This is a follow up on my previous post about things to try in Ho Chi Minh City. Again,
there are thousands of awesome things to try and do in this amazing city.
this is just a short list of what I personally thought was a good experience on my most recent trip.
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| You could meet a nice shark on one of your strolls |
1. Cu Chi Tunnels
This was my first time seeing the Cu Chi tunnels and it was a pretty awesome sight. Excavated and used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War as their base of operations and hideout, these extensive network of tunnels have become a major tourist attraction today.
There are many tours available to Cu Chi and usually only take 6 hours, but that depends on the traffic when travelling in and out of Saigon. I recommend going onto De Tham street in Pham Ngu Lao and shopping around for the right price. As we were especially keen to visit the Ben Duoc site over the Ben Dinh site, we were forced to shop around more tourist cafes. This is because most companies offer only to go to the closer and more popular Ben Dinh site. Luckily for us, the third cafe we entered offered exactly what we needed. They had tours to Cu Chi tunnels (specifically for the Ben Duoc site) for around $6USpp which included the bus trip, entry and guide. Unfortunately, because we threw out the tickets, I can't tell you the exact place where we booked our tour.
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| Entrance to the tunnel |
It was definitely a worthwhile, and slightly claustrophobic, experience. Not only was the English speaking guide extremely informative about the history and background of the tunnels and the Viet Cong soldiers who had fought in them, but the general pacing of the tour made it easy to follow. I generally don't go on many tours unless it is more convenient for me to do so, like in this case, because I worry that guides will rush the group and I'd be too exhausted or confused to appreciate what I'm there to see. However, it was not the case here. They were very thorough with explaining how life was for a soldier in the tunnels and showing us the various booby traps the Viet Cong had engineered and the strategies they had used. It was surprising that the soldiers could make traps from doors, chairs and windows! Talk about being (scarily) resourceful.
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| Booby traps!!! |
When we were shown the tunnels...wow. These were the original tunnels that hadn't been resized for bigger tourists. That is one of the main reasons why many western or European tourists opt for visiting the Ben Dinh site as many tunnels have been redone to accommodate for their bigger statures. They are very clear that the tunnels are not recommended for people who are claustrophobic or are afraid of the dark. I could not have imagined soldiers with uniform and equipment needing to stay in those tunnels for long periods of time while in the hot Vietnamese climate. As I was a bit uncomfortable in the cramped spaces, I got out at the first exit. However, I would definitely say it was one of my most unforgettable experiences.
I feel like my visit to the Cu Chi tunnels really deserves its own post and I will just leave it at that until I have time to write up another entry with footage of me in the tunnel. All I can say is, GO TO THE CU CHI TUNNELS!!
2. See War Remnants Museum
For those who are interested in the Cu Chi Tunnels, the War Remnants Museum would be an equally thrilling place to visit. Although I studied the Vietnam War briefly during high school, I never truly got to see the complete picture of the war, especially from the perspective of the Vietnamese.
There are former aircrafts and tanks on display outside of the museum, along with the infamous 'Tiger Cages' used by the enemy for housing POWs. The building itself has multiple levels that separates different displays. The ground floor shows many vintage propaganda posters from around the world opposing the American invasion of Vietnam. The first floor and second floor is filled with anecdotes, stories, reports and statistics based on many the many bombings, massacres and battles during the war. It was a real eye-opener to see the exhibition on the usage and consequences of Agent Orange. As like most war museums, it was an interesting yet emotional visit to see the remnants of the horrors of war.
The War Remnant Museum does require a 10,000VND entrance fee. I recommend giving yourself 1-2 hours to view the whole museum.
3. Visit Cholon
Did you know Cholon, aka Chinatown, was a