Journey of A Lifetime Together: 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.