09 May 2019

A quick ferry ride from Koh Rong island (Cambodia) gets you back to Sihanoukville, here you can catch a bus to many locations. We decided to go to Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City next. The 27 US $ per person 14 hour sleeper bus first gets you back to Phnom Pen at which point you’ll have to change for a different bus that gets you over the border into Vietnam and all the way to Ho Chi Minh. Sounds fairly easy and the sleeper buses are almost comfortable (and you save a night on accommodation) but if you, like me, get food poisoning the morning of your travel from a dodgy omelette and fighting the urge to throw up (on a bus with no toilet) and dealing with massive stomach cramps the whole journey, it certainly isn’t that much fun. The border crossing from Cambodia to Vietnam was pretty straight forward and we got our 14 day visa waver approved, no questions asked, which made the trip a little easier.

After my nightmare journey from hell we finally arrived early morning in Ho Chi Minh City (often abbreviated to HCMC)almost on time. Our awesome friends Sam (yes, another Sam) and Ella which we met on Cebu in the Philippines are English teachers in the local schools in Ho Chi Minh and have a lovely apartment with roof top pool in District 3 – and best of all, they let us crash on their sofa and we didn’t have to wait hours for check in time after a very long day and night indeed – total life savers!

Ho Chi Minh City, or often still referred to as Saigon, is Vietnams biggest city and a fast growing commercial metropolis. You see a lot of skyscrapers lining Ho Chi Minh’s modern skyline, probably most famously the Bitexco Financial Tower, often nick named the “Stark tower” because it served as inspiration for Tony Stark’s headquarters in the Iron Man and Avengers films. Only five years ago the Stark Tower was the country’s tallest building, next year it will be its fourth tallest, a true sign of the city’s rapid growth. At 262 meters height and 68 floors it houses, next to a mix of shopping mall and office spaces, the very posh EON Heli Bar on the 52nd floor (with its own helicopter landing pad, yes it’s that posh!). Here you can get fantastic views of the city, especially at night. Note though that you have to buy a very expensive drink if you want to actually enjoy these views, or if you’re on a tight budget pretend to be studying the menu, get a few snaps and make a quick exit.

The super modern Ho Chi Minh City is in stark contrast to what we felt is the true heart of Saigon: Its many tiny winding alley ways with small stalls, tiny restaurants and cute little coffee places. At this point I have to mention that I find a lot of things are ruined by setting expectations too high, if somebody tells me something is super-duper great and it ends up being just good, I end up being more disappointed than if somebody tells me something is just okay and it actually turns out to be good. Same thing, both good, but it feels different due to expectations – which gets me to Vietnamese coffee: Being told by many people back home and during our travels, I thought the praise for Vietnamese coffee was just an overrated hype, but no it actually is the best coffee I’ve ever had, hot or cold, from a boutique café, street vendor or even from the corner shop – it is always super delicious! Set your expectations high, you will not be disappointed!

Sam and Ella really made our time in the city special, from Uncle Ho’s walking street, the Stark Tower, night markets, Bui Vien, meditation at the pagoda, long walks by the river, chilling on the roof terrace and splashing in the pool, we had such a blast. To top it all off it was amazing to have a kitchen to cook in and the walk-in shower was such a treat (it’s the little things you miss) – nice homecooked food in the evening (who knew I liked soy milk and tofu so much!) washed down by a few (or sometimes many) ciders and beers – perfection! Thanks again you guys for having us! HCMC wouldn’t have been the same without you!

In District 1 you’ll find Nguyen Hue Street or lovingly referred to as Uncle Ho’s walking street, only a stone’s throw from the Stark Tower stretching from City Hall to the Saigon river. Markets are not far from here, street vendors selling all sorts of snacks and souvenirs, lots of little boutique bars lining the street and an array of performing street artists – it makes for a nice leisurely walk in the early evening. Don’t forget to say hi to Ho Chi Minh/ Uncle Ho in his statue version in front of City Hall!

However if you’re after cheap drinks and a party atmosphere head down to the Bui Vien walking street, also located in District 1. It is not for you if you don’t like crowds (especially in the evening) or if you’re an upmarket traveller but it is heaps of fun. Lined with tiny bars equipped with even tinier red plastic chairs it has its very own charm, drinks are so very cheap (potentially the cheapest in the city) and you can pick up some decent street food in every bar. The later the evening, the crazier it gets, if you’re in a rush getting anywhere, do not walk down this road. Even though it’s classed as a walking street you will (of course, like everywhere in Vietnam) encounter a million scooters and sometimes even a car or two driving in between the pedestrians and trying to force their way through the mass of people. This is not made easier when the bars continue to extend their space by adding tables further and further out onto the road to make the driving/ walking space even smaller. Grab yourself a little red chair, order a drink and just enjoy people watching – it is so much fun and really adds to the vibe of the city. We certainly had a blast (and a terrible hangover the next day)!

Another hidden gem that Ella introduced me to was visiting the local Pagoda which opens its doors to anyone who is interested in experiencing Buddhist traditions and customs. They welcome everyone to join in with the signing and meditating and even offer an array of delicious vegetarian food for free. They were all so very welcoming and friendly and the meditation was really insightful (despite the Lotus position not being the most comfortable and it being very hot – but hey, just meditate it away). It’s a great way to connect with the locals and other travellers alike and was a fantastic experience, I would highly recommend trying it out! (Meanwhile Sam and Sam were down by the river catching cat fish and making friends with the local fishermen).

For us it hadn’t been too long since we had some beach time but Sam and Ella really wanted to escape the city for a quick weekend trip. Vung Tau beach, reachable in just 1-2 hours by car (depending on traffic), is a popular spot for a quick get-away, however we heard that the beach gets very busy and is quiet polluted, so we thought we’d spend the weekend in a less touristic area just down the road called Long Hai.

Well, let’s just say our weekend beach dreams were left unfulfilled, the waters were very brown and the beach horribly dirty (sewage being pumped straight into the ocean, we didn’t even want to go for a swim despite it being unbearably hot). Besides the beach there is not really anything else to do either, so we cut our visit short and decided we’re better off chilling back in HCMC on the rooftop. In our opinion Long Hai is not worth the trip to the coast, invest your budget elsewhere! 

But we had a wonderful time in Saigon and really enjoyed exploring the city with Sam and Ella’s expertise, see you around the globe soon you two! For now we’re off to Hanoi!