Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I always heard wonders about Vietnam and Ho Chi Ming City was my first stop in the S-shaped country. This city was previously called “Saigon” and later named “Ho Chi Minh City” in honour of Ho Chi Minh (the war hero).
He’s considered the father of modern Vietnam for leading the Viet Minh independence movement and got Vietnam’s independence against the French colonisation in 1945. He’s also the man in all Vietnamese bills. 💵
First impression
On the very first UBER ride from the airport to the city centre my thought was “Now that’s the real Asia!” because of the chaotic traffic and many motorbikes. Somehow I expected Hanoi (the capital) to be the largest city in the country but turns out it’s actually Ho Chi Minh City.
Here you can see 6 million motorcycles on the road every day and each one move in different directions and speed. The streets are wide and every crossing have traffic lights, something I later discovered to be uncommon in Vietnam. Needless to say I’d never drive a car here! 😱
A bit of sightseeing
Walking around the city centre is the best way to discover a new city so I used the new Google Trips app for the first time to check out what would be the best journey to see everything at once.
I started with the “Notre Dame of Saigon” and right next to it is the “Saigon Central Post Office”. The first is worth a picture from outside and nothing else… but the postal office visit can be such a great experience! 💌
Inside you can buy a postal card, write a message and send it right away (buying the appropriate stamps of course). I loved it so much that ended up sending 3 cards: 2 for my family and 1 for my team at work.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Vietnamese history is not easy. Their territory was invaded by the Chinese, French and Americans. They also turned against themselves dividing the country in 2: the communist north against the capitalist south.
Cu Chi Tunnels show you how Vietnam fought against the Americans. Vietcong fighters built an underground city connected with thousands of tunnels for hundreds of kilometres allowing them to move around without being seen by their enemies on the surface.
American troops were not prepared for this type of terrain and struggled to spot and kill the Vietcong fighters that quickly disappeared underground.
The tour bus takes 2 hours to arrive at the tunnels and makes a small stop in a foundation where you can admire the hand-made paintings with egg shells by disabled people. The tour guide shows you all the arms used in combat, the large bombs launched from the jet fighters and
At the end of the tour you can fire an AK47 or M16 rifle at distant targets. Prices start at 400.000 dongs (around 16 euros) for 10 bullets and you can share them with a friend (5 bullets each).
Vietnamese food
Vietnam probably has the best cuisine and street food in south east Asia. It’s not always a safe bet to go for unknown dishes but when you get it right, they are super cheap and tasty! Here are some options for you to try:
Pho: this is their version of noodles soup. They eat it every time of day and can be your breakfast if you are into that. It has small variations with chicken (Pho Ga), beef (Pho Bo) or seafood (Pho Hai San).
Goi Cuon: also known as Spring Rolls these are delicious appetisers to start your meal. You can also find them fried.
Cha ca: I ate this at Hanoi but since I’m talking about food here, I have to recommend: it’s white fish sautéed in butter with dill and spring onions, then served with rice noodles and a scattering of peanuts.
Water Puppets
I know it may sound weird but one of the most popular shows in Vietnam are water-puppet shows. I had to give it a try and it was such a random but entertaining experience that is definitely worth 1 hour of your time.
I didn’t understand anything because the show was in Vietnamese but at least the puppets were super expressive and I could follow the story! 😂
Places to work
On the first day one of the locals commented with us that there were not much to see in the city and it’s true. After going for a walk around the city you are pretty much done here… unless you want to work a bit!
Ho Chi Minh surprised me with the amount of cool cafes to work and the delicious vietnemese coffee served. My absolute favourite cafe was the “Workshop Cafe” with 30mbps — much more than any coffee in Barcelona — and the staff is super nice always refilling a water glass next to your coffee.
So is Ho Chi Minh worth to visit? This is hard one…
If you are looking for a genuine Vietnamese experience you won’t find it here. Ho Chi Minh City is more modern than other cities in the country and lost some of its identity. It’s just “bleh” and I’d rather go to Hanoi or stay here for a very short period.
BUT if your goal is to visit Vietnam and have a place to work, eat some delicious food and go for day-trips outside of the city centre… I can totally recommend you to stop by and stay for some days!
See you in the next destination! 👋
