Ho Chi Minh City

Once we arrived to Ho Chi Minh we noticed how much hotter it was compared to Hanoi. The sun was out again and so were our shorts. The city also appeared more modern and very slightly cleaner than Hanoi.

First we decided to stroll around the city visiting the Independent Palace, Opera House and the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. The tourist attractions are only a short distance from each other so it was all very walkable. We then went up the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh, the Bitexco Financial Tower, for a view over the city while drinking delicious cocktails. That evening after dinner we found a sports bar to watch the Ireland Wales rugby match and it was good craic as there was lots of both Irish and Welsh in the bar.

The following day our hotel had organised for us to do a day trip tour of Mekong river's delta. We got boats to different islands on the delta. We tried honey tea, coconut candy and some native fruits. I enjoyed the boat rides up and down the river however I felt that the activities on the islands to showcase the native life was very commercialised which took away from the quality of the tour.

Then we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our tour guide informed us about the history of Vietnam and the Vietnam War. These tunnels were made by Viet Cong soldiers who were fighting for North Vietnam against the Americans. The tunnels were very small and narrow. It was cool to see how they hid and lived in these tunnels and also how to find the entrances to these tunnels. However they showed us some terrible traps to kill the Americans and the protagonist video was very strange to watch.

So that is the end of our time in Vietnam, we are now heading to Cambodia for a few days.Read more