Ho Chi Minh City - We flew from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City, and didn't have any issues boarding the plane with our expedited visas (shoutout to Emily Visa an the fellow procrastinators of Reddit). We collected our bags and took a Grab car to our hostel, Saigon Chill Hostel located in District 1, one of the main centers of the city. While the official name of the city is Ho Chi Minh City as of 1976 when Vietnam reunified, the previous name of Saigon is still very prevalent and still used by many locals when referring to the city (old habits die hard). Right away from our Grab we could tell we were in the busiest city we had been to so far. We were the odd ones out in the vehicle, because no matter where you looked, you could see this was a motorbike city!
After navigating our way through the traffic, we dropped our bags off at our hostel and left to walk around the city and get out bearings. Fortunately there were traffic lights and crosswalks most of the time, and we didn't immediately have to face the mass of motorbikes while crossing the street. In need of lunch, we figured we had to start our Vietnamese culinary journey with a traditional banh mi sandwich. We grabbed a couple to go from a local stand recommended by our hostel and found a bench in a nearby park to eat. Melissa thought it was very good, while Carson thought it was only ok (he's not a huge fan of the meat pâté spread that's traditionally included). After eating, we continued to explore the city and headed to Ben Thanh Market. Similar to the bazaars in Turkey, the shops were tightly packed into a massive building with shop keepers trying to drag you (sometimes literally) into their store. We spent some time perusing the stands while Carson tried to find a jersey worth buying at a reasonable price (turns out the cheap fake jerseys looked pretty cheap and fake so he never committed). We headed back to the hostel in a light rain as the streets got more and more packed with rush hour motorbike traffic. When we arrived at the hostel we hung out with other travelers and enjoyed our nightly two free bottles of beer as the rain continued. Not super hungry, and not wanting to venture far in the rain, we topped off the night with a couple of dependably delicious 7/11 toasties.
The next day we enjoyed the free hostel breakfast and continued exploring the city on foot. We were a bit behind on mailing all of the postcards we had accrued along our travels, so we headed to the post office, which, coincidentally is also one of the tourist attractions in HCMC. We made our way slowly, and along the way we saw the beautiful French architecture of the City Hall and the Saigon Opera House. We also passed Independence Palace (also called Reunification Hall) which was the site of the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 that ended the Vietnam War. We stopped for lunch and grabbed our first of many bowls of delicious beef pho. After we were served our giant bowls of pho, we noticed that there were many additional sauces and pastes on the table, but we weren't sure what they were. We called the waitress over to ask what everything else on the table was for and she demonstrated for us my mixing up a sauce for us to dip the beef into. It was delicious and really elevated the meal so we were glad we asked!
After lunch we continued our walk and ducked into a few small malls to appreciate the local fashion in this hip section of town. We eventually made it to the Saigon Central Post Office which was built in the late 1880's with French influence and was stunning inside and out. We walked into the bustling post office and purchased our stamps. Unfortunately, each postcard needed 3 large stamps to make it to U.S. which was a challenge since they were already written. After carefully applying about 60 stamps, we threw our cards in the basket to be mailed out to friends and family. Next we took in the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Saigon which was across the street, though it was harder to view since it was under reconstruction, and then we slowly perused the shops of Book Street. Book Street is a quaint, tree-lined, pedestrian-only street with numerous books stores, publishers, and cafes. It started to rain again pretty heavily, so Carson dragged Melissa away from Book Street and found a cozy coffee shop where we stayed dry as best we could and enjoyed watching the chaotic traffic of rush hour from an upstairs window. Melissa also tried her first iced coconut coffee, which would become one of her favorites. After the rain died down, we headed back to the hostel through the rush hour traffic that even bleeds onto the sidewalks. We grabbed dinner from a place recommended by a hostel employee. The restaurant had tables and chairs lining a small alley; we put in our order and had Com Tam which is grilled pork over broken rice. It was one of Carson's favorite meals we had had while traveling Asia. After dinner, we connected with more travelers at the hostel while enjoying our two free nighty hostel beers.
