Vietnam: Part 7: Ho Chi Min City & The Mekong Delta
- curvychristina
- May 6, 2014
- 6 min read
From Da Nang Airport we caught an internal flight to our very last stop on the Tour - Ho Chi Min City - commonly known as Saigon. This busy modern city was yet another contrast to the ancient charm of Hoi An or the old town bustle of Hanoi. Vietnam's bustling largest city sets the cultural and economic pace for the whole country. The former Saigon boasts charming French colonial architecture and wide boulevards - usually thronged and choked with traffic. Taxis and tours are a good option for getting around and seeing the sprawling city. Whilst we were here, we intended to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels to learn more about the Vietnam War and we also wanted to take a trip on the world famous Meekong River.
Recommended Hotels & Restaurants
There are plenty of very reasonably priced local hotels available in Ho Chi Min City for tourists, as well as the very expensive international chains like Sheraton and Hyatt. The main backpacker hangout is Pham Ngu Lao in District 1, just a short walk from Ben Thanh Market. The lanes and alleys in the area between Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien are also jammed with mini-hotels offering budget accomodation at US$7-15 for a single room with air-con, hot shower and cable TV.
In contrast, luxury and boutique hotels are also springing up everywhere in this developing City. Expect to pay around US$200 for a standard room atThe Caravelle, Sheraton, or Hyatt. Most of the big Luxury hotels are all within walking distance of each other near the Opera House, in the heart of the city-centre tourist district
We decided to stay at the 4 Star The Royal Lotus Hotel which is ideally located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh's commercial and business district 1, near to The Opera House and the VinCom shopping center. From our comfortable standard double room we had a great view of the city. On the rooftop of the hotel is a small fitness centre and gym, where you can also get fantastic panoramic views - it is well worth sneaking up there with your camera in the early evening, when many of the bigger buildings are lit up with neon signs and the city becomes a little like an Asian version of Las Vegas!
The staff were very friendly and helpful at the Royal Lotus and the service was always very good. The Fusion Restaurant in the Hotel offers a great mix of tasty Vietnamese and Western Cusine - especially good if you have not got your bearings or have just arrived in the city and want to have a good meal without leaving the hotel. They also do great cocktails and nightcaps in the bar! Within 5 minutes walking distance of the hotel there are a number of cafes offering snacks and coffee and we also found an Indian Curry resataurant just around the corner!
If you are looking for a "Hidden Gem" in Ho Chi Min City, then you must try the wonderful restaurant called May which offers superb Vietnamese Food with a french twist. The 5th anniversary of the restaurant's opening on 7th May, coincided with my 49th birthday, and when the hotel staff made our reservation for us, they mentioned the fact that it was a celebration meal. On arrival at May, we were warmly welcomed by the Head Waiter, given 2 glasses of complimentary Champagne and told that our Dessert was also on the house to celibrate the fact that I shared my special day with the restaurant. We had a fantastic little table, in one of the upstairs dinning rooms, overlooking the courtyard of this wonderful old Colonial style building. Our food was amazing and the service was great, but the one down side is that this place is located in a small side-road and is very hard to find - even our taxi driver wasn't sure where it was, and had to stop and ask someone! Don't give up though, as you'll mis out on a great culinary experience. Tu-Tho, the enterprising owner of May, wants all her guests to feel as if they are dinning in relaxed style in her "Home" and Head Chef Thang, creates wonderful MSG free dishes, which are healthy, authentic, AND very, very tasty.
Things to do and see in Ho Chi Min City
The Reunification Palace is definitely a good place to visit for learning more about the Vietnam War. Other museums worth a visit are The Ho Chi Minh Museum, The Revolutionary Museum and The Vietnam History Museum.
If you want to learn more about the present, walking around District 1 may be the best way to experience Ho Chi Min City. The Streets and boulevards are all lined with tall evergreen trees and you can easily walk around with a map and find a cafe if you need a rest stop. A few notable sights you will spot on foot and may want to explore further are the city post-office, Notre Dame church and Ben Thanh market.
There are also plenty of little shops and covered markets here selling absolutley anything and everything you could ever wish to buy.
The Mekong River & The Cu Chi Tunnels
We decided to do 2 separate guided tours, both of which we booked and paid for through our hotel receptionist. All these excursions are pretty similar and there are plenty available.
The trip on the Mekong Delta was a chance to see yet another side of Vietnam and our Guide (Crocodile) Dundi was very informative. He met us at our hotel and then we took a long drive out of the city to the the Mekong River where we boarded a motor cruiser. Our first stop off point took us to a brick factory where the locals use the clay from the river bed to make bricks and pots for the community to buy.
We then visited a floating Market before transfering to a local row boat which took us off the main river and into the narrower rural parts. The sounds of the tropical jungle were deafening and the humidity was very intense as we rowed for a few more miles, before reaching our next destination. We were stopping for lunch at a small homestay villa. The Owner had prepared a delicious traditional meal of Rice and Fish and we also got to make and eat the obligatory spring rolls at the table! When she found out that it was my actual birthday, the owner picked some flowers from her garden and presented them to me, which was a lovely surprise. After a short rest in a tradional hammock, it was time to get back on the boat and be taken to a local riverside cafe to watch some Vietnamese dancing and listen to some folk music.
We enjoyed some coffee, cold drinks and fresh fruit as we watched the entertainment. Our final stop of the afternoon was at a community project and factory that made vietnamese sweets, snake wine, Rice Paper and other local food products. After this we took a motor cruiser back to our transport and headed back to Ho Chi Min City. This excursion was a took a full day and was really interesting.
Our 2nd Excursion was to see the Cu Chi Tunnels - part of an extensive network of underground passages built by the Viet Cong, which played a strategic role in the Communists’ victory during the Vietnam War. Since the network included hospitals, kitchens, dormatories, weapons factories and even classrooms, thousands of guerillas could move themselves and their weapons undetected for great distances. A section of the tunnels is now open to visitors. If you are small enough, you can try to wiggle through some of the narrow passageways. There is also a chance to shoot several weapons at the national firing range. When you first get to the tunnels, the eerie sound of gunfire can be heard all around - constantly reminding you that people fought and died here on both sides. We also got to taste Tapioca Root - a staple part of the Viet Cong war diet- and drink Vietnamese tea.
On our drive back to Ho Chi Min City we learnt more about the War, the rubber plantations nearby and the way that the Vietnamese honour their dead by burying them in the Rice Paddies, which is meant to bring good luck and fertile soil.
WATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS OF HO CHI MIN CITY, THE MEKONG DELTA & THE CU CHI TUNNELS BELOW
To Sum up our Vietnam Tour - it was probably one of the best trips I have ever done and I certainly want to go back and revisit this wonderful country again someday. Seeing many different sides of a totally different culture was really interesting. Having our own tour guides and drivers certainly helped us learn a lot more than we would have done travelling around on our own. Vietnam is a relativley cheap place to visit, compared to Europe or America, but you can still find luxury resorts and the highest standards of service in all the main cities. Tourism is a relatively new concept in Vietnam - but it is one that is taking off rapidly and changing the nature of the country quite quickly. My advice is to go out there as soon as you can, before tourism completley takes over some of the tradional ways of life. Make sure you go to the more rural areas, as well as the well known tourist spots - that way you'll experience all the oriental magic that this wonderful country has to offer.
