Ho Chi Minh City: The Pearl of the Far East

raewhitcombe
Jun 4, 2017
2 min read

As Vietnam’s largest city, landing in Ho Chi Minh can be a shock. With streams of motorbikes carrying things you didn’t think were possible to transport, let alone on a bike! It’s a chaotic place. Crossing the roads will take a lot of patience, perseverance and most importantly courage! We went back to basics and held hands every time because, we at least felt safer. Stay vigilant whilst on the pavement as well - the Vietnamese just see these as roads with pedestrians on them. We quickly learned that the key to crossing the road is to go in one direction, with conviction and confidence with the hope that the driver is skilled enough to miss you (we’re not kidding!).

The city is heavily commercialised, fast food restaurants, impersonal stores and large roads which makes for a city thats hard to like but there are great museums to go to, and tasty street food if you can find the vendors tucked away. Although most locals are honest and friendly, they also see westerners as very rich and will try to overcharge you for food and services, so always make sure you know how much things are before buying them!

The main trips that most tourist take are a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, War Remanents Musuem, Hỏa Lò Prison. This highlights the brutal reality of the Vietnam war with America. Some of the pictures in the museum are very graphic and may not be suitable for young children. We definitely recommend giving all three places a visit and can be done in one day.