The next day we had breakfast and walked around a new part of the city- District 3. We started by visiting the Cheo Leo Cafe, one of the oldest coffee shops in Saigon that has been family-run since 1938. Melissa got an iced Vietnamese coffee and Carson got a tea. Part of the charm of this place is that they still use a very particular old-fashioned way of brewing coffee involving a clay pot and a cloth strainer. The cafe was small and nondescript off a side alley and we were the only tourists there which we enjoyed. And the coffee was incredible! Vietnamese coffee is like rocket fuel in terms of strength, but pairing it the traditional way with sweetened condensed milk and ice makes it go down super smoothly.
After finishing our drinks, we continued walking around the neighborhood and then made a stop at the War Remnants Museum. This museum showcases artifacts, photographs, and stories of the Vietnam War (or the American War, as it is known in Vietnam). Back in 1975, this museum was originally called the "Exhibition House for U.S. and Puppet Crimes" and in 1990 renamed to "Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression." It became the War Remnants museum in 1995 when relations with the U.S. had improved. The museum is interesting, particularly from an American perspective, because it tells the story of the "American War" from the Vietnamese perspective, which is obviously not the perspective we typically learn in school. There were large U.S. military tanks and helicopters on the lawn outside the museum, and inside, there were three floors highlighting different aspects of the war. The first floor primarily highlighted the protests against the war and calls for peace in the U.S. and around the world. The second floor provided a timeline of the war, including details about attacks that were carried out and casualties. This also included both artifacts and some graphic and powerful images that were taken during the war. The third floor focused on the U.S.'s use of chemical warfare on the Vietnamese people and the impacts this has had on generations of people. The museum was really eye opening and it was very impactful to read about and see images of what took place. With that said, the museum definitely tells one side of the story. That's not to defend the atrocities of the U.S. during the war, which were many, but there was no discussion of the atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese Army either; considering who prevailed in the war and that the country is still run by the communist party, this isn't surprising, just an observation. Despite this, it was still a deeply humbling and informative visit about one of the U.S.'s longest wars and reiterated just how destructive and awful war always is, particularly for innocent civilians.
We had some good discussions about what we had seen and learned at the museum on the walk back to the hostel. When we got back, we relaxed for a bit and then got ready for our nighttime food tour on motorbikes! After walking around the city the last few days and seeing the motorbike traffic (there are 8.5 million motorbike in HCMC!!!), we knew we wanted to actually get into it and experience the city from a bike. We're not crazy, though, so we just wanted to be passengers. We found a tour that offered a way to try unique street foods and see many of the city's districts via bike, and we were really excited about it. Our drivers picked us up at our hostel. They were two college girls named Grace and Trang who got us suited up with rain ponchos and helmets and taught us the proper way to mount and dismount the bike, and where to hold on. We hopped on and the bikes weaved in and out of traffic, and we were already loving it. We arrived at our first street food stand before right before it started to down pour, and luckily the seating was under cover. There was another couple that joined our tour group, but they weren't super social so we mostly enjoyed chatting with our drivers while we tried the new food; Carson's driver Trang was even studying chemical engineering! The first dish we tried was a delicious spicy beef noodle soup called Bún Bò Huế, which is similar to pho, but with a much more flavorful broth. After we ate, we walked around the neighborhood we were in in District 3, and our guide walked us around and showed us an apartment block that is one of the oldest in the city. It was crazy to see and hear how small the places were and that families of 6+ people live in them (as Grace told us, the concept of "privacy" just isn't really a thing). It was also interesting to see all the unique ways people store their motorbikes in their homes, and how they take them up/down ramps included on the stairways for people who live in upper floors.
We hopped back on the bikes and navigated the rainy dark streets to our next stops. Over the course of the next couple of hours, we tried Chuoi Nuong (a grilled plantain with coconut milk sauce), Khoai Lang Bong Bong (fried sweet potato balls), Bo La Lot (BBQ beef wrapped in betel leaf), lemongrass stuffed chicken, coconut crackers, sugarcane juice, banh mi, and for dessert- flan, and che (sweet black bean soup). By the end, we were wet from the rain, soaked, but full of adrenaline from all of the riding around. It was one of our favorite activities to date!
We went to bed full and happy and the next morning took it easy and chilled at our hostel before our flight to Da Nang.
