The former capital of French Indochina is certainly a buzzing city; with motorbikes zipping past you as you attempt to cross the roads, the smells of herbs wafting through the air and colonial attractions spotting Ho Chi Minh. It is also the first Southeast Asian country that I have decided to do a solo backpacking trip. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive from all the horror stories told to me about motorbike thief and how it was supposedly dangerous especially for females. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the rustic buildings stacked with floors of little shops overlooking the roads, the yin-yang combination of the street food and the welcoming hospitality of Vietnam locals.
One of my fondest memory was visiting a spa and massage parlor and after the usual, “where are you from”, “how old are you”, the staff were amazed that I have travelled to Ho Chi Minh on my own. We struck on a conversation with the use of charades and google translate. After learning that I have yet to tried Bahn Mi, the lady boss instructed her husband to get one from a famous bahn mi street store. So there I was munching on the crispy outer shell of the baguette and sinking my teeth into a well balanced mix of herbs, pate and chicken. Usually, I would be that individual picking out the coriander but this time, it goes with the other ingredients so well that I actually appreciated its presence.
On top of that, they were so excited to have made a friend, they asked me to come back at night after they have closed their shop so they could bring me around to eat. I turned up at the parlor at 10pm and they did bring me to eat some seafood and papaya salad, which was great! Should I have been on my one, I would not be able to read the menu, let alone try that many dishes. It was also hilarious how they divulged stories of their love life to me and showing me photographs of their partners. It really opened my eyes on how liberal they are and easy going. We exchanged social media contacts before I headed back to my guesthouse.
I also took the opportunity to meet up with a buddy from my orientation group back when I was studying in Aarhus. Huong and her boyfriend drove me to District Two on their bikes for some seafood. I have always proclaimed that I will not ride a bike because of the fear of being on one - perceiving that they are dangerous and frankly, deadly. Conveniently, I had forgotten to mention this to her and decided to take the leap of faith since I did not really had a choice once she turned up with her bike. It was scary all right but it was not as dangerous as I thought it would be (relative to Singapore's mad drivers) because the locals were just so used to the traffic. Fun fact - I actually decided to take the GrabBike from then on because it was so much faster and cheaper than taking the whole GrabCar by myself. Huong and her boyfriend also convinced me to get some ice cream with red sticky rice to end the night. Worth it!
I spent four days and three nights there before heading to Phu Quoc for another 3 days of vacation. Decided to take a sunset fishing cruise and met a lovely lady who was there with her sister. She adopted me into the large Vietnamese group who were all strangers in the beginning of the trip. Despite failing to catch anything during the boat trip, I've made a new Californian friend!
There wasn’t an itinerary I adhered to because I just wanted to soak up the culture and spent most of my time in the city. I booked a day trip to the Mekong Delta where it was stated that I would visit local fruit farms, bee farms and other cultural attractions. Unsuspectingly got myself into a tourist trap as these places were completely commercialised. Well, in a way it may be to sustain and continue their traditional snake alcohol and candy making. However, personally I felt that it was just a scam and a bunch of hard sellers and my opinion was echoed throughout the group. However, if you are in Saigon for a few days, it could serve as a good day trip and/or with Cu Chi Tunnels. Especially if you are an individual who checks off a list of tourist attractions.
Comentarios