I opened up my eyes and peeked out the airplane window. It was around 12 midnight and I had my first glimpse of Vietnam, we are landing in Ho Chi Minh City soon. I thought, this is it, I’ve actually taken this trip and I felt a certain rush in my veins. The Indochina trail has always fascinated me, I knew I will do it but travelling alone never came to mind.
I was first off the plane and I made my way to the immigration booths of the airport and had my passport stamped. Since the best way to get money overseas is by withdrawing from the local banks, I looked for an ATM inside the airport. One (1) Philippine Peso (PHP) converts to roughly 476 Vietnamese Dongs (VND) and I found it amusing that I withdrew a few million VNDs from the machine, it was like winning a jackpot! When I got out of the airport I was bombarded by taxi drivers telling me that their fixed rates are much cheaper or “same same” with the metered taxi, of course they’re not, so I walked towards the far left of the airport to look for a taxi. My good friend Ysa gave me some tips on which airport taxis to take and where to stay in Ho Chi Minh. She told me that the backpacker’s area in the city is in Pham Ngu Lao and to get either a Vina Sun or Mai Linh taxi, I got one of them though I’m not really sure which one since I was groggy from the lack of sleep, and I was off to the city.
My first glimpse of Ho Chi Minh City from the window of the plane
The taxi driver was very kind, I gave him the address of the hostel I was going to and he even asked around to find it and he dropped me off somewhere near because cars cannot enter the smaller roads. The hostel Ysa told me to go to was fully booked so I went around a bit to look for another one. A uniformed guy started talking to me and referring me to other hostels, although I was talking to him I was on high alert as to not be fooled or scammed in any way. He brought me to Baka Guesthouse where I met the owner, Baka, and his wife. They were an elder couple and they were very kind.
After settling down at 1am, I couldn’t sleep yet. I still can’t believe I’ve taken this trip, and that I didn’t know what I’m supposed to do or where to go. I’ve always loved to travel but it has been put in a corner for a while. I love seeing new places and experiencing new things, tasting local cuisines and meeting people. Life is too short, you need to go for what your heart desires and do what makes you happy. I am off to see the world with my own eyes and experience what it has to offer.
Travelling has been made easier thanks to the countless resources online like booking flights and hotels and looking up destinations. Since they have free wi-fi at the guesthouse and it was pretty fast, I went online and did my research. I looked for places to go and see in Ho Chi Minh and I also planned my days ahead in Vietnam until I dozed off. When I woke up in the morning, I was off to explore Ho Chi Minh City. I asked the owners if I could leave my bag while I go around the and they gladly said yes. First thing to do, get a ticket to Da Lat, Vietnam where I’ve decided to go to and spend the next couple of days.
Vietnamese still wear their traditional non-la (leaf hat) even in the city
As I was walking around Pham Ngu Lao, I saw this small diner where there’s a bunch of locals eating, always a good sign that the food must be good, my first taste of Vietnamese in Vietnam. While waiting for my Chicken Pho, a couple of hawkers were offering me stuff to buy. They were too nice so I told them, if they let me take their photo, I’d buy some stuff from them. I also got to talk to the owner of the diner who’s name is Chen and turns out he has some Filipino friends. Since I saw in Travel Now Magazine that the Cu Chi Tunnel is a must see in Vietnam, I asked Chen if he could help me in finding a way to get there. He knows someone who can drive me there by motorcycle and it’s a 2-hour drive from the city. It was perfect so I can get to experience the most popular means of transportation in Vietnam. After having breakfast, Chen introduced me to Lin who will be driving me to the tunnels.
I can’t believe I bought a Php 200 nail clipper from the hawkers, but this photo is worth more than that
Many times I thought we’re gonna get hit or we’re gonna hit someone (iphone photo)
Riding around Ho Chi Minh City on a motorcycle is exciting and exhilarating, many times I thought we’re gonna get hit or we’re gonna hit someone. Vietnamese people from all walks of life takes the motorcycle as their main means of transportation. Women were in their skirts, some were talking on their phones and they also have colorful designs for their masks. The 2-hour drive didn’t feel that long mainly because I was enjoying the views and seeing traditional Vietnamese houses along the highways going to Cu Chi. Then when we got there, Lin told me he’s gonna wait at the restaurant nearby.
I got in and walked around, there is an audio-visual area where you can watch a short documentary about the Cu Chi tunnels that featured footages from the war. A small group of ladies with a guide was there and I sat down near them and listened. Their tour guide was Tony, and he is one of the best guides since he was around during the Vietnam-American war. After the film, I asked the group if I can go around with them and I was happy they said yes. I met Bo, Pam and Annette, all from different countries and they are working in Malaysia for the same company but are assigned in different regions.
