Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Day 4 and 5

Morning!

It's the last 2days of our stay at HCMC

We had our usual local breakfast prepared by our host

    

 I can never ask for anything more than this plate of noodles

 Here's a picture of the local banh mi
 We missed banh mi so much that we cant stop eating it
 Fast forward to the night activities (=
 We planned to go and experience their cultural show
 Hence, this is it! Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre

Our tickets were prebooked by Lily Hostel 

At the price of 200k dong/ person approx. SGD12.50

The show lasted for 2 hours and it was great

Though it was conducted in Vietnam language 

But more like Mr Bean/ Larva

You don't need to listen, just witness the event

 Last but not least, to end the night
Treat ourselves a good cup of coffee at local brand shop
Highlands Coffee offers good quality Vietnamese Coffee
Confirm GAO!

 Walked back to our hostel nearby
 And these are the night scenes you can get in District 1

Feel the history at War Remnants Museum
Pay a visit to the War Remnants Museum - a museum that opened almost immediately after the conclusion of the war, and it was here that American tanks and airplanes, left behind in Vietnam, went on display.

 Most of the displays are rather one sided, with photographs displaying the atrocities of the war and the effects of bombing and Agent Orange on the civilian population. They focused a lot on the sufferings the people had to cope from the Agent Orange damages.

Experience the motorbike craze
Ho Chi Minh City, a home to 5 million motorbikes with population of 10 million people. We were on foot to most places as the public transportation is really lacking here.

Motorbikes are small, cheap, and fuel efficient - the weather is favorable for getting around by motorbike. Unfortunately, these city streets cannot handle the sheer numbers of motorbikes traveling on them everyday, so the city is one giant traffic jam.

Unlike Singapore where we can still refer to the board for information, here in Vietnam, we couldn't comprehend their messy board at the bus stops. Therefore, people are left to get from point A to point B on their own.

The most entertaining spots to watch the motorbikes are at the giant roundabouts especially the one located in front of Ben Thanh Market. There is no order here, everyone thinks that they have the right away, and it was a complete mayhem.

The people here are so good at maneuvering and dodging other motorbikes. Even more professional than motorists in Malaysia, parents carry infants in their arms while traveling down the city streets, and families of three or four people managed to squeeze themselves onto one motorbike. Traveling this way becomes second nature to those who live here.

Avoiding motorbike on sidewalks
It was a tough challenge to dodge the motorbikes careening towards you on the sidewalk. There is almost as if no black and white here stating that bikes cannot go on the sidewalk. We would be walking on the sidewalk and still get honked at by passing motorbikes. OMG!

Indulge yourself in French Architecture
Vietnam was once a French colony and a bit of this French architecture, cuisine, and way of life has made an impression on these Vietnamese cities we have been visiting. The post office in Saigon was designed by Gustav Eiffel, France’s most famous architect.

 Across the street from Gustav Eiffel’s post office is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Similar to the one in Paris, but this little area gave Ho Chi Minh City an almost European feel.

Shop with local seller by the streets
There were men and women selling all kinds of food on the streets. It was almost impossible for you to go hungry in this city.  People transport the food by bicycle, piled on platters and carried on their heads, pushed in carts, and yes, on their motorbikes.

We bought coconut drinks form a guy carrying coolers of coconuts down the street. Coconut juice is a very popular thing to drink here, especially when coconuts are so plentiful. Stick a straw in it and you’re good to go.

And here we are at the last section of this blog

We decided not to cab back to the airport as it was still pretty early

So we lug our bags to the bus terminal 

Located right next to Ben Thanh Market

And look for signages for buses to go to the airport

We arrived safely after an hour bus ride 

It costs us less than SGD2 for 2 people 

 I guessed no more lunch at the airport
Everything charges in USD and I can say the food are expensive

 Bye Vietnam!

South Vietnam: Mekong Delta 2D1N River Trip

Day 2 & 3 - Mekong Delta River - Cai Rang Floating Market - Can Tho Market - My Tho Bonsai Garden - Starlight Bridge - Crescent Mall


Day 2

It was early in the morning approximately 7am that we came down to have our homely breakfast prepared by our hosts. At 8am we were picked up by our tour guide and we walked to the nearby jetty before we embarked on a boat ride to Mekong Delta.

It was a fine sunny day with nice fluffy clouds and the water was quite calm too.

A trip to Vietnam would not be complete without a trip to the Mekong Delta. Our access point to the Mekong Delta was the small city of Can Tho. Along the way we stoppedby at several locations to visit places.

We stepped into our boat tentatively but started enjoying the ride almost as soon as our boat started making its way past lush palm trees and stunning green foliage. It was truly awesome.

Then we were at the honey farm. I had bad experience with bees, therefore I wont go near that hive thingy. No way!

