A three (3) day trip at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is also commonly called as Saigon. They were colonized by the French government bringing great influence especially to their Western-inspired architectural designs of buildings and villas. During the Vietnam War, Vietnam was divided into North and South. Ho Chi Minh or the South Vietnam became the  place where American forces stayed who were eventually defeated by Viet Cong guerillas. The city was then named after their revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

I divided our one week Vietnam itinerary into two parts: 3 days each for HCM and Hanoi. Based on experience, it is a must to visit these two cities since both have deep histories and remarkable places to visit. Worrying about the expenses? Always check promo fares on the websites of Cebu Pacific and Jetstar. It is better to book your tickets at least one year before the travel date to grab lesser price. *wink

Hotel to stay: I recommend hotels/hostels in Pham Ngu Lao. A lot of cheaper accommodations lined up along the street. Just make it sure that the hotel/hostel has an elevator and free breakfast to offer. I used Booking.com for hotel reservations since it's more convenient and easy to use.

FIRST DAY

1. Visit Arts Museum in the morning 

There are a lot of arts museums to visit nearby Pham Ngu Lao. Some are just walking distance. You can ask for a map from the hotel staffs. Their maps are marked with tourist spots to visit.

2. Cu Chi Tunnels

Almost all hotels offer tour packages as they are connected with travel agencies. Always ask from hotel staffs and they can arrange a tour package that you want depending on its availability. Lucky for us, there was a Cu Chi Tunnel tour on the afternoon, just few hours after we booked it. The tour costs around Php 250-300. We were in a group of 15-20 persons which was not that bad compared to what I usually see in a group tour with more than 30 people. Availing packages for tours outside the city are more convenient in terms of transportation and if you also want to save time and squeeze a lot of activities in your limited days to stay. Tour guides are also helpful since you will learn a lot about the history and culture.

3. Eat at HCM Streetfood Market
Every time I travel, I always go to the nearest streetfood market. Being a food lover, I always want to taste different kinds of food despite how good or awful the taste is. From Cu Chi Tunnel, we arrived at the center of the city around 7PM. Good thing that the bus stopped in front of a streetfood market and we decided to drop off for dinner. From grilled to stir fry, from fruit juice to smoothies, from dry to soup, I almost spent an hour just to choose what kind of food to eat. (LOL) One of the best food that they have - never forget to try their beef pho (noodle soup), spring rolls and iced coffee!

SECOND DAY

1. Sail at the Mekong River
Mekong river is one of the longest rivers in the world. It flows through six countries - China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. The package tour costs around Php 700. From your hostel, a tour guide will fetch and lead you to the bus for a three-hour travel to Cai Be. There will be a stop-over on a store in the middle of the tour for refreshments and for those who want to use toilets. Upon arrival at the Cai Be, you will ride a motor boat going to the floating market and villages. Products sold in the floating market are for locals only since these are sold in bulk. This means tourists can't buy here. If the owner sells let's say, sweet potatoes, a product sample is hanged at the top of the boat to let their buyers see what kind of products they are selling.

The tour will stop in a village where rice pops, wines and candies are made. You will also witness how they make the wrapper for spring rolls. The tour continues by going to another village where Vietnamese ladies are waiting on the boat. They will sail the boat for you going through the narrow river and will stop on a rest house for lunch.

Although our travel time consumed a lot of our one day activity, yet we had a good time experiencing Vietnamese culture and meeting local people.

THIRD DAY

1. Tourist spots hopping within the city
Since we were done travelling and visiting those tourist spots outside the city, next was to explore the center of HCM. It's better to walk while hopping from one place to another so you can able to see different activities of the localities in the city.

Must-visit places within HCM:
- Saigon Opera House
- Ho Chi Minh City Hall: infront of the building is the statue of Ho Chi Minh
- Vincom Center
- Saigon Post Office: you can try sending air mail
- War Museum: displays materials and information about Vietnam War and the use of Agent Orange by US military
- Independence Palace
- Reunification Palace
- Notre-Dame Basilica: a lot of couples do pre-wedding shoot here

The whole trip in HCM was indeed filled with memorable adventures and side trips. The place is also good for those who love to eat and shop till you drop!

Have you tried visiting HCM too? Share your experience and I def love to know it! :)