Thanks for the memories Vietnam, we will miss you

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The last five weeks in Vietnam have by far exceeded our expectations and it was no easy decision to finally leave as we have had such a brilliant time here and loved every minute, but as the saying goes 'all good things must come to an end'. However, as another saying goes, 'every cloud has a silver lining', so it is not the end of the world that we are moving onto Thailand next I suppose!

When we arrived to Saigon it was dark but luckily our friends were already there so they met us and showed us where they were staying, useful as the alley ways around Pham Ngu Lao (backpacker area) can be hard to navigate at night. On the way we noticed staright away how many bikes there were on the roads and crossing is a bit hard at times - you kind of have to take pigeon steps and just 'go'! We passed what we thought was a big food market but was actually a world food festival with loads of stalls set up selling different cuisines so we said we would go back there tomorrow and check it out. We checked in to a small guesthouse and all decided to split the cost of a private car to go to the Cu Chi tunnels the next morning at 7am (to beat the crowds), then freshened up before going for a bite to eat, followed by some cheap drinks at some bars which had been set up by the side of the road, complete with plastic chairs – very South East Asia – style. A few turned into a few too many and we ended up in a club until the early hours which no doubt we would be regretting when we had to get up early for the trip to Cu Chi!

As we expected we didn’t feel too good the next morning but set off early to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. These are based about 40km from Saigon and were used in the war by Vietnamese soldiers to hide out in when they were under attack. We were first shown around the area and saw the cooking, sleeping and medicinal quarters used as well as some of the spots which had been bombed by B52’s before moving onto the actual tunnels. The tunnels are very narrow, even though they have been widened for Westerners (as Vietnamese people are much smaller), so I just ducked into one for a photo while Scott and the others climbed through for 20 metres, which even they said was claustrophobic and unbearably hot and humid so I’m glad I didn’t go in fully. I don’t know how the soldiers could stand it, crouched in the tight and dark holes for hours and sometimes days on ends, I couldn’t bear it for 2 minutes.

The tour lasted about 2 hours and was really informative and interesting so despite feeling a bit rough we were really glad we did it, and we slept the whole journey back to the city! We were starving when we got back and we needed carbs so were really naughty and had pizza, before going back to the room for a nap. That evening we went for a big walk to another, more upmarket area of the city and were greeted by big hotels and department stores decked out in glitzy Christmas decorations and hoards of people doing their Christmas shopping – just like in London. For dinner we carried on the Italian theme by having pasta before meeting up with everyone for some more drinks on the plastic chairs near our hotel. These are great for people watching and the drinks are cheap so we spent a few hours here just chatting and watching the city come to life, before going to see a live band in a bar nearby who were really good. When they finished we were going to go back to the hotel but as it would be the last time we were all together we carried on and again went to a club, finishing the night in a shop dancing to Christmas songs at 3am…well it was our last but one night in Vietnam!

On our last day in Vietnam we set off to explore some of the city; it must have been the hottest we have ever been and within minutes we were sweating and trying to walk in the shade where possible. First we went to an amazing little bakery for breakfast, then to a market, then onto Notre Dame Cathedral which was really pretty and very French looking. Out of everywhere in Vietnam Saigon has the most French influences we have seen and this continued into the parks and café’s dotted around the city as well as the wide tree-lined streets. Next up was the Remunification Palace, the old quarters of the various Presidents who were in power up until 1975 when it was attacked and partly destroyed; today it is primarily a tourist attraction but annual meetings are still held in the many rooms there. We were lucky and as we got there we joined a free tour around the impressive building, visiting several large banqueting rooms and suites as well as going down to the basement to where the presidents would plan war from as this was bomb proof. This was a great site to visit and if you can jump on a free tour it’s well worth it. After an hour or so there we were back out in the stifling heat on our way to the War Remnants museum, which housed several tanks, planes and weapons outside and was very anti America (as expected) but also detailed and the Vietnamese really went through a harrowing time when the USA were attacking them in the 70’s – some of the photos were extremely graphic and quite disturbing and although we only saw their side of things it was pretty clear to see that America were brutal to them, killing hundreds of thousands of people. The museum also had a room showing the effects of Agent Orange, the chemical weapon used by the USA during the war. So many children died from this and babies were born with serious defects including lost limbs, no eyesight and mental health issues – really sad to see. We didn’t stay too long here and then made our way back to our hotel in the late afternoon, glad that we had learnt a bit about their history but really tired and hot.

That evening, our last in Vietnam, we had dinner and reminisced about the good times we have had here over the last few weeks, sad to be leaving as it signals another part of our trip is over, but excited for Thailand too.

And that’s it; our time in this fascinating country is sadly now over! We hope to come back one day as it really stole our hearts and we loved the people who were so friendly – we heard so many negative things about the people throughout the country but we honestly didn’t come into contact with one rude Vietnamese person, we didn’t get ripped off and we had no trouble the whole 5 weeks we have been here. It was so easy to travel as well after China and its great value for money, maybe the cheapest place we have ever travelled, plus we had great weather the entire time and there was so much to see and do. We just loved it.

Vietnam, thanks for the memories…

S&V's Travel Info & Tips:

General Info: Approx 33,000 VND to £1 / 21,000 VND to $1. Saigon is a big city, but most sites and the backpacker area are located in District 1 so if you stay here you can't go too far wrong. Our trip to the Cu Chi tunnels in a private car cost $7 each and was well worth it - a good option if you can get a group toegther.

Transportation: The bus took about 6 hours from Mui Ne but was a good one and cost $8 each. It dropped us in the heart of Pham Ngu Lao (backpacker area) which was good. To the airport a taxi cost 150,000 VND.

Food: Being a big city there are plenty of places to eat here; we enjoyed the food at Mimosa restaurant on Dien Bien street (mainly Italian) and also the ABC bakery on Pham Ngu Lao.

Accomodation: We stayed in a nice little guesthouse called Thanh? in an alley just between the above two streets - there were lots of places along here and our room was $10 a night.

Other observations:

x) More Indian restaurants here than we have seen anywhere else, but surprisingly we didn't indulge this time!

xx) The traffic in Saigon is mental - the bikes out number cars by 5:1 and are everywhere, so crossing the road becomes a challenge at times.

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Comments

[MichaelnFaye]

Yay Vietnam
It so nice to hear people talk positively about their experiences in Vietnam. We had an amazing time there, so much so we spent three months there last year and it saddens me when all I hear is bad things about it! ABC bakery..... Oh man I'm salivating right now!!! :)