Exploring Ho Chi Minh City

We wasted no time today jumping straight into exploring Ho Chi Minh City! We started the day mapping out exactly what we wanted to see and decided to make our own walking tour! A quick 7eleven stop was needed to get some energy into us and we began walking to our first stop - War Remnants Museum. Was not a fan, this place had way too many graphic photos … my stomach started turning. I waited for Amos, he learnt lots and enjoyed it though.
A short walk away was the Cathedral Notre-Dame and the Central Post office. Unfortunately the Cathedral was having renovations so we couldn’t see much past the scaffolding. The Central Post office was huge! The inside was filled with locals and tourists sending post cards out! A few markets were also located inside the building!

Next up was Book-street! A quaint little street filled with book markets and little coffee shops! This was the perfect place for a quick drink stop!
Lunch was our first Bahn Mi’s of the month! Bahn Mi’s being filling and cheap is an added bonus to how yum they are!
Across from lunch we entered into the Ben Than Markets… aka your ultimate hotspot for buying high end brand dupes. Nothing quite prepares you for the hassling, bartering and yelling that goes on inside these markets. Every shop, every sales lady has the exact same thing and all say “special price for you”. Amos was quite successful here with getting a pair of sunnies!
Our walk continued on to the famous Apartment Cafe’s, although we didn’t go inside, this was an interesting place to sightsee! The Apartment Cafe’s are on a main strip, so we wondered around the streets experiencing the Vietnam heat and welcomed a light shower to pass over in the afternoon!
Amos and I came to the realisation that only bringing thongs over possibly wasn’t the smartest idea which lead us to popping into a Sketcher’s store and walking out with some supportive shoes on our feet!! Such immediate relief!
A quick break from the heat back at our hostel before going out for dinner. Pho again, how yum!
For an evening adventure, we booked our first grab motorbike rides and visited Landmark 81 (the tallest building in Vietnam and the 2nd tallest building in South East Asia). Level 81 had spectacular views, we popped on some safety harnesses and walked around the edge!
An early morning tomorrow called for an early night prior, we headed back to our hostel and into bed - a great Day 1 in Vietnam! 🇻🇳Read more