South Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi Tunnel

Day 1 - Ben Thanh Market - Notre Dame Catheral - Cu Chi Tunnel - Saigon Skydeck and Bitexco Financial Tower 

What a spontaneous decision!

Made the reservation for the flight tickets

Here we are in less than 2 weeks plannings

Presenting to you the historical city - Ho Chi Minh City 

HCMC is a bustling city with millions visitors each year

 Took a very early Tigerair flight to HCMC
 Remember to turn left once you come out from the airport terminal
 Look out for two legit taxi companies – Vinasun and Mai Linh 
 From the airport, it took us around 30 minutes (~150k VND) to the city area
 Alternatively, you can take the bus and it cost less than 3k VND
 We were fortunate as the host already assigned someone to picked us up at the airport

 These are the menus provided by our hostel host
 Don't underestimate these, they were home cooked food straight from the kitchen
 Our hostel’s location is impeccable - walking distance to many historical sights such as the Notre Dame and Central Post Office
Undeniably, there are many good restaurants and shopping places nearby

Lily's Hostel
Address: 35/5 Bui Vien St, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Price: ~SGD30/night private room with attached bathroom

In every country, it is a must to visit their McD outlet

And find out what are the cuisines that differs from our local menu

Although I was advised not to "show" my belongings on a busy streets, you would think that I'm crazy, taking pictures while crossing the road. 

Many would find it quite an annoyance not to have traffic lights, and you would be yelling "let me cross first" in your heart. In these still pictures, but you can imagine the rowdiness of so much traffic on the road, honking, tires screeching... so yeah..

The side of Ben Thanh Market and you have to enter gate number 7 and wade your way thru the busy market. Along the streets you may find fruits and flowers and they are indeed cheaper.

After approximately 10-15m at the entrance gate number 7, you can see this particular stall on your right, a family business in a busy market. I don't exactly know what is it but this dish tasted good and local. Cost 20k VND for a plate, good for the price and it was a place to take a breather.

 This is what it looked like on the plate. A lot local people do sit down and have tea time here.

 The coffee in HCMC is of no joke, they were thick, wait, I meant super duper thick. So if you have trouble sleeping I suggest that you skip this drink after dinner time.

You wouldn't want to say you've visited Vietnam without trying out their coffee and Bahn Mi (baguette with meat and vegetables) introduced by the French during its colonial period. It is a must eat item, the skin is thin n crispy.

Independence Palace was within walking distance and we exercise after lunch under the hot scotching sun but it was nothing compared to the view here.

The picture above taken by Sony E 10-18mm f4 and the picture below taken by Sony E 18-105mm f4, that was the difference between 10mm and 18mm pictures. gosh..

 There is a big tree and playground behind this building, Kids were having fun and their parents chill under the shade.

 Notre Dame Catheral located not far from Independence Palace, therefore we walked there too. On the outside, many tourists busy taking selfies and we-fies. However, tourists are not allowed to enter unless you intend to participate in the masses and the gate was shut tight.

 It was their National Day on the 2 September 2016 and we just arrived just in time to join their  celebration. Everywhere is within walking distance to us and we never spend a cent in taking cabs or  buses in District 1 itself.

HCMC offers well-preserved colonial structures, war relics from the devastating Vietnam War, sleek skyscrapers, expensive shopping malls and local market to you to explore yourself.

We booked a half day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel and here we go on a catered bus with other tourists and made a 30 min pitstop at the art and craft centre for toilet break and shopping.

 After about 1.5 hours ride, we reached Cu Chi Tunnel, that was our guide for the day and he seemed very enthusiastic with Vietnam War History but I dozed off immediately when he talked bout history. He was very knowledgeable and he can talk nonstop in the bus.

We paid less than SGD15/ person for this tour and it was worth it! Here's my entrance ticket and at the back is the tunnel leading to the historical place, Cu Chi Tunnel.

This is the highlight of the place, the shooting range. It's legal to try the guns here and we were delightful to be able to experience once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 The mighty M-16 rifle, disabled the single fire automatic for safety reasons. More accurate single firing and also less recoil.

 And this is the deadly AK-47 rifle. Heavier and higher recoil as compared to M-16 rifle also single bullet firing. Initially I was not allowed to handle this gun but my instructor was kind enough to let me fire another 5 bullets from this rifle. I was amazed (= I hit bullseye ler~~ wee wit

 The soldiers ate these during war, the boiled potatoes dipped in salt mixed with some plum powder. Nothing to rave about especially it is served in a extremely healthy manner.

 We had dinner few streets away as recommended by our host. The beef noodles were superb tasty. Fret not, they do have chicken soup noodles as well if you don't take beef. Their beer was dirt cheap and you can drink as many as you want. Unfortunately, I can't drink! What a waste..

Saigon SkyDeck and Bitexco Financial Tower has impressive night view and we went up to 49th floor and witnessed their National Day Parade and Fireworks from top. We were happy to be able to watch their nearly 20min of nonstop fireworks.

 Many of us came here to camp early for the fireworks display later at 9pm and we chilled at the same time fight the pokemon gym here. That time everyone was crazy over that Pokemon game.

We walked back to our hostel and on the way, we hunt for dessert since we didn't had one just now

Let's have a we-fie before crossing the gruelling roundabout with 7 exits. No traffic lights, so you're just going to have to cut across the roads (safely), like a boss.

 Finally, we found a quiet place and have our bing-su dessert.

That was all for Day 1 and get ready for Day 2 Mekong Delta 2 Day 1 Night trip. Stay tune.