gave me goose bumps when I was walking around it. I had to buy a little hand purse from their craft stand and we put a few dollars in the donation jar……if you don’t I really think you don’t have a heart. But we loved the place and highly recommend it to everyone to go and see it!!
On our tour we also went and seen the Post Office which wasn’t really that exciting but it was really nice architecture to look at on the outside. The Notre dam Cathedral was also really nice and inside was so beautiful, the stained windows where gorgeous and the pews in the isles just make for stunning photo opportunities. We also visited the local
market place Ben Than Market. This place you really need a whole day to walk around here….it’s huge and nothing like you have ever experienced!! “You buy, You buy?”, “Lady….what you looking for?”, “Sir a shirt for you?” and the list of questions goes on and on and on and on in every isle and around every corner. You really have to bargain here or you will get ripped off. One lady wanted to charge us $25 or $20 for one shirt that we have previous purchased in Hoi An for $3 and $4………so what did we do – Paul tried to bargain with her and well she didn’t want a bar of it really so I just said……..NO WAY and walked of and well……..surprise, surprise………we got the shirt for $5!!! The power of bargaining is awesome, if they don’t want to sell it for what you want to pay for it just walk away and if they won’t budge, don’t worry just go to another store and try there. We found some great stuff there and got if great prices.
A boat dinner cruise on the river was a great idea we thought so we booked that and
got a little dressed up and had a beautiful dinner on the river with live traditional music and dancing and the cruise boat was lit with lights and was really romantic. The only downside to this was the music was a little too loud and you couldn’t talk without half shouting. We got to try out a few instruments and entertain a few of the guests with our musical talents!! Lol
We took a ½ day tour to the Chu Chi Tunnels the last day we were there and sat on the bus (which is not for fat Aussie chicks!! Lol) which is tiny and it took 2 and a bit hours to drive 70kms to the tunnels. There is so must history here as well and what an amazing thing to go and see. The tunnels the Vietnamese dug are just so tiny and are so complex. The things they did to protect themselves is amazing and would so hurt if the things they built happened to you. The traps the Vietnamese built are so brilliant and would have worked a treat to fight off the Americans. The tunnel systems they built to live in are truely amazing
and these were and still are some determined peoples. They way they used to live in the tunnels was brilliant and very clever.
That afternoon was spent looking at the markets again and packing up all our goodies we have purchased and making sure we didn't have too much stuff and would have to pay excess baggage on the way home. Duty free was good as well $16 vodka!! Yes.....we got some!! lol.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.072s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 51; dbt: 0.045s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb