HO CHI MINH,the land of Spring rolls,noodles and definitely the historic scenic places.Some would say the reason that they came to Ho Chi Minh would be the food and i totally agree but it doesnt end there.There are so many fun things to do in the day and night that makes HCM a place for u to feel like a local.Before i start with the 5 things to do list(actually there's more than just 5 its just that this is a rough idea what you're gonna do when your there) ,let me just tell you that Vietnam is relatively cheap if you know how get around the area your planning to visit.For now the convertion of SGD1(since i lived in Singapore) to Vietnamese Dong would be around 15k Dong(imagine if its $100.Instant millionaire:).You must be thinking what can you buy with 15k of Dong.Well,ill get back to this topic later. 1)Take a full day tour in the upper Mekong River. This is one of the tours you NEED to go while you're in HCM.Let me repeat,NEED! All you have to do is book 1 day in advance and you are good to go.Theres nothing like this tour that gives insight of vietnamese traditional culture in the village of Ben Tre .So basically you need to arrive at their tour agency at their arranged time in the morning.Different tours have different price and time so its best for you to do some research before u book.One of my friends reccomended me TNK Travel(Thanks Jo!!You're awesome!!)They are quite a reputable company in Vietnam that provide extensive tours throughout the region and its affordable too.What i can advice you is to get the itinerary from the tour agency and then proceed to make your booking because what i notice is the online bookings is much higher than the walk ins.(Maybe they just wanna earn more through online).My full day tour for my Mekong Delta includes lunch cost 210k Dong so its around SGD14.Affordable right?.I happen to chance upon a video TNK tours does for this itinenary so you can check the video here.And btw,i am not endorsed by them so its up to you to choose your tour agency.:) 2)Take another day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel. Ever wondered how ingenius the vietnamese fought the war against the americans?well,this could be the place for you to find out.Dont wanna start a history lesson here but just a brief intro on this tunnel.The tunnel was built in order to combat the americans and to survive heavily bombed place in Cu Chi.The tunnel has a distance of 250km from the outskirts of Saigon all the way to the Cambodian border(and no,you're not going to tour that far.)The Tunnel also grew to house the entire underground villages,in effect,with living quarters,kitchen,ordnance factories,hospitals and a GOLF FIELD!.(nah,just kidding:) The place has a rich history of war and how they survive throughout that era.As you can see below,this is one of the villages above the tunnels. As u explore even further you will realize that they are so many traps for you to see on how they set up for the war.Its very cool and cruel to see it with your eyes at the same timeThere's a tour guide who will be explaining details on how the history of it took place and at the same time you get to experience getting inside the tunnel too!!They even let you try tapioca on how they eat during the war..Moving on,you will also have a try on the guns that they used to fought with so its fun trying out if you're going to have this tour for your trip.(excluding entrance fees,pay seperately depends on the guns you choose) The cost for this tour is around 168kDongI(its time you convert yourself)excluding entrace fees that would cost probably another 110kDong and guns.Its all up to you on what you're planning to get. 3)Explore Vietnamese Markets. There are so many things to shop in markets everywhere and if you're looking to buy cheap stuffs,market is the place.I personally reccomend Saigon Square(in the heart of the city and its air conditioned market) for its non pushy buy tactics that the seller usually does.In here basically you just see what you like and try to bargain to your preffered price.So far I dont regret buying stuff from there as it is cheap and has a wide array of things.I got a a good quality bag for just 100kdong.You can check out other markets too like Ben Thanh market but i personally think the price there are "touristy".Anyway be sure to check out HCM street markets for a good deal. 4)Eating Vietnamese food. DUH!!If this is not worth mentioning then i dont know which is.Vietnamese food has always impressed me from the start..From the spring rolls,noodles to pancakes everything that they eat is just well balanced.They even have a plate of basil and beansprouts for you to munch with your noodles.Basically vietnamese food are quite healthy despite being regard as dirty.Actually whenever you go nowadays,people will always look for delicious street food rather than to look at whether its clean and on my opinion,I DONT CARE!!As long its not dirty till you could see bugs floating on your noodles then theres nothing to worry about,Nevertheless,vietnamese street food is really really cheap if you know where to hunt.You could google those food bloggers and just try your luck in finding them..Sometimes the place is hard to find but the food!!(dont get me started!)Just guess how much this street food cost. ITS ONLY FREAKING $1.20!! Yes u heard me.$1.20(20kDong).Im not sure whats the name of this dish but im sure the name in english is Delicious!!.It has a mild pork broth with sweet and sour taste to it and comes with vermicelli,pork fish cakes,different kinds of pork meats and tomatoes.So if you're coming to vietnam or HCM,you know what to do..:) 5)Explore the city by bike. If you still havent know yet.Vietnam is one of the most dangerous place to ride your bikes in the world,and to top it off,it has one of the worst traffic in southeast asia .To explore the city,you dont actually need a taxi(but still its relatively cheap too but the traffic..urgh!)all you need is a good balancing act on your bike and get lost!Yes,get lost but make sure to have your gps with you.;)
There are so many places to visit in the heart of the city and just see how rich their historic culture has shape them.Some of the great landmarks are just a stone's away from each other so exploring by bike is a good choice.Whats good to know is renting the bike is very affordable too.For 1 days rent it cost only around SG15-20.So its quite a good deal if you going to explore the city.Getting around is much easier while navigating your way through the chaotic traffic so in my opinion just be a adventurous.Be wild and free!! Thats all for now,hope this helps when you're in HCM.I'll blog more about my adventures in europe soon so stay tuned!!Last pic of Mekong Delta river.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2016
|