Blogs from Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 5

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Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 20th 2018

We’d managed to lose day, very poor show really as we had arranged to go into the city of Hoi An only to realise we already had tickets to get to Ho Chi Minh! Woolly says – I’d checked under the bed and table, in the bed and behind the bathroom door but hadn’t managed to find the day so instead gave Jo a few kicks to show my levels of distress. By the time we arrived in our new city I had already developed a liking for it, traffic jams took things to a whole new level, but the buildings are modern, the pavements are walkable and the variety of western food that fills the street side cafes that serve under the trees. Ho Chi Minh City, also known informally and widely by ... read more
The Presidential Palace
The Post Office
Bet they didn't have this view in 1834!

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 16th 2018

The old man has booked a ‘luxury’ tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, part of a huge complex built by the Viet Cong. He can’t say what the difference is with the regular tour (booked by daughter no 1) but it costs 4 times the price. I look forward to comparing notes later. The drive to the tunnels takes 3 hours mostly through the sprawling suburbs of HCMC. After 2 hours we stop at a government workshop where we are shown victims of Agent Orange making things to sell to tourists. We continue to the tunnel location and spend 2 hours in the sweltering jungle while our guide tells all about the tunnels; how they were built, how the Viet Cong lived and fought, how cunning and clever they were. It’s very interesting and rather ironic ... read more
Cu Chi Tunnels
Cu Chi Tunnels
Cu Chi Tunnels

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 16th 2018

Efter OrganikH gik turen tilbage til Vietnam og Ho Chi Minh City hvor vi skulle mødes med Simones forældre. Vi startede tidligt om morgenen og fulgtes med Olivier, som også skulle til Siem Reap. Derfra skulle vi med fly til Ho Chi Minh City. Rejsedagene er som I har kunnet læse i de tidligere blogs altid en lille smule anspændte og fyldt med bæven, da det aldrig helt er til at sige om alle transportmidler går til tiden og om Lua’s rytme kan følge de forandringer, der evt måtte ske på vejen. Da vi derudover rejser med relativt meget baggage, er der i øvrigt meget, som kan gå tabt på vejen, hvis vi ikke lige er opmærksomme. Denne tur var ingen undtagelse. Hvis man til historien tilføjer lidt træthed pga. dårlig søvn (tror jeg selv fik ... read more
Speedbåd til Saigon River Luxury Homestay
Fly til Dallat
Sovebus til Dalat

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 15th 2018

Today; sightseeing seeing in Ho Chi Minh City. The little I know about Vietnam come from studying the War in politics classes (and from watching Miss Saigon). So after breakfast, we start by walking to the War Remnants Museum. It’s only a mile which doesn’t sound too onerous. But we have underestimated the insane heat and crazy motorbike drivers. It soon becomes clear that I don’t have the mental fortitude for crossing Vietnamese roads. Eventually I develop a routine – wait till the pedestrian light goes green, shut my eyes and cross. It doesn’t hugely affect my chances of dying and at least I can’t see what’s coming. Going to the War Remnants Museum straight after breakfast was a mistake. It’s a truly harrowing experience and keeping my fried eggs down is quite an effort. Outside ... read more
War Remnants Museum
War Remnants Museum
War Remnants Museum - Napalm Girl

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 14th 2018

I survive the night. Contrary to my fears, the spider the size of a crab has not smothered me in my sleep. Today is a long day for a number of reasons. First, we are up at 5 am so will experience more day than is ideal. Second, tho old man has set his alarm in the wrong time zone so we’re up even earlier than planned. Third, we are travelling backwards through time zones so today will be 27 hours long. And finally, we are flying to Vietnam via Singapore so we have 2 flights to endure. Returning the hire car is complicated. It got booked out under the wrong registration so they think it was returned elsewhere a week ago. Somehow this has cost us £60 and Thrifty have no IT support at weekends ... read more
Sunflower garden - Changi Airport
Enchanted garden - Changi Airport
First glimpse of Vietnam

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1 March 21st 2018

My last post just to fill in some detail around leaving Vinh Long and a final hiccup in Singapore. I was travelling in Vietnam on a tourist visa and was living in the language school, actually a 5 storey house but empty apart from the school on the first two floors and a couple of staff sleeping in two bedrooms. That was me too. When you stay at a hotel in Vietnam your passport is recorded and you are then registered at that address for the benefit of the immigration authorities. The language school shoiuld have registered me when I arrived but didn't and it didn't occur to me I had to do anything. The night the Immigration Officers arrived en masse they were agitated because I hadn't registered and then became more agitated because they ... read more
Road crossing
Singapore Airport
Singapore Prop

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1 March 19th 2018

I'm leaving this afternoon. Saigon is a bustling, noisy, smelly, sometimes dirty, jigsaw of a city with all the pieces piled on top of one another yet all seeming to have a place in the overall picture. And then there's the traffic. The bikes buzz from dawn to dusk and the horns play the accompaniment. The fabled crossing of streets works well enough - I haven't seen anyone hit yet - it's a matter of choosing one's moment and not changing one's line when the crossing begins. Unlike the locals I still tend to keep an eye on the traffic as I "stroll" across. It's an intriguing mix of areas. This morning I walked to the Post Office about 20 minutes away, which is a work of art designed and built by the French - Eiffel ... read more
The Crib 4
War Museum 4
War Museum 5

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 17th 2018

Some photos only. A short entry tomorrow the fly home Monday. By the way; if you haven't been already, click on the photos in the blog and they will display bigger and brighter. Cheers!... read more
Hens Party
Pub St Surreal
Pub St

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 1st 2018

We crossed into Vietnam relatively untroubled considering the stress we had had the previous evening getting Julia an express visa. It was me that had the stomach dropping moment when an unofficial man told me my E-Visa wasn’t valid because I didn’t have a photo but having been in Asia for the past 4 months I didn’t fall for his trick and funnily enough I entered the country no problem. Why they let these scam artists hang around at border crossings etc. I don’t know, it doesn’t make for the best first impression! We were met off the bus in Ho Chi Minh City by the usual welcoming committee of taxi drivers who had never heard of your hostel, can’t read a map and yet able to pluck an inflated price that was double what we’d ... read more
Christmas Cocktails
Julia taking the plunge in Dalat
Happy New Years

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City February 14th 2018

Nous avons voyagé quatre heures dans un bus à mi-couchette/mi-siège (un peu comme un transat), avec un vietnamien super sympa qui voulait absolument communiquer avec nous bien qu'il ne parle pas un mot d'anglais (et que notre vietnamien soit limité à bonjour, merci et bonne année). Nous sommes arrivés à Ho Chi Minh City, que les vietnamiens continuent d'appeler Saigon - le nom originel de la ville avant le président Ho Chi Minh. Nous avons marché un peu puis bu une boisson fraîche dans un petit café soir tout droit du passé ! Il y avait toutes sortes d'appareils (radio, machine à coudre ou à écrire, vieux téléphones etc.). C'était très surprenant ! Avec le wifi du café, nous avons commandé un Uber, qui nous a déposé devant notre auberge de jeunesse. L'auberge de jeunesse était ... read more
4way coffee
Marché aux fleurs




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