Since I had a short semester break in December, my family and I decided to spend our Christmas together in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Also known as Saigon, this noisy and chaotic city is the largest city in Vietnam. It has a wide selection of Vietnamese food, French colonial buildings, vibrant nightlife and busy roads ruled by scooters and motorcycles (I feel like I'm going on a suicide mission every time I cross the road!!!).
During my entire trip in Vietnam, I could still stay connected with my friends in Malaysia through WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat all thanks to Travel Recommends! I rented a portable WiFi router from them which provided me with stable internet connection throughout Vietnam. Even though they have WiFi almost everywhere, most of them are protected and it would be troublesome to be asking for the WiFi password all the time. It was very convenient for us when we needed internet for navigation, translation and impromptu research. You can share the router with up to 5 devices, not to mention it has unlimited data! The price is super affordable with daily rates starting from only RM15 and they also provide rental services for other countries such as Europe, South Korea, USA, Thailand and Australia. Rent a WiFi router from Travel Recommends here now for an inexpensive alternative to data roaming!
Since we stayed in District 1, which was pretty close to many of the major sights of the city, we travelled a lot by foot. We also took the taxi when it rained and when we were just too tired and lazy to walk. Here are some of the places we visited during our trip to Vietnam:
Ben Thanh Market
Located in District 1, Ben Thanh Market is one of the most famous landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City with thousands of visitors, both foreign tourists and local shoppers every day. You can find almost everything there, souvenirs, fruits, clothes, dry food, Vietnamese coffee etc and you can bargain for a lower price if you purchase more. It's worth trying out some of Vietnam's local delicacies in one of their food stalls in the market, though they can be a bit more expensive than the food stalls you find outside.
Shops at the market close at around 6PM but there's a night market that opens in the evening outside. I didn't get to go there, but it seemed like a pretty good place to walk around.
Bitexco Financial Tower
Once the tallest building in Vietnam, Bitexco Financial Tower is 262 metres tall with 68 floors above the ground. Tourists usually come here to get a view of the city at it's higher floors and there are two choices to do so, Saigon Skydeck, or Eon 51. Saigon Skydeck is an observation deck located on the 49th floor that gives a 360 degree view of the city while Eon 51 has 3 levels - cafe, bar, and fine dining restaurant located on the 50th, 51st and 52nd floor. We went to Cafe Eon since the bar was full and we already had dinner. They have coffee, ice cream, cakes and other desserts, as well as cocktails, mocktails and soft drinks. The food there can be quite pricey but it was good and I got to see the beautiful night view of Saigon so it was worth it.
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Night view of Saigon from Cafe Eon |
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| Lemon Meringue Tart |
Cu Chi Tunnels
We went for a Cu Chi Tunnels tour which is a popular day tour in Ho Chi Minh. It is located about 70 kilometers from the city and many travel agencies offer trips to the tunnels. The tour shows you what life was like for the Vietcong and how they hid during war. We also got a chance to crawl through the tunnels to experience and feel how it must have been for them back in those days. You also get a chance to fire weapons which were used during the war but we skipped that.
Saigon Cathedral of Notre Dame
Built in 1883, this cathedral is a landmark of Ho Chi Minh City and it is located in the center of the city. It has two 58 meter high bell towers and a Virgin Mary statue in front of the building. It opens daily from 8am - 11am and 3pm - 6pm if you want to visit the inside. They also have regular services on Sundays if you are interested to attend.
Central Post Office
Opposite of the cathedral is another landmark, Central Post Office of Ho Chi Minh City. This post office has become a tourist attraction due to its beautiful French colonial architecture which was designed by the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower. It still operates as a post office and you can send postcards or letters back home.
Opera House
The Opera House theatre, another beautifully preserved French colonial building was built in 1897 and they have traditional Vietnamese shows regularly though we didn't get to watch them.
Mekong Delta Tour
Besides Cu Chi Tunnels, we also signed up for a day tour to Mekong Delta, an agricultural area where more than a third of the country's annual food crop comes from. Van or bus transport will be provided and when you reach Mekong Delta you'll get to the island by boat. There are different tours that bring you to different places. Our first destination was the bee farm where we got to taste their natural honey and also try their honey tea which was sweet and unique! We also visited their coconut candy factory, rode on a horse cart around the village, took a sampan cruise and had a great authentic Vietnamese meal on the island.
Thian Hau Temple
The Thien Hau Temple is located in Chinatown, which is dedicated to the Lady of the Sea. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most beautiful temple in Saigon. The temple doesn't look impressive from the outside, but once you step in, you can see relief sculptures beautifully carved on the roof. You can also get your own coil incense to make your wish and hang it on the ceiling.
War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants Museum displays photographs, vehicles like tanks and aircrafts and military weapons of wars involving Vietnam in the past. There's also an outdoor section where you'll see set ups of prisoner rooms and torturing equipments used on the victims of war. It can be quite saddening to see what it was like during war but I found it interesting and I think it's a worthwhile place to visit and learn more.
Eat Phở
Phở is a popular Vietnamese dish which I think most people have heard of even if they've never had Vietnamese food. It's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Vietnamese cuisine. If you don't know, phở is a rice noodle soup served with meat (chicken or beef) and herbs. We tried two different restaurants that sell phở - Phở Hung and Phở 24, recommended by our friends who visited Saigon in the past. Both were delicious and flavourful! We even went back to Phở Hung before we left to the airport because we missed it.
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| Fried Spring Rolls |
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Beef Phở
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| Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls |
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Phở with beef balls
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So these are some of the interesting places I've visited during my trip to Ho Chi Minh City. I hope you find it useful in planning your next trip to Saigon! I've also made a video of my trip, enjoy watching!
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