Strolling thru village and local markets but we didn't buy anything as they were all available back in HCMC itself. Don't bother to lug it back.

Another stop at the Coconut Candy making hut. I am not a fan but we just watched them cooking and processing the candy. I left empty-handed as well.

Then, it was lunch time and I think we were the only tourist to order a fish and it comes standing like this. Omg, titanic fish @.@

A traditional local cuisine. Not a fan of vegetables either so I just tried a piece and I actually wrapped it myself. Presentable huh?

We managed to finish the fish and the angmo was like "wah chinese can really eat the whole piece of fish!"opps but we didn't touch the eyes though.

An ancient temple located right next to the restaurant. While waiting for the boat to fetch us, we strolled around that area.

At night, we were dropped at our hostel. A very ulu hostel in Can Tho but comfortable enough.

There was a night market nearby and within walking distance. Hence, we ventured out by ourselves into these busy streets.

Finally, we found a decent place to have our dinner at approximately 8+pm and we were famished. Take a quick look at the menu and made order. Seriously the beer is dirt cheap here.

The design and deco in this shop were quite impressive as they have antique displays everywhere and it felt like we were back in the 80s?

That meal costs us about SGD9 for 2 with a bottle of beer. We were satisfied!

We've been eyeing at this particular stall when we came to the night market and of course we will not leave without tasting it. The bbq sauce in green was quite unique. Not very spicy to me but very spicy according to Hwee Meng opps.

Before the end of the day, I looked out from my hostel room and here's the spectacular view of the bridge at night. Can Tho is a nice, quiet and peaceful place to stay. 

Day 3

Hello sunrise! It was very early in the morning that we had to pack our bagpacks and leave for the market on a boat.

It is a must to try their Bahn Mi. Simple yet delicious meal, I was so lucky that they don't usually give us vegetables. phew~ I'm saved.

It is a must to wear their life jacket when you are on board. No one is exempted but my tour guide never abide by the rules though.

We stopped at this place for a little while and took some photos. The weather was really promising and we truly thank God for that. No rocky boats and pleasant company.

A candid shot.

Finally, we reached the floating market. Our boat drifted in among all of the others and we watched as people made their sales and purchases. 

It was a very friendly affair. The women were smiling and happy.

We stoppedby at one of the village and ta-da this is the old style cyber cafe. Not bad for them, but I guessed it could be pricey as there wasn't anyone using the computer. Perhaps the kids here preferred outdoor activities.

We reached the rice husking mill and rice noodle making shop. The old aunty demostrating and explaining in Vietnam language which I couldn't understand.

I looked like one of them. Am i right?

We rented a bike and cycled to the nearby temple. The tour guide assigned to us can speak little English and he was happily chatting with us.

And here we are, the iconic temple near Can Tho.

Quite a huge mess isn't it? Those trunks were all from a single legendary tree here.

and yes, this is the name of the temple.

Just like that, 15minutes cycle and we were back at the village, returned the bike and hopped into their canteen to try snake meat.

BBQ snake ready to be consumed. It was a small paddy snake and it was quite bony. I didn't really enjoy it but once in a lifetime is good enough.

On the way back HCMC, we stoppedby at one of the restaurant to grab our lunch. The crunchy noodles was really really really crunchy. It was all good. 

Back in HCMC, we grabbed a cab and headed to District 7 towards Crescent Mall. I was eager to see the Starlight bridge located just right beside Crescent Mall. And there you go~

This is of no joke, the beer prices were dirt cheap. You can drink all you want here in HCMC.

My first rabbit steak testing. The spread was very little and I ended up having to eat something else to fill my angry tummy.

The table below summed our journey with our 2d1n tour to Mekong Delta

03 September 2016, Saturday (Day 2, Mekong River Day 1)
7:30	Mekong Delta Tour	By Lily Hostel, My Tho - Ben Tre - Can Tho	1,228,000 ₫
	1st Boat Trip: 4 Islands: Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, Phoenix
	2nd Boat Trip: Ben Tre Village, Honey Farm, Cultural Music and Fruits Tasting
	3rd Boat Trip: Green Canal, Viet Lunch, Cycling	Mekong Fried Fish!
	Continue to Can Tho, overnight	Can Tho Night Market
04 September 2016, Sunday (Day 3, Mekong Delta)
- 19:00	Mekong Delta Tour	By Lily Hostel, Can Tho - Cai Rang - Sai Gon
	On local boat, Cai Rang floating market
	Rice husking mill and rice noodle making shop
	Can Tho market back HCMC thru My Tho bonsai garden
19:00	Starlight Bridge	cab to District 7
20:00	Crescent Mall, dinner	Rabbit steak and Bun Cha