Da Nang - we flew to Da Nang from Ho Chi Minh City in the early afternoon. The next place we wanted to visit in Vietnam was Hoi An, and we originally thought we might bus or train there; turns out Vietnam is much longer than we thought, so we opted to take a short plane ride (free with Mel's credit card points) instead of a 20 hour bus ride to the closest airport to Hoi An, which is in Da Nang. Da Nang has a good reputation as well for being a large coastal city with good food, so we decided to spend a couple of days there before heading to Hoi An.
It was a pretty short flight, and then we took a Grab from the airport to our hostel in Da Nang. The hostel turned out to be owned by an American from Austin, Texas, and we enjoyed chatting with him for a while. He recommended a couple of restaurants, so we ventured out to try one of them for dinner. Here we tried Bún bò Huế (another type of beef noodle soup, but again distinct from pho) with Xi Quach, a massive beef bone in the bowl. To get the meat off the bone, we had to use meat scissors that were available from a bucket on the table. It was difficult to eat without making a mess, but it was soooo tasty. We had been told that central Vietnam had some of the best food, and based on this first meal we could believe it. After dinner, we walked back to the hostel to relax and play pool before heading to bed.
The next morning, we slept in and then grabbed an early lunch of banh mi sandwiches with complimentary butterfly pea juice. We then took a Grab to a coffee shop recommended by the hostel staff so Melissa could try Vietnam's internet famous egg coffee. Interestingly, this egg coffee was served sort of deconstructed vs as one big cup. One small cup had the coffee, one had the sweetened condensed milk, and one had the delicious and thick egg cream. Fortunately, the coffee also came with a small card explaining how to properly drink it (pour the condensed milk into the coffee, take a spoon of the egg cream and dip it into the coffee). The coffee was delicious, but definitely tasted more like a treat than a daily coffee. We left the cafe and walked around to a nearby mall and market to browse. At the mall, Carson played his chances on a Doraemon figurine toy dispenser (he got obsessed with this character in Thailand) and luckily got one of the figurines he wanted. Feeling overwhelmed by yet another massive and crowded market, we left and headed toward the beach and along the way stopped at a nice bakery to share a decadent chocolate mouse cake box. We walked along the beach for a while even though this wasn't a great day for the beach since it was very windy and cloudy and the waves were huge. We could see the appeal of this beach a nice day, though. This area was also a famous beach historically as many Americans were stationed in Da Nang during the war and relaxed at this beach (that they called "China Beach") during their time off.
We walked back to our hostel which was located only a few blocks from the coast, and relaxed. We grabbed a beer at the hostel bar and chatted with other travelers and the hostel employees. At one point, the bartender told Melissa that there was a whole litter of brand new kittens (a couple of weeks old) living on the hostel roof, and she was going up to bring them milk and that she could join. Not needing to be asked twice, Melissa followed her, and had a cuteness overload meeting the four baby kittens and watching them try to drink the milk (while mostly falling into the bowl). We grabbed dinner nearby at another local spot and tried another regional specialty - Cơm Gà - a chicken and rice dish. After dinner, we took a Grab to the Dragon Bridge (while our Grab driver watched the Vietnam national soccer team play on a IPAD screen in his car lol). Every weekend for 15 minutes, they shutdown the bridge to vehicle traffic and there is a light show (including actual fire shooting out of the dragon's mouth at some intervals). The bridge itself is already beautiful, but seeing it all lit up and the dragon breathing actual fire was worth the trip! After the show, we walked through the nearby market and saw many fun things to buy but we restrained ourselves and took a Grab back to hostel.
The next day, we took it easy in the morning, did some trip planning and talked to our families. We headed to another cafe and Melissa got another delicious iced coconut coffee. For lunch, we tried yet another regional dish, Mỳ Quảng, another delicious (but different) noodle/beef/broth dish. After lunch, we walked along the beach one last time, said goodbye to the hostel kittens (and corgi), and then took a Grab to our next destination - the city of Hoi An.
