Saigon - City Lights and Culinary Delights

Saigon skyline from the rooftop

Woke up at 5:17am today with visions of a serene sunrise over an empty (or at least near empty) beach. It seems the Vietnamese had other ideas! The beach was practically a mosh pit with local tourists out playing beach volleyball and actually swimming. A stark contrast to yesterday's 7am ghost town. The Asian in me should have guessed that NOT being in the hot sun trumps a sleep in. 

Other than having may unexpected people to dodge when taking photos, the sunrise was serene. The fishing boats, all huddled together, created a spectacular scene. It was somewhat frustrating that the phone could not quite capture what my eyeballs could. Some moments, it seems, are just too good for pixels (literally!). Apologies for the sunrise photo spam...

I thought the beach would be this quiet too...

The fishing boats just off the shoreline

Extreme measures were needed to cut the people out of my photos! 

It was time to move on and continue our journey south to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Once again, an uneventful flight with Vietnam Airlines, landing at a nice brand new terminal at Saigon Airport. Once there, we were greeted with a new guide and bus and whisked away for lunch. Our hotel for our time in Saigon is the Adora Art Hotel. Let's just get the hotel review out of the way, shall we? The Adora Art Hotel, a 4-star establishment, is perfectly adequate. Its biggest selling point, without a doubt, is its location. Nestled right in the heart of District One, it's a short stroll to Ben Thanh Market and other key attractions. 

While there's nothing wrong with the place, per se, it also doesn't exactly spark joy. The rooms are clean, the vital amenities present, and the breakfast perfectly acceptable. Plus, a rooftop pool and bar for those who fancy a dip with a view. In other words, it was a solid choice for the more budget-savvy travellers. This particular, difficult traveller, however, only truly missed the complimentary fruit bowls from previous hotels (which she touched exactly once) when it wasn't there 😂. 

With a couple of hours to kill before our evening activity, I embarked on a solo expedition to the famous Ben Thanh Market. This tourist magnet boasts everything from fresh produce and seafood to textiles and handicrafts. In a personal triumph, I successfully crossed the street twice by myself, like a big girl, without clinging to a local for dear life. Take that, chaotic Saigon traffic! Much to my surprise, the vendors, while keen to engage, weren't pushy. I didn't find the bamboo undies or copycat foldable backpacks I was specifically hunting for (a tragedy, I know), but I did manage to snag some other goodies. Bonus points: the two shops where I made purchases accepted Visa and Mastercard, each with a 4% surcharge which was a lifesaver when you're sans Vietnamese Dong!

Kitsch decor. Kinda cute I guess 

Reception

Breakfast room to the back

My room. Decent size. You'd have just enough space to open up a clam opening type suitcase

TV, tea & coffee, free water, fridge safe, ironing board, robe. All there

Bathroom is good

I guess they like the "open" look

The uninspiring view from my window. However, Grateful to have natural sunlight unlike my hotel room in Ha Noi!

Inside of Ben Thanh market. The covered markets is a good activity on a rainy day

I got talked into letting her do my hair. Not sure how she managed to hold all my heavy hair so securely with just one pin. I bought one (or more) naturally...

Fortunately, the heavens decided to close just in time for the highlight of the day: the Saigon Vespa Food Tour by Vespa Adventures.  Having done this two years ago, it was just as much fun the second time around. Zipping through the bustling city on a Vespa is an incredible way to experience Saigon's energy (and avoid being stuck in traffic).

We made four stops, each offering a unique experience. First up, a rooftop bar for cocktails and a bird's-eye view of the city. Next, a seafood extravaganza featuring clam soup, salt and chili crab, and noodles. By the third stop, I was genuinely struggling to fit more food in. However, one simply cannot leave before trying Bánh Xèo, the Vietnamese "pancake." The name, I learned, comes from the sizzling sound the rice batter makes when it hits the hot pan. And yes, Bánh Xèo 46A that we visited is a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, so clearly worth the expanded waistline. We were also treated to some delectable deep-fried spring rolls. Finally, it was off to Carmen Bar, a true Saigon institution, for live music and more cocktails. Because when in Saigon, one must fully embrace the institution of "more cocktails."

Helpful Hints for the Aspiring Vespa Adventurer:

• Vespa Adventures provides raincoats in case of unexpected downpours. They've clearly been here before.
• The tour is entirely doable in flip-flops. Ask me how I know. (Spoiler: my feet were liberated, cool and happy.)
• Dresses are perfectly fine, as long as you're able to swing your leg over to get on and off the bike with a modicum of grace. No one wants an accidental flash dance.

