Hello Vietnam!

Both partner and myself were excited for our virgin trip to the country of 5 million motorbikes..hahaah..thats what we called it at least. Will break my story into 3 parts because there's so much to share about Vietnam! :)

Part 1: Experience at Ho Chi Minh City

We reached Vietnam on 27 December noon. Impressed with the airport, from the cleanliness to the security..everything was smooth. Our destination for the trip is Nha Trang, the famous beach location in Vietnam for seafood and widely acclaimed as the next emerging 'Bali".

You can get to Nha Trang by bus, train or plane. Both of us don't think we enjoy long bus rides, plane rides seems abit pricey for us. So we decided to try the train!

We headed to Saigon Train Station from the airport. Cost about 130,000vnd. Initially we wanted to get the soft sleepers..but they were all sold out! Panic mode strikes. Nonetheless,

we managed to get the soft seaters at 286,000vnd per pax. Phew! :)

Saigon Train Station

Ticket Counter

After settling our train tickets, we decided to explore Ben Thanh Market. Thought the market is nearby and asked the security guard for directions. He pointed us back to the train station. Thinking that the market could be sitting behind the station, we decided to ask another bunch of security guards. And he simply said "Taxi!". We asked the counter lady in the station, and she said bus number 4. We asked where to take the bus..and she repeated "4". Hahahaah...by now, we realise that communication would be very challenging throughout our stay here in Vietnam. So we decided to take the taxi to Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Market is located in District 3. It is not big as Chatuchak Market. Pretty small actually and I am not sure why it is even considered an attraction because there's nothing much. There's a wet and dry market; food stalls, clothes, accessories, souvenirs and not forgetting Vietnam traditional costume - the Áo Dài. The apparel consists of pants and a tight-fitting silk tunic. The tunic has long slits at the sides, and quite sheer. Didn't shop alot but I managed to get some dried mango and plums as my night snacks for the train ride later.

Ben Thanh Market

Heaps of stuff...

After that we stopped by Pho 24 for our first lunch at Vietnam. Both of us had Pho..it was yummy! Perhaps the best Pho we had throughout the vacation. It cost about 70,000vnd. We also ordered Spring Rolls, only to realise the we can't eat it (it has pork). We ordered the traditional Vietnamese coffee, which tasted really strong and bitter.

I like the way the coffee is presented - very traditional. Classic!

Having his Pho

After our meal, we wanted to go to Golden Dragon Water Puppet Show but didn't manage to overcome the language barriers and ended up very lost. But then it was already 5pm. So  we decided to head back to the station and wait for our train. We chilled out at this eating place, that is called "Canteen". I tried ordering ice lemon tea. But the server came back with an extra glass of ice. hahahaha...ok seems that they don't have one. :)

At 11pm, we boarded our train to Nha Trang. And the long journey to Nha Trang begin..

Soft seaters on the train to Nha Trang

The way to travel, the Vietnamese style

They check train tickets and also sell food!

(Refer to Part 2 for Our Experience at Nha Trang)

On 3 Jan, we were back at Ho Chi Minh from Nha Trang. We managed to get the hard sleepers after failing to obtain our plane tickets at Nha Trang (sold out!). The sleepers were really uncomfortable. In fact, someone else were sleeping on my sleeper when I boarded at 9pm. Pfffttttttt!

Sleeping on the 2nd deck of the hard sleeper..there's another one above me!

We reached the city very early, around 4.30am. Hang around at the train station till about 6am before leaving for District 1 but none of the shops was opened. So we headed to Ben Thanh Market for breakfast at Pho 2000. Pho here is much cheaper by 20,000vnd but not as yummy as Pho 24.

Bill Clinton was here at Pho 2000!

hahaaha the classic look on the face..what's in the spring rolls again dear??

We did our last min shopping at Ben Thanh Market and then decided to explore the War Remnants Museum which is located about 4 streets away. :)

The story unfolds at the War Remnants Museum

Entrance fee was only 15,000vnd and it is very worth it. You'll get to discover many interesting exhibits related to the Vietnam War. The museum comprises a series of eight themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment located within a walled yard. We also get to feel and touch the military equipments used by the Americans during the war. One building reproduces the "tiger cages" in which the South Vietnamese government housed political prisoners.

Painful reminder of being caged up in these tiny dungeons

Me at one of the exhibiting military equipments

Other exhibits include graphic photographs, accompanied by short copy in English, Vietnamese and Japanese, covering the effects of Agent Orange and other chemical sprays, the use of napalm and phosphorus bombs and many more! The visit to the museum made me even more curious to understand what really happened in the Vietnam War..and also caused me to realise how much the Vietnamese have gone through to have what they have today..Freedom.

looking at this photo..how the Vienamese struggled and pleaded to live..triggered my emotions..

That sums up my short time in the city of Ho Chi Minh.

Check out Part 2 of my experience in Nha Trang!