Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh - the last stop of our trip. Formerly known as Saigon until the end of the war in 1975, Ho Chi Minh is the most densely populated city in the country. Our first day was spent exploring the city. We learnt about the atrocities of the Vietnam war by visiting the war museum. It was harrowing to read the stories of people affected and the international support against the war.

We then went to visit the tallest building in Vietnam and the 18th tallest in the world - Landmark 81. Standing at 461meters tall, the 81 story building has views across the city. At the top there is an outdoor viewing platform - safe to say I was happier out there than Billy!

The next day we had an early start to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. This is a network of underground tunnels used during the war. The tunnels stretch from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh city covering a distance of more than 250km. The network of tunnels are several storeys deep and feature trap doors, weapon factories and kitchens. Some people lived in the tunnels for almost 20 years, only having one meal a day to minimise the chance of the enemy finding their whereabouts.

We also visited the Mekong delta; the "rice bowl" of Vietnam. A water world where boats, houses and markets float upon rivers, canals and streams that criss cross the landscape. Here we visited local people, learnt about their culture and the produce they make from the rivers.Meer informatie