Rooftop bar

One of the smaller streets

When a motorcycle is the mode of transport for a family 4

Lemongrass clam soup. Amazing

Crab with salt and chilli crust on the outside. Also amazing

Bánh Xèo 46A has been run by the same family for 3 generations

Deep fried spring rolls. Asian comfort food

Lovely souvenir

Cuchi Tunnels

Our last day in Vietnam! The days have certainly whizzed by. Elliot and I savoured our last hotel buffet breakfast before checking out and piling into our van. We had a 2 hour drive to get to the Cuchi Tunnels. A lot of has changed since our last visit and probably for the better. If you come yourself, you will be allocated a guide. You are not allowed to wander around by yourself which is probably not a bad thing. The tunnels were built as part of the guerilla warfare against the American Troops. It really was a showcase of what you would do just to survive. Some of the methods employed to hide and defend the tunnels and bunkers were ingenious. Parts of the tunnel were barely wide enough for a tiny Asian, some so narrow you could only go backwards on your back. There were 2 tunnels we could try. The first was just to showcase how narrow the entrances were. The second had been widened for "Westerners", with stairs dug out for easy access. Lighting and fan ventilation had also been installed. I only just coped. I'm not sure how much more awful it would have been without the extra ventilation. The original were just long pipes of bamboo jutting around termites nest, with the termites eating the bamboo and eventually leaving a hole thus "no evidence" for the Americans to find. 

The complex also showcased other types of bunkers and things that the villagers and or guerilla's did to survive, such as the venting of smoke from cooking, recycling of American weapons, traps to slow and maim soldiers and so on. It definitely was an educational morning. We had a peaceful late lunch and made our way to the airport for our evening flight back to Sydney via Singapore. We farewelled Oma and Opa in Singapore and continued on almost uneventfully. Elliot lost his printed slip after going through immigration! So we had to stand in customs while phonecalls were made...luckily they were super nice about it. From landing to exit only took 20 minutes so not bad Sydney airport!

Examples of the American cluster bombs. The smaller ones are unexploded ones that the villagers recycled

Hard to see but on the right you can see how there are roughly 3 levels of tunnels, you can only move on the lower levels otherwise you could be heard by the American troops

Tunnels were all around the American base. Black lines indicate tunnel

One of the bomb craters that hasn't been filled in

Can you see the entrance?

There it is

Lucky he is skinny!

And he's gone

Demonstration of the different types of traps

The widened tunnel with easy entry and exit. Too hard to take photos inside

Not sure how this fit in but there was a hut showing how rice paper was made 

Short break with tapioca and tea!

Lunch by the river

Last meal in Vietnam not counting the lounge!

The plane to take us home

Mekong Delta

Bustling Mekong Delta

Vietnam saved its best hotel buffet til last! The selection was big and the quality excellent. Not only did I get to choose Vietnamese coffee, I could have espresso based coffee for free too! 

Our destination today was the Mekong Delta. We headed west from Saigon for 2 hours on our minibus. Si gave us all the requisite information for our day. Today's excursion was unfortunately one that was just ok. We always enjoy learning about the people. However, for the first time today, we felt pressured to either tip or buy something. It was the concept of community tourism, we were brought to the community where they had an opportunity to show off what they do, and we could choose to buy their products if we wished. Our guide did say that there was absolutely no pressure to purchase anything. It didn't stop them from the hard sell though...It wasn't the guide's fault. It was just how these communities did tourism. Other groups were partaking in the various offerings in different order. Just not our preferred way to do things I suppose!

It was also the first time we had a subpar meal!!! It was probably from the style of the cooking from the region, with the common usage for coconut water in their cooking. This meant all the dishes had a sweet flavour to it. The fresh coconut here was delicious though, sweet and flavoursome. 

Breakfast buffet! There were options on each side of the "square"

Todays' noodle station offering was Hue Noodles

banh mi station

omg sushi

Vietnamese coffee station

After a 2 hour bus ride, we were off on a boat

to explore the mighty Mekong and its communities

The boat just pulls up and you walk off the front

Bee farm. My mother spotted the queen like a pro in 5 seconds flat

They were selling all sorts of bee products

Tea with honey, and calamansi

honeyed ginger, honeyed banana chips (yummy so I did buy some)

Next stop was the rather strange combo of fresh fruit and traditional folk song performance

This was where it was a little awkward as they put a basket for tips...I would have rather just have paid for their performance

Scorpion and cobra wine anyone?!

How many different types of boats can we try?!

One of our very strong rowers. Again it got awkward because they were angling for a tip just before they dropped us off back to our guide. 

Lunch time

Lovely view, but food was just average

Elephant ear fish

Our guide showing us the various usages for coconut

He grew up as a farmer and so was skilled in many things!

Using the coconut to make candy

All done on site and made by hand

Last coconut before making the long trek back to Saigon

Japanese for dinner for a change

Peach and lemongrass iced tea