PINOYROAMANTICS: Vietnam: Surreal Saigon

Aimee and I booked a flight to Ho Chi Minh when Cebu Pacific had one of their promo fares. We are suckers for cheap flights so we got tickets for a December trip on March. The main reason for the trip was to visit Halong Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The only free week that we had was the week after Christmas. So on December 25, we took an 11pm flight to Ho Chi Minh City, otherwise known as Saigon. Since our arrival was at 2am, I made arrangements with the hotel, Ngoc Minh Guesthouse, for someone to pick us up at Tan Sot Nhat International Airport. It was an additional $15 but sometimes you have to spend for safety’s sake. We immediately went to sleep after checking in and woke up in time for the free breakfast. Buildings in Vietnam have limited space so they compensate for it by creating several floors. The hotel that we stayed in had their eating area at the topmost floor. We proceeded there to have our first taste of Vietnamese coffee and some baguette.

Baguette and Vietnamese coffee for breakfast

On our way to Cu Chi tunnels

We were ready to start exploring Ho Chi Minh historical sites. First on the list is the Cu Chi tunnel. The hotel offered a tour for $5/person which doesn’t include the entrance fee of 80,000 VND. It was actually cheaper if we commute but we didn’t want to go through the hassle. We had a very informative guide named Thom. His ideas and lectures leaned towards anti-America sometimes which is understandable considering what their country went thru during the Vietnam War. Before proceeding to Cu Chi tunnels we made a stop at Handicapped Handicrafts. All the workers were victims of the war and were disabled. Their products were beautiful but had touristy price so we refrained from buying.

Wall decors made of eggshells

Candle holders and vases

Before going inside the tunnels we were brought to a reception hall to watch a video presentation about the Cu Chi tunnels. Then Thom took us to various places of interests. He showed us an example of the tunnel’s opening. And encouraged one of our tour mates to enter it - feet first.

This brave guy volunteered to enter the small hole

Going all the way in

And he fits inside

We also had a chance to enter one of the tunnels which was pitched dark. We crawled 20 meters and immediately got out. It is not for the claustrophobic.

Before entering the tunnel look

After crawling inside the tunnel look

We asked the tour bus driver to drop us off near the War Remnants Museum. It was past 1pm so we were starving so we looked for a restaurant first. We finished our uber late lunch 30 minutes before the museum closed. We hurriedly checked the heartbreaking pictures on display. It brought a heavy feeling to the three of us that we forgot to take pictures inside.

Looking for a place to eat in Saigon

Outside the War Remnants Museum

We got back to the guesthouse to find Tai, Aimee’s classmate when she took her masters in Indonesia, waiting for us. She took us around the city to look for North Face bags. Aimee and I refused to leave Ho Chi Minh without a North face bag souvenir. We were successful with the bag hunt and had a happy dinner at the International Food Festival near our hotel. After dinner we took a stroll to visit the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame church and the Saigon Post Office.