Away we go!

Got to Melb Airport and through check in and customs (took 110 minutes because we couldn't check in online ewwww haha). Now to grab a quick midnight snack (arancini, ciabatta sandwich and a white chocLue lisää
Vietjet Red Eye: random thoughts

- I stand by my hard stance that children under 5 (ESPECIALLY babies) should be BANNED from red eye flights. The first hour of the flight had me wanting to chlorophyll this toddler who viscerallyLue lisää
LaCasona Hotel

We've been able to check in early to our hotel at no extra cost (which means my day plans are void hahaha so we can play the day by ear) which is a pleasant surprise. The Hotel has all the basicLue lisää
Breakfast at Skymian

Our first meal in Vietnam at Skymian Coffee House. Bustling atmosphere with lots of people (basically our gage on how we pick restaurants for this trip hahaha). Food was Yummo and hit the spot.Lue lisää
The weirdest massage ever

I decided to have an aromatherapy massage at a spa down the road from our hotel whilst Michael slept off some jetlag. I went in thinking I was having an aromatherapy session, you know, where they rubLue lisää
Late Lunch at The Train Restaurant!!!

This place is adorable (and tasty). The premise is that you order your food and drinks and they come to you by mini train. There are a heap of gorgeous wooden model landmarks from all over the worldLue lisää
Hidden Rooftop Bar

We noticed some fairy lights from our balcony and went to investigate... Turns out it's a rooftop bar with a beautiful view of the city line of District 7! We had the place to ourselves and it was soLue lisää
Korean BBQ

Having a late dinner at a local Korean BBQ place Michael spotted earlier in the day. We ordered some beef, pork and a bimbibap bowl. Little did we know.... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 The whole table was full ofLue lisää
Reunification Palace

Today we are on a private tour of a bunch of landmarks and places in HCM City. We have a lovely air-conditioned bus to take us around (it's 37 degrees here today) and our first stop was ReunificationLue lisää
Burning Monk Monument

Next stop on our cultural tour is in District 3 to see the monument for the Burning Monk. Basically, there was a time period where the current Vietnamese President was Catholic and wanted to wipe outLue lisää
Spy House!

Next up we went to a spy house! During the wars between north Vietnam and south Vietnam, the north sent spies to buy houses in HCM and build bunkers to store weapons. We got to go down into the secretLue lisää
Oldest Apartment in HCM/Wet Market

We've gone deep out of the tourist areas (only whities around) to explore the oldest apartment complex in HCM in district 3. It was originally created for American soldiers and weapons, but is nowLue lisää
Home Saigon for lunch

Our guide dropped us off at Home Saigon for lunch, which was set up in advance. Our menu was:
- cheese balls (Vietnamese arancini)
- rice paper rolls
- grilled chicken salad
- deep fried tilapia fishLue lisää
ChinaTown Temples

We visited 2 temples in Chinatown, which is in district 5. Learnt about the Chinese population and history with Vietnam, as well as the various Gods that are worshipped in the temples. The buildingsLue lisää
Cyclo!!!!!!

Took Cyclos from ChinaTown to Binh Tay Markets (a wholesale market) and it was a lot of fun!!!! Really felt in the thick of it all, and there was so much to look at on the ride!
Binh Tay Wholesale Market

Had a wonder around the Binh Tay Market, which is a wholesale market designed for merchants rather than tourists. There were so many different things being sold, from your standard bags, shoes andLue lisää
Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda

The last stop on our private tour today is the Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda. This is the biggest Pagoda in ChinaTown, and had the most beautiful roof!!!! Loved the amazing giant bell and drum as well, whichLue lisää
Romance at Mars Venus

A night of romantic fine dining out on Saigon River. The restaurant Mars Venus is a couple's specific restaurant that is on a floating island in the middle of the river. You get a cute boat out to theLue lisää
Cơm tấn for Brekky!

Cơm tấn (aka broken rice) is a staple food in HCM. It's basically rice with charcoaled pork and marinated egg. A very very simple dish, but supposedly a tasty one, and given I'm on holiday with aLue lisää
The Vietnam War Remnant Museum

This is a tough blog post to write. I felt that given the history of Vietnam and the war that Australia participated in, that it was important that Michael and I see the Vietnam War from theLue lisää
Boost!

We ventured into a shopping mall for some air conditioning (another 36 degree day today) and came across a Boost juice!!!!! It even had an Australian sign on it, so we had to get one. Also, boostsLue lisää
Late lunch at Secret Garden

This place was recommended by our tour guide, and also gets rave reviews online. It is a restaurant five floors up in a random building that you have to go down an alley to get to. The food looksLue lisää
This afternoon/evenings events

It absolutely piss bucketed on our way home from District 1. We just got in the Grab Taxi before it started to pummel. It's a good thing we adjusted our plans because it rained like this for hours. WeLue lisää
Bahn Mi!

We are checking out of our hotel in HCM this morning to head to Hoi An in central Vietnam. Figured I would nab down before we checked out and grab some local street grub for breakfast. I had seenLue lisää
Square Villa Resort - Hoi An!

We flew from HCM to Da Nang this morning and were collected by our hotel shuttle car to arrive into Hoi An this afternoon.
Our hotel is nestled right in the thick of Hoi An, and I've kind ofLue lisää
Hope the white choc delish looking heart thingy makes you sleepy! Safe flight. Xo [Mumma Bear]