We arrived to Saigon after a couple of hours on the bus from the Mekong Delta. We checked into the hotel and went for a coffee at the coffee shop at the end of our road called Legend Coffee. Here I decided to try something new and went for an iced coffee with jelly pieces which was surprisingly tasty!
We then headed to the War Remnants museum. Again, I won’t say much detail but it was all about the Vietnamese War and the pictures, especially of the effects of Agent Orange were very distressing. Even certain rooms we couldn’t visit as we found the photographs too upsetting. However, I firmly believe its important to learn about the history of places you are visiting and think everyone visiting Saigon should visit.
After the visit, we wanted something to do to take our minds of the museum so went to the markets called banh tan and had a browse. The market was huge and slightly overwhelming as people grab you to buy stuff and try and force products on you. We also found it to be very expensive, better to save your shopping for Hoi An where its amazing, or Hanoi which we found to be very cheap.
We headed back to the hotel to chill before the farewell and welcome dinner. This was the evening we were saying goodbye to the Cambodia tour and hello to the Vietnam tour. Only myself and the couple from New Zealand were staying on to do the whole trip. I was so glad they were staying with me as they are the most loveliest couple and I loved hanging out with them and the fact that they were so chilled and easy going.
We went out for dinner, to a restaurant that was full of tourists, felt like we were on a cruise ship and very over priced, however we kinda had to attend this meal! It felt bizzare getting to know the new group but saying goodbye to people we had become so close to. I think this wasn’t a very good way to do things, particularly as the new group felt slightly intimated by our close friendships and confused as to who was staying or going. To make it worse our tour guide made as go around the table and say positive and negative feedback from the tour which the new group had to sit and listen to.
Anyway, we then went on a farewell night out and our tour guide took us to some overpriced tourist bar which seemed to be full of tour operators including other G Adventures groups and also Intrepid (again probably so that he could get a free drink!). We stayed for one drink and then escaped and did our own thing the rest of the night.
The next morning we got up early for breakfast and then met the group for the tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which was over an hours away out of town. We had a good tour guide this time who made the tour interesting for us and another way to learn about Vietnamese history. Again, I won’t go into much detail but you should definitely visit here if you are visiting Saigon.
The afternoon was a free one until our first sleeper train of the trip. Myself and my friend Lauren spent the afternoon shopping which was lots of fun as everything is so cheap!
We then met her boyf and also Hayley for one final meal together. We had googled the best banh mi place in Saigon which happened to be behind our hotel (post all about Vietnamese food to follow, where this place features!), so headed there! We grabbed a banh mi and then found a smoothie shop so enjoyed our banh mi whilst sipping delicious fresh fruit smoothies.
Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye properly to the old tour group and leave with the new group to the station to get the sleeper train.
I really wished we had more time in Saigon (and less in Nha Trang, more to follow!), however guess this is just an excuse to visit again in the future.