Hoi An - After about a 40 minute drive, we arrived at our hostel and dropped our bags off. One thing we knew we wanted to do in Hoi An was get custom tailored clothes, since this city is known for this. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to find a shop and get things fitted over the next few days, so we didn't waste any time in walking around the city center and visiting different tailors to see what shop we'd like to use. It was kind of overwhelming since it felt like every other store in the city was a tailor shop, but we had done some research and talked to the hostel owner, so we had narrowed it down to a few places to check out. We ended up liking the vibe and options of the tailor shop that our hostel owner recommended, Blue Chic, so we planned to decide what we wanted to get made and head back in the morning for our fittings.
We continued walking around the pretty historic city center which has colorful lit-up lanterns above most streets and storefronts. It was the rainy season of central Vietnam while we were there (though not in the south and north of the country, which was bizarre) so the region had been getting a lot of rain and we saw streets that were flooded due to high river water. Life goes on, though, and we even saw street market stalls set up in the flooded streets and motorbikes riding through the waters. As we were walking around town we ran into a friend we had met in our hostel in Ho Chi Minh City and we decided to grab dinner together. We headed to a local spot and tried cao lầu, a noodle dish with pork. After dinner, we headed back to our hostel and called it a night.
The next morning we got free breakfast at our hostel and then headed straight to our tailor shop. Carson got fitted for a 3 piece suit and the hardest part was determining what suit and tie/lining colors to choose! He ended up going with a darker green/blue suit with a light blue lining which made it unique and stylish. Melissa decided to go with a custom jumpsuit since it can be more difficult to find jumpsuits in store that actually fit properly. She choose a fun abstract pattern with red, white, black, and orange colors that made the outfit pop. After our fittings, we walked around more of the town and grabbed a light lunch of unique shrimp dumplings with translucent dough called bánh bao bánh vạc (white rose dumplings). We relaxed back at the hostel in the afternoon, and in the evening grabbed a quick dinner of yet another banh mi sandwich. after dinner we headed back to the tailor where our garments were already ready for their first try on! we carefully got into them, avoiding the pins, and the ladies adjusted the measurements for the next round of sewing. When we arrived back at the hostel, we learned that is was karaoke night. Never ones to say no to karaoke, we joined the small group in the common area. It was fun except the hostel owner and one of the guests were insanely good at singing, which everyone knows is the one rule of karaoke (don't actually be good). Mel agreed to sing My Heart Will Go On with the good singer before we knew she was good, and immediately regretted getting paired with someone who could actually hit Celine's notes.
The next morning, we decided to go to one of Hoi An's main tourist attractions- the famous coconut boats. We found a company online who offered the experience and coordinated with them over WhatsApp. They even offered pick up and drop off at our hostel which was convenient since the coconut boats were about 40 minutes outside the town and closer to the coast. We arrived at the small village, donned our life jackets and our Nón lá (traditional Vietnamese hats), and got into the coconut boat. Despite its name, the boat isn't made of coconut, but is typically made of bamboo. The boat is round, though, and resembles half of a coconut. Our boat was steered by a very tiny older woman who started paddling the coconut boat into the river. She sat perched and barefoot at the edge of the boat, and expertly steered the bobbing circle along the water. We were mesmerized watching her steer since it was a very specific and complicated rowing pattern to make the boat go forward; she even let us try it later and it was really hard! She rowed us to our first stop where a single man in his own boat was standing up and spinning and dancing very fast. Shockingly the man was able to keep his balance as he was spinning so rapidly. If you pay extra, you can get into the boat while he spins it, but we felt like that was a recipe for either puking or falling, so we decided to just watch. As we continued down the river we saw larger tour groups docking and doing karaoke, which was hilarious and we started to notice having karaoke in all situations was very much a thing in Vietnam. We continued down the river, stopped for pictures, and tried to catch small crabs with some fishing line. The experience was a quick hour and very touristy, but it was still a fun activity to do.
