Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Somewhere in Saigon, with Bitexco Financial Tower on it, October 2014

The locals call this city by their former name, Saigon. By 1976, after the country's victory over the French colony, Vietnam's largest city changed its name to Ho Chi Minh, in honor of their independence leader and the most famous personality in the nation's history. 

Today, the scene of a thousand motorbikes moving from here to there (which makes crossing the street an extreme sport), coupled with a vibrant night life and a history and Vietnamese culture worth learning and appreciating all make Ho Chi Minh City a must-go travel destination and the ideal first stop on a South East Asian adventure. This was visible on our journey as travelers from here will be moving either up north to experience more of Vietnam or West to its neighboring Cambodia.

You may call this journey of ours a bit of a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) as we did most of the tour by foot, with a reasonable budget that makes everything, from traveling and shopping, work for us. The only challenge we really had was trying not to get lost and get hit in the sea of motorbikes at any time of the day!

How to Get There

• Pham Ngu Lao. For a district that is alive with backpackers aplenty, meeting up in bars that are open till you'd probably drop and a number of hostels which you can stay for the night, this is the place to be in Ho Chi Minh. When you choose to walk a bit further from the main crossroads where night life tends to be abundant, the cheaper the room rates get. When you get a hotel room worth about PHP 800 a day good for 4 with WI-FI, where else can you get that much value for your money?f

• Ben Thanh Market. Hotels in this area may cost you more than in Pham Ngu Lao, but as you leave your room for the night, expect to experience a wide array of shops and bazaars on the streets with most of them serving food and drinks for locals and tourists alike. Most of these stores are open until 11 in the evening, though, so going out early may help you.

A lot happened here in the late 60's.

• History Lesson 1: Reunification Palace. This place used to be called the Independence Palace, when the"Vietnam War" (the war against America which the Vietnamese tend to quote most of the time) ended with a tank crashing right through its gates. To commemorate the said tank, there is a replica of it found on the lawns of the Palace. You can weave around the historic building with a guided tour, but it would be more fun to just wander around and travel back in time to the 60's and 70's to the war-torn years of Vietnam. Entrance: 30,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND)

• History Lesson 2: War Remnants Museum. As the Internet would describe it, prepare your feels prior to entry to the museum. Expect to see unbelievable and devastating photos during the Vietnam-American War taken by international photographers. Just when you thought that the war was about bombs and guns, the Americans unleashed "Agent Orange", designed as a biochemical weapon destroying the lives of the Vietnamese during and after the war, and there are plenty of photos that makes it uncomfortable for the faint of heart to see. This is a must go in Vietnam if you are interested to know more about the events that shaped 20th century Vietnam into what it is today. Entrance: 15,000 VND

• Crawl Inside a Cu Chi Tunnel. Look around every travel agency and they would highly suggest a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels as part of your itinerary. These tunnels refer to a vast network of underground passageways which served as a home for the Viet Cong guerrillas during the 1960's. The Americans were simply outmatched by the creativity and resourcefulness of the guerrilla fighters, moving in and out using the tunnels, thus forcing the withdrawal of American forces in 1972. After getting out of the Tunnels, you have the option to include the Cao Dai Temple, a colorful attraction for the multi-religious. Admission in the Tunnels cost 90,000 VND, and since it takes about an hour and a half of bus travel, prices of the tour vary from travel agency, so feel free to shop around.

• Cruise Along the Mekong Delta. Another signature and popular tour of Ho Chi Minh is the cruise on the "Nine Dragon river delta". The delta regions covers most of the provinces located Southwestern Vietnam with seasonal changes on the area covered by water. An experience like this takes one whole day at a minimum, with the option to stay the night living in traditional homes. While boating along the river, you will be taken to river villages and markets, meeting the locals and immersing their culture.

Notre Dame Cathedral

• Drop Mail at the Post Office and Pray at the Cathedral. Since the two are just adjacent, both located downtown Ho Chi Minh, dropping mail at Saigon Central Post Office is not really necessary, but the latter is a marvel to witness, especially for Catholics. The former features a neoclassical architectural design which stood during the colonial period of French Indochina in the early 20th century. The latter, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, serves as the city's main church also with a Western European design which you would often find in cathedrals there as well.

• Get on a Motorbike. If crossing the street because of them terrifies you, why not join the parade and hop on a xe om (that's how they call it there)? We didn't get the chance to ride on, but based on what we have witnessed there as ignorant pedestrians, you might want to hang on for your dear life as a passenger,  especially when the green light is on!

Where to Go Next

• Go North of Vietnam. If you are contented but not yet satisfied with Vietnamese culture, move up and experience places like Dalat (where the French call it the "Alps of Vietnam"), the ancient town of Hoi An, the capital city Hanoi and the picturesque Vietnamese coastline of Halong Bay.

• Phnom Penh, Cambodia. When your adventure in Vietnam is done, you can cross the border for a 6-hour bus ride to the Cambodian capital. Fares start at around 230,000 VND.