Ho Chi Minh

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Travel Guide and Tips: Ho Chi Minh

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Located in the south, Ho Chi Minh (originally Saigon) is Vietnam's largest city. 

Things to do

War Remnant Museum

Located in District 3, the museum has exhibits from the Indochina War as well as the Vietnam War. Although there's hints of anti-American propaganda, the museum offers tons of information about the wars and the impact it had. It's very eye-opening to learn about what happened during the war as well as the aftermath of it. The museum is mostly pictures, but also has war artifacts, historical armoury and vehicles. There's an entrance fee of 15,000 dong. 

Cu Chi Tunnels 

Head to either the Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc tunnels. These tunnels are located away from the city and takes around 2 hours to get to them. They're definitely worth to visit if you're interested in learning more about the war. There's an entrance fee of 90,000 dong. 

Original tunnels.

Modified for tourists.

Ben Thanh Market

Head here if you're looking to get some shopping done. Just note that the vendors can get really aggressive, so only go if you're going to buy. It's hard to window shop there without feeling pressured to buy something. During the day, the market is indoors where there are tons of stalls selling clothing, trinkets and food. At night, the market is outdoors. 

Please note that the coffee and tea sold there may be fake. If you're looking to buy coffee, it might be better to go to a reputable coffee shop like Highlands Coffee or Trung Nguyen. It's pretty affordable too. 

Saigon Square

If you're looking to shop for clothing, head to Saigon Square. It's just a few minutes from Ben Thanh Market. It offers more westernized clothing that you can wear on an everyday basis. 

Notre-Dame Basilica 

Located downtown, Notre-Dame Basilica is a French-built Catholic Cathedral. Head here if you're interested in neo-Romanesque architecture.

Central Post Office 

Located across from the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Central Post Office is worth a look for it's architecture. It can easily be mistaken for an old train station. Drop by if you're looking to send some postcards home! 

Where to Eat

Bui Vien Street

Located in the backpacker's area, Bui Vien Street has tons of restaurants, cafes and bars. If you're looking for something more local, head to one of the side streets along Bui Vien. There will be stalls in the alleyways offering delicious foods. 

5KU Station

Meat + BBQ = Happiness. If you're looking for a place to grill your own meats, head to 5KU Station. Order different meats off the BBQ section. There are some exotic meats if you're adventurous. You'll have a small coal BBQ at your tables so you can grill your own meat. It's a fun way to spend the night. It was 125,000 dong for one dish of meat. It doesn't come with a carb dish, so we ended up ordering fries to fill us up. 

Where to stay

Saigon Inn

We didn't stay here, but we went to their rooftop bar. But they have pretty good reviews. They offer private rooms as well as dorms. It offers free breakfast as well. It's $8 USD for a dorm. 

If you're interested in the rooftop bar, you need to pay 100,000 dong in advance and it sorta works off the tab. Draft beer was 25,000 dong. 

Happy Travelling!

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DIY Cu Chi Tunnels, Local Style

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Cu Chi Tunnels were the underground network created by the Viet Congs during the Vietnam War. These tunnels were dug by locals and soldiers and used as a place to live, train and fight the enemies (Southern Vietnam and American soldiers).

There are two different tunnel displays: Ben Dinh and Ben Douc. Ben Dinh is geared towards tourists whereas Ben Douc is geared towards locals. We heard how the Ben Dinh tunnels were crowded and not as authentic (enlarged to fit tourists), so we opted to visit Ben Duoc. The biggest different between the two are that Ben Duoc has a temple and is less crowded. 

How to bus to Ben Duoc Tunnels 

If you want to visit these tunnels without a tour, get ready for a long and less comfortable ride. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there using two local buses. 

Step 1: Get to 23/9 Park Bus Station. It's the bus station near the backpacker's area off Pham Ngu Lao street. From here, you need to catch bus 13 to Cu Chi. It will cost 7,000 dong. It's about an hour and a half ride. You'll need to get off at the bus station at Cu Chi. 

Step 2: From Cu Chi bus station, catch the 79 bus to Ben Duoc. It will cost 6,000 dong. It takes around 45 minutes - 1 hour. Make sure to let them know that you want to see the Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Duoc. They'll let you know when to get off, but if not, keep a lookout for the signs. 

Head over to the booth for information on where to catch the bus. 

Cu chi Tunnels

Once you get to Cu Chi Tunnels, you'll need to make your way down the street. It's confusing because there's no signs or markers explaining where to go. There should be a ticket booth on the left side selling entrance tickets for 90,000 dong. It's a little pricy, but you're paying for two different entrance fees as well as an english guide for the tunnels. Keep walking down the road and you'll eventually see temples. 

Go through the area by the temples, keep walking down the road. Eventually, you should hit another ticket checking area. From here, a guide will help you since you're not allowed to see the tunnels on your own. 

You'll start with a black and white movie explaining the history of the tunnels before the guide takes you down. He'll start by showing you the original tunnels with a trap door that you can try to fit into. Then he'll show you the ones enlarged for tourists that take you underground. 

Booby trap with bamboo spears.

Happy Adventuring!

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Transit Guide: Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh

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Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is Vietnam's largest city. It's a busy city with a lot of history. 

How to get there

We booked a bus from our hostel for 149,000 dong. The are several buses leaving at 12:30 a.m., 1:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. It's a sleeper bus that's quite comfortable. It takes around 5 hours to get there. The ride isn't too scenic since you're mostly going through different towns and cities. 

There's a rest stop along the way for a washroom and food break. The scenery around the rest stop was pretty nice. You'll get dropped off in District 1 on Pham Ngu Lao street which is within walking distance to the backpacker's area. 

Happy Travelling!