The coconut boat tour agency dropped us back off at our hostel and we grabbed gyros from a Greek place for lunch to give us a break from Vietnamese food. After lunch, we had some time to kill before heading to our second fitting at the tailor so we stopped at a shop to learn how to make Vietnamese lanterns like the ones adorning the city's streets and storefronts. We each chose a lantern style and a fabric and our teacher taught us how to cut, glue, and apply the fabric over the frame. It was surprisingly difficult to get the right tension on the fabric and to cut the fabric down while keeping the edges smooth. In the end, the lanterns turned out pretty good and the folded down to about the size of small umbrellas so we had fun souvenirs to take back with us. After finishing the lanterns, we went back to the tailor to try on our new clothes. They were looking amazing and just needed some minor final touch ups. Excited about our new clothes, we walked down the street and got some tea from Reaching Out Tea House, a serene and quiet environment that cuts our the hustle and bustle of the city. The teahouse employees are speech-and-hearing-impaired, so they provide you blocks and pens and papers in which to communicate with them. It was a really peaceful experience! That afternoon, Melissa decided she wanted to also get some flowy pants tailored so we went to a few more tailor shops to find a good deal (Blue Chic was a bit more expensive, and the pants didn't need to be as good quality). Finding another tailor that she liked, she picked a color and got her measurements taken again to start the process for her next item. For dinner we went to a popular restaurant in the city center and enjoyed some really tender duck.
The next morning, we wanted to explore the rice fields around town and visit the coast so we rented bikes from the hostel. Unlike our Siem Reap bikes, these were not made for heavy riding (they were the type with baskets in the front). They also weren't in the best shape and we had to circle back and swap a bike out that had bad brakes, so it was a rough start to the adventure. To make matters worse, once we were at the rice fields it started to rain on us. We biked all the way down to the coast (where we purchased a poncho) and found a side street that led to the beach. It was windy, cold, and gray, and there was a lot of trash on this side of the beach, so it wasn't really worth the journey. The silver lining was that on our bike back the side street we passed a large wedding that was going on, and all the guests were taking turns singing karaoke at maximum volume. The rain died down some as we biked back through the rice fields, and we had a bit more fun biking around and passing many birds and water buffalo along the way. We stopped for lunch and had large bowls of beef pho which was perfect for this gray and rainy day. Once we made it back to our hostel, our final tailored clothes. were all packed up and waiting for us! We relaxed that afternoon to avoid the rain, and that evening Carson went out on the bike again once the rain stopped to try and take pictures of birds. Mel had had enough biking and birds for the day, so she stayed at the hostel. For our final dinner in town, we changed it up and had pasta and pizza at an Italian restaurant that was actually owned by an Italian. The food was very good but definitely expensive compared to our other Vietnamese meals. After dinner, we walked across the bridge to the other side of the river to visit a different outdoor market and then headed back to the hostel.
Our final morning in Hoi An, we had breakfast at the hostel and relaxed and caught up on admin stuff. We grabbed lunch at a family-run restaurant nearby where we finally tried bánh xèo, a savory stuffed fried pancake. It was so good, and we found ourselves wishing we had found this restaurant earlier in our stay! After lunch we a Grab from Hoi An back to Da Nang to a cafe near the train station. We chilled at the and worked on the blog while we had a couple hours to kill before our night train to Ninh Binh. While we waited, Carson ran out to grab snacks and on the way he purchased an official Grab rain jacket (the ones the drivers wear) from a motorbike store that he had seen when we were previously in Da Nang. A few Grab drivers saw him with it on the way back and loved it (they said "one of us!"). Once Carson was back, we headed to dinner next door at a quick chicken and rice place and then boarded our night train to Ninh Binh. There were two bunk beds in our small cabin, and Melissa had the top bunk and Carson the lower. Despite it's small size, it was surprisingly comfortable. The only other people in our cabin was a young Vietnamese woman and her daughter that was maybe four years old. The daughter was very cute and curious about us and liked to play games and laugh. We got ready for bed and hoped that when we woke up we would be in Ninh Binh.
We enjoyed our first few stops in Vietnam, particularly HCMC! Numerous people told us HCMC wasn't anything special or that it was even skippable, but we disagree. Sure, there aren't that many "attractions" but it's an awesome city to walk around and just experience. The food is great, the coffee is strong, and our motorbike food tour was one of our favorite activities to date. We also enjoyed Da Nang and Hoi An, particularly for the food, which is really good in the central region. It was also fun to get our clothes tailored. It was a bit of a bummer that it was so rainy when we were in central Vietnam, as it is supposed to have some amazing beaches, but we tried to make the best of it.
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