Visiting Vietnam: Ho Chi Min City

My last stop on my epic 2 week holiday in Vietnam was in the city of Ho Chi Min, formerly known as Saigon which I think is a much cooler sounding name - anywho politics (you can read about my other stops in Vietnam here, here and here).

Like South Africa, every stop we made was distinctly different from the others - in cuisine, atmosphere and culture of the region. This was surprising for me as I always attributed the diversity of my country to the various race groups and 11 official languages. But Vietnam is quite a homogeneous society in comparison - Vietnamese people, Vietnamese Language. I expected it to be all the same but was pleasantly surprised to learn I was wrong. Ho Chi Min was far more cosmopolitan - tall buildings, traffic on the streets, global brands and franchised shops - even though it's not the official capital of the country (Hanoi is) I'm guessing Ho Chi Min City is the economic capital of the country.


Although I enjoyed my stay in Ho Chi Min - 2 unfortunate incidences took place here which attempted to dampen my spirits.
1. I almost got scammed into parting with a lot of cash. You see with countries whose currencies have way too many zero's - a lot of tricks can be played on unsuspecting tourists. Vendors conveniently "mispronouncing" 50 000 thousand with 15 000 for example, in any currency, that means you can end up paying more than 3 times the price you thought you were agreeing on. I experienced something similar one morning when I took a cylco ride by myself to explore the town and neighbouring markets. But after over a week in the country - I was pretty familiar with the value of things and got into a heated argument with the guy. I can understand people trying to make an honest living and I can even accept the higher prices that tourists are charged compared to locals - but being scammed, that I am not cool with!
2. My friends bag got snatched by a motorcyclist riding by. Inside was her camera, phone and bank cards of course - not inside, thank goodness - her passport. We had felt relatively safe whilst in Hanoi and Hoi An, but with Ho chi min being a global city -  things such as a crime are more likely to happen as with any world city. It's a shame really. Despite this incident, we still agree that Vietnam is a beautiful country - our positive attitude probably comes from the fact that in South Africa we do have problems with crime in a backdrop of a gorgeous country that we don't want people to miss out on seeing :(

Except all this bad news of scams and muggings I still managed to have a pretty good time in the city. The highlight being a highly recommended VESPA tour by Vespa adventures. We chose the Saigon by Dark tour and loved every moment. Had we had more time, we would have shelved out for one of their other day tours too - it was that amazing. Motorbikes are already the preferred way to get around the city - but a vespa is a charming little thing, you almost feel like you are in a set of a movie. Having just learned to ride a bicycle this year, I was not yet ready to steer my own. So my friend and I held on for dear lives behind our trusted drivers. But it wasn't long before we felt safe and secure as the skilled drivers manouvered the streets they know so well - we were ready to whip out our cameras and were enchanted by the city of SAIGON.

The tour was so colourful, starting with drinks and light snacks at the Zoom cafe. We then headed for our first stop where I faced my fears - sampling the likes of frogs legs which tasted like chewy chicken. They really didn't taste bad, in fact my companion was enjoying them very much, I could barely shake my fear of it coming back to life - they creep me out. We tasted Vietnamese beer (I am not a fan of beer but tried anyway) and other flavour full seafood delicacies.

my face when I realise what's on the menu for dinner

Its not chicken

Our next stop - to eat more. I remember having a type of Vietnamese savoury pancake which we had learned how to make in the cooking class in Hoi An but this one was much bigger. It was delicious and went down well with my coconut drink (crossed off drinking from a coconut from my list).

Then the tempo switched completely; above what is a motorbike wash by day, is a hidden gem of Saigon. A small cafe type place which has open mic sessions. We sipped on delicious coffee and listened to fine local talent  in the candle lit space. It was truly magical.

Next, we zipped through the streets and found ourselves at a place with live rock band type music, listening to tunes while sipping on delicious Mojitos - I just love the fresh minty taste in that cocktail :)

It was an amazing night and definitely the highlight of my time in Ho Chi Min and one of  favourite experiences in Vietnam as a whole.

our sweet tour guide

Dipalesa and her driver

me and my driver 

We also managed to do a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, a harrowing experience indeed. I didn't know this about myself but I do get a little claustrophobic and was haunted by the thought of people living underground in these tunnels for weeks on end, just to survive. When it came down to it, I could n't bring myself to walking through the crammed up tunnel, despite that as a tourist attraction, the section is now well lit and paved. I just couldn't do it!!! In fact when I saw people going underground, tears starting running down my face. When it was brought to my attention that it was not compulsory to go under - and not going underground doesn't make me any less of a person, I breathed a sigh of relief, realising how silly I was being.

watch out: booby trap

my big smile right before bursting into tears

My overall stay in Ho Chi Min was more than pleasant with a number of highlights but Hanoi old quarter was quickly calling me back and I was happy to return there for our last 2 days before flying back home.

Tips 
1. Even in relatively safe countries, as a tourist you are more likely to be a target for petty crime than a local. Have your wits about you. Carrying a sling bag like in the picture above is better because its hard to snatch it. Back packs are also quite sturdy but I am still uncomfortable with them because people who pick pocket are quiet and can easily come from behind you and remove your valuables without you realizing.
2. Leave your passport in the safe of your hotel room (not just on the bedside table) unless its required on your particular tour for identification. Losing your passport in a foreign country I can imagine is not fun. Embassies have very limited working hours, the service in 3rd world countries can be notoriously poor :( and getting a police report in a foreign language is such a task!!!
3. Please be super careful with currencies with many zeros. I usually do a quick conversion (not precise) to my currency at home and assign each note a value using the colour. For example in Korea the green note of 10 000 won is worth R80 but I see it as a R100 note in South Africa and 5000 won note as R50 even though its worth R40, it just gives me a number I am familiar with so I have an idea of how much I am spending without doing some heavy maths - its not precise but it works for me.
4. When negotiating a price and it sounds too good to be true - get the vendor to write the number down with all the relevant zeros. If you are not sure, you can show the amount and make sure you are in agreement- if there is any confusion this can get ugly people!
5. Do the vespa tour! It was amazing! Saigon by dark one was like a crash course of what the city has to offer after sunset. The food is wonderful and the places we went to, I don't think I would have found them as a tourist on my own even if I had stayed in the city longer - definitely hidden gems.  If I had more time I probably would have done a day tour too. Such value for money :)

the hotel room of a good holiday should look like this :)

Final Thoughts
Vietnam is an incredible country and the most affordable destination I have visited so far - your money goes a long way - you will live like a queen. Thank you for reading about my adventures in Vietnam and I hope you get to visit it soon.