I was really happy Pam, Bo and Annette allowed me to tag along with them
Sargeant Tony, “our” tour guide, saw the war with his own eyes
Hammocks were important during the war, we were told that if they go any higher, they would explode.
Underneath this jungle is the maze of tunnels and around here, hundreds of Americans and Vietnamese soldiers died.
We were offered to try and get into this tiny entrance, but most visitors won’t fit here
We went exploring the tunnels, descending, crawling and coming out of different passageways. It’s amazing how the tunnels were built so small so that the Americans who generally are larger than Vietnamese wouldn’t be able to enter most entrances and traverse the tunnels, I also learned that different chambers have their own varied purposes. I remembered a movie or documentary I saw before that the American soldiers during the war would be baffled, when they’re in the jungles it seemed like there were so many Vietnamese attacking them but they don’t even see them, that is Vietnamese guerrilla tactics at it’s finest.
Time to explore them tunnels!
I felt excited and kind of creeped out going into the tunnels
My watch got scratched going through one of the tunnels and now I remember going here whenever I look at the time
Tony explained to us that there are awards during the war, and there is a special award for destroying tanks of their enemies
They kept the tank as a souvenir
Tony showing us one of the entrances into the tunnels, he even said we could try it but none if us dared
There is a shooting range within the complex where you can try and fire some high-caliber firearms. After going through and around the tunnels, I decided I wanted to do shoot a few rounds. First I tried the AK47 and then the M60, although the guns were secured on and can only be turned a bit for security purposes, I still felt how powerful they are. It was already quite late and we decided to have lunch at the floating restaurant within the complex. It felt surreal enjoying the view of the Mekong River while we eat traditional Vietnamese cuisine. After which we separated ways and all went back to Ho Chi Minh.
I don’t like eating fish with so many bones in it, I didn’t know this fish had so much but it tasted good so I finished it anyway
I’m always fascinated by traditional boats
That’s me shooting an AK47 photo by Bozena Rupnik
I asked to be dropped off the Saigon Opera House so I can see a bit more of the city before heading off to Da Lat. I had a few more hours and I made the most of it. Besides the Opera House, I also went to see the Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Independence Palace, all by walking around. Then I went to the Ben Thanh market to have dinner, yes I had another pho.
Here’s Lin my driver posing for the camera before we parted ways. Taking the motorbike ride to Cu Chi Tunnels is not exactly the cheapest way to go but the whole experience is way worth it.
There was a sort of graduation rites happening in the Saigon Opera House
Details of the side of the Saigon Opera House
I really like those French windows
There were a lot of interesting architectures around Ho Chi Minh, and while walking I saw this part of the People’s Court
The Independence Palace was already closed when I got there but there was a Philippine Independence event happening inside so the guard allowed me in.
There was no one around the ground of the Independence Palace and it was really refreshing to walk under the trees
Too bad the Notre Dame Cathedral was closed and I wasn’t able to go inside
One of the most prominent colonial structures in Ho Chi Minh is the Saigon Post Office
I really admire the architecture and detail of this building, what more when I go to Europe?
The inside of the post office is so well kept
The French influence is still very apparent around Ho Chi Minh City
Stopping for a quick refreshment
I didn’t know how this actually works so I observed the locals how they eat the vegetables on the side
I like trying local beers when I travel, so what else to have in Saigon? (iphone photo)
I was really happy someone from the restaurant knows how to speak good english, Lee helped me in finding a tattoo shop around the area
I was leaving for Da Lat that night and I still have a few more hours to burn while waiting for the bus and I decided to get my tattoos. I have a world map tattoo on my left forearm and I will have the countries shaded as I go to each one in local tattoo shops. But then I thought that would be too small of a tattoo to get per country, that’s when the idea of having the word “Life” in local languages tattooed on my chest.
Time to get my world map tattoo going (iphone photo)
Shading Vietnam on my world map tattoo (iphone photo)
Jen did a great job on coloring Vietnam on my tattoo and putting the word Life in Vietnamese on my chest
And then I was off to Da Lat Vietnam. This is the start of my Indo-China adventure. Please come back soon for the rest of my stories from this trip. 🙂
TipBits:
- When travelling outside the country, the best way to get local currency is to get from the ATMs of local banks. They usually offer the best exchange rate for a minimal service charge.
- Take the Vina Sun or Mai Linh taxis at the Ho Chi Minh Airport.
- Choose what you buy from hawkers carefully, might just turn out it’s too expensive.
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