One of the reasons why I've been wanting to go to Ho Chi Minh is to visit the Cuchi Tunnels used by the Vietnamese during the war but too bad, my travel companions were claustrophobic so we didn't go. :( I'm a bit claustrophobic too but I can overcome my fear when I'm determined. When we were crawling the narrow passageway inside the pyramid of Chephren in Cairo, I sang random songs - ok more like nursery rhymes (wahaha...) - because my imagination was starting to get wild. Example - what if an earthquake occurs?! Singing (even if I was out of tune) made me take my mind off my fears. I'm sure my travel mates' were too distracted to get scared with all the
Anyway, even without the visit to the Cuchi tunnels, it was a fun adventure. Here are some top things to do when in Ho Chi Minh:
1. Visit the War Museum where you'll see tanks, aircrafts, ammunitions, etc. from the Vietnam-US War. It's also a good place to learn about landmines. But it could be a bit depressing especially when you start looking at the photos of war and landmine victims ... and also, some preserved deformed fetuses. I suggest not to make this your last stop so you don't leave Saigon with a heavy feeling.
2. Eat Vietnamese food! I love their fresh spring rolls and Pho (noodle soup - their national dish). I actually ate noodle soup everyday! Haha... But even when I'm in Manila, Vietnamese food is one of my comfort food.
And if you start missing Pinoy food, there's Jollibee in Ho Chi Minh. :)
3. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral. Established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880.
4. Visit the Post Office. Would you believe their Post Office is actually a tourist attraction?!:)
4. Have coffee at the Opera House Area - either at the Hotel Continental or Culi Supreme. Ok, I didn't have coffee. I ordered ice cream every time we stopped over there! haha...
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| Opera House |
5. Go shopping - Ben Tham market for local stuff and Diamond Plaza (across the Notre Dame Cathedral) for branded stuff. At Diamond Plaza, we chanced upon the mall sale. Samsonite luggages had crazy markdowns. 50% off! So ok, we bought!:) They even delivered them to our hotel at a later date since we didn't want to bring them to our trip to Cambodia.
6. Buy paintings. Replicas of Van Gogh, Picasso, etc. sell for about USD40 for 50x70" sizes. Paintings of local artists are also available. But what I bought is a real masterpiece! Mona Longganisa er... Fernando Botero's Mona Lisa - the tabachoy version! Wahaha...
2 very important tips when in Saigon:
- Bring small denominations of USD bills so you don't change to their currency (dong) anymore. If you exchange USD to dong, there's a surcharge of 3% so better stick to using USD for transactions - shopping, cab fare, food. US Dollars are widely accepted and they'll give you change in USD too.
- When crossing streets, don't stop in the middle of the road. Bikes and motorcycles are everywhere and you will confuse the drivers if you stop. Just walk straight ahead and let them avoid you. Check out how congested the road is with motorcycles.
