Day 10 Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City

Another very exciting day. We were up early to catch the ride to the Da Long airport. It was a much more organised affair than Hanoi and we arrived in our Ho Chi Minh hotel at 1 30 to be greeted with a beautiful afternoon tea- really a high tea. We then headed off by taxi to the War Remnants Museum which was interesting but packed and very sobering. Back at the hotel we were picked up at 5.55 by our guide and her four motor scooter riders and two more guys who were the route guide and photographer. The drivers belonged to a food tour group- Back of the Bike Food Tours , and were all girls in their 20s, most uni graduates working a second job, and were the friendliest and funniest group of guides yet. It was a great way to find out about life in Vietnam as we chatted to them both over the food and on the bikes. We loved their company as they took on the most exhilarating ride yet all through the streets of Ho Chi Minh visiting 5 different districts and restaurants, where we ate everything from pancakes, clams, crabs, tapioca noodles, and quails eggs to the famous ‘jumping chickens’ - frogs. There was lots of instruction with each dish about how to eat it and then we also had a go at making rice pancakes. We finished with a stop for ice cream with sticky rice and mango. The ride home was something else as there are many practices on for celebrations for 50 years of unification. Many streets were closed and there were traffic jams everywhere. We were weaving in and out of cars and thousands of scooters and were surprised that we all pulled into the hotel at 11pm at roughly the same time. It was truly a fun filled night and a great way to see this city. We now await the photos which are being sent to us as definitely needed two hands on the scooter!Read more