From the moment we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City we were excited and felt like it was going to be a great place... I'm happy to say we weren't disappointed. We were out of the airport super quick and got a taxi through the crazy streets which were just like South America but the small yellow cabs were replaced with motorbikes, mopeds and cyclists. We found a hostel which was just USD$3 a night and was clean and in a good part of town which was good. We pretty much headed straight out for a few drinks and after meeting a few guys went to 'Bia Hoi'! It is basically a really cheap pub, you sit on tiny kids stools around miniature tables and the beer is ten thousand dong a litre (around 30p!) ... apparently it’s so cheap as they buy big barrels direct from the brewery, however it does not always taste that good! The locals at Bia Hoi are so friendly though, they share all their food and chat away like you are one of them. It was a great first night in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam.
We went to the indoor market the next day and had a good laugh as you are hassled by so many people calling you ‘handsome man’ and asking you to buy clothes. They had everything there, clothes, watches, food, crafts, perfumes there was something for everyone. We decided to leave a big shop until our last day so just browsed over everything. We went to a water park the next day... there are three in Ho Chi! We went on loads of slides and ended up pretty bruised as we were going so quickly down them! We also booked a trip to see the Cu Chi tunnels the following day. It was an early start and I awoke wearily after another night at Bia hoi! The trip was excellent though. First we went to the handicapped crafts workshop where traditional Vietnamese artwork is produced by victims of land mines and Agent Orange. Everything there was beautifully made and I brought myself a set of small noodle bowls. Then we went to see the Cu Chi tunnels which is a vast network of underground tunnels which underlie most of the country. They were of great importance to the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) in resisting the Americans in the Vietnam War. I managed to fit down into the tightest tunnel opening which was a bit of a squeeze. The tunnel itself was very daunting, it was so narrow, you would have to go arms first and shuffle along and it was muddy so I couldn't attempt it but I wouldn't have wanted too!
On our final day we went back to the market and brought lot of stuff! T shirts, gifts and even some fake watches after a lot of haggling! We packed up and got on the sleeper bus to Nha Trang. We were hoping for a bus as good as the ones in South America had been but unfortunately John and I had the two worst beds on the bus. Mine was just ridiculous, when lying flat on my back my knees were bent at right angles and it was impossible to sleep! From that moment we decided the sleeper buses were not worth it, we would be better on a normal bus with a reclining seat!
