Ho Ch Minh City

- late arrival into HCM, the hotel room was unavailable due to AC not working, they all know each other so we went across the street to another hotel. Free upgrade for the next 2 nights as a result.

- we explored the HCM chaos, motorbikes drive wherever they like including the footpath. We browsed the cafe apartments and visited the war remnants museum. Essentially, learning that the Vietnam war was brutal and the USA were crazy invested in a war that wasn't theirs to fight. A must visit place to get an insight into the horrible things that occurred. We visited a brewery selling all kinds of Vietnamese beers and then found dinner at an overhyped but nice rooftop restaurant called secret garden.

- Day 2 involved a visit to the Cuchi tunnels, a place where the Viet Cong fought the USA using the underground tunnels. Another insane insight into brutality and unimaginable war history. Going through the tunnels was very tight, even despite the fact that they have made them bigger for tourists. The second part of the day involved a visit to the Mekong Delta, a large farming area supplying 80% of rice to Vietnam. This part visited a bee farm, some fruit farms and small canals on a boat, it was very touristy and probably would give it a miss next time. A tour deeper into the delta would have been better.

- we finished with finding a delicious big bowl of beef pho (Pho Bo). A shop that was dingy and dishing out bowl after bowl, it had won a Michelin star in 2023.Read more