Lyrics yan sa Miss Saigon na musical at kaya yan ang title kasi byaheng Saigon kami na Ho Chi Minh City na ngayon or HCMC. Nakakita kami ng murang flight to HCMC, kaya naman kahit October 2011 palang eh nag-book na kami for a trip in HCMC in February 2012. Seat sale kasi, sabagay ganito naman kami dati pa,matagalan ang booking, yung ma-e-excite ka tapos lilipas ang excitement kasi matagal pa naman talaga ang byahe then dadaan ang panahon at magiging normal lang ang ikot ng mundo, huhupa ang excitement, pero, hindi mo malilimutan na may byahe ka kahit next year pa yun. Masayang trip with May and Carina (my buddy). At aliw kasi mauuna lang ng ilang araw sina MamaJo and friends at ayun, nagkitakita don. At WOW ha, nakakapag-byahe ako ng 5 days, amvongga ko pala dati, or vongga kasi mga kasama ko =P? So, eto na nga, pagkalipas ng maraming taon, mapapalathala din ang aking Ho Chi Minh City travel!
Welcome to Saigon!
Vietnamese Dong, kung saan via color kami kung magbayad =P
Same hotel kami ni MamaJo, kaya nagkitakita, may same tour din na ni-take, kaya naman na-meet sina Dewi at Mich, mga friends nya. Since may language barrier sa Vietnam, we opted for a package tour, ang first-day namin, visit around HCMC and Cu Chi Tunnel. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, serving as communication, and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters for numerous Vietnamese fighters. The 75-mile-long complex of tunnels has been preserved by the government of Vietnam and turned into a war memorial park.
meet-up for the tour package, kasama namin ni Buddy Carina (katabi ko) sina Mich (naka-violet) at Dewi (short-haired girl sa likod ko), mga bagong kakilala thru MamaJo na katabi naman ni May sa shuttle, si Manong naman na may mic ang aming tour guide na nakalimutan ko na ang name =P
One of the most special temples daw ito sa Vietnam kaya naman kasama sya sa HCMC tour, Cao Dai Temple, the faith originated in Tay Ninh around 1926 and gained followers mainly in South Vietnam. It's a bombastic and colorful building where hundreds of worshippers flock daily in fluttering white robes.
another part of the tour is a visit to Vietnamese Lacquerware where you can do Vietnamese Lacquer Painting aka "Son Mai"
Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels is one of the most rewarding things to do in Ho Chi Minh, located 60 kilometers to the northeast of HCMC, it is an extensive; a labyrinth of underground tunnels that stretch all the way to the Cambodian border. It is a network of tunnels built within 25 years from 1948 during the war against the French and served as means of communication between villages. Believe it or not, there were hospitals, schools, theaters, and kitchens, all built into this extraordinary tunnel network.
entrance to these tunnels was covered with a secret wooden door and camouflage leaves above, it's so small that only the Vietnamese could fit in
Visitors can only visit 2 sets of the Cu Chi Tunnels:
1.) Ben Dinh Tunnels - located next to the Saigon River, this section is a perfect location for Cu Chi Commissioners to lead the people during the war. They could easily escape to the river. It may take you 1 hour to take a tour around this section. Here, there are examples of underground sleeping quarters, command posts, and medical posts;
2.) Ben Duoc Tunnels - five times bigger than Ben Dinh Tunnels (17 hectares). Here, you can get the most practical experience of the war in the southern part of Vietnam. You can see how tough a life in these cramped tunnels can be, and challenge yourself to overcome the odds.
structures like these are all over the area for photo op
the entrance and the exit to the park
We capped the day with an authentic Vietnamese dinner at this beautiful restaurant called "Ngon Restaurant" it was good, can't remember if it was pricey or just fair. Anyways, visit it to try, meanwhile here's our photo there, we did enjoy the place.
the ambiance
Another good to visit when in HCMC is the floating markets in the Mekong Delta, this is a way of life and trade for over 100 years, because of the complex and extensive river system of the Mekong region. And according to the Local Vietnam website, these are the 6 best-floating markets in the Mekong Delta:
1.) Kai Rang - the largest and most popular, starts at 5AM and last until noon;
2.) Cai Be - starts later in the day and until late at night and is close to HCMC;
3.) Long Xuyen - located in the Hau River, in the less touristy province of An Giang;
4.) Phong Dien - a traditional trading place for local people where usually everyday products are resold at local markets or wholesalers directly on board;
5.) Tra On - starts even at 2:00 AM and the main goods sold here are fruits and seasonal agricultural products, here the higher the tide, the busier the market;
6.) Nga Nam - the most central market in the region where you can find most of the Mekong specialties, the market starts at 3:00AM and its peak is at 5:00AM.
We took the Cai Be and Vinh Long package since Cai Be is closest to HCMC.
the floating market area
we visited villages along the Mekong Delta
taking a sampan (xuong ba la in the Vietnamese language) ride to Mekong Delta
We went out of HCMC and travel the whole night on a sleeper bus to Nha Trang. Nha Trang's mineral-rich clay is said to be therapeutic and has skin healing benefits, so this place is famous for mud baths and we wanted to try it, so we went. We made a booking in Thap Ba and to date, it's the oldest and best-known mud bath in Nha Trang. We were not able to get photos of our mud bath experience, so I cannot post anything about it.
When in Nha Trang, the Po Nagar Cham Towers is a must-see, built in the 8th century by the Cham people with an impressive architecture that blends many different religious influences. Another to visit is the Long Son Pagoda, a towering Buddha statue that watches over the city from a hilltop. And of course, we heed the call, we visited them, look.
Nha Trang's greatest lure is a sandy beach facing a stunning day dotted with 19 islands and islets. It is also the seafood capital of Vietnam. Had I known this before coming here, we could have stayed for 2 days. But at least we were able to visit what looks like their Rizal Boulevard and tried some coffee shops.
trying Vietnamese coffee, the beach area of Nha Trang, street food, and Pho (soup noodles)
Next time I will take the "A Tourist's Guide to Love" tour of Vietnam, hopefully, I'll be able to find the same tour guide as in this movie. So, not to forget, let's make a list of next to visit in Vietnam according to this movie:
Ho Chi Minh City - Ben Thanh Market for the shawl and the bargaining skills
Hoi An - Fujian Assembly Hall and experience a lion dance
Da Nang - My Son Sanctuary
Ha Giang - home village
Hanoi
thank you May, Mamajo, Dewi and Mich for the photos na hindi ko kuha
thank you Wikipedia, Local Vietnam, Trip Advisor for the information on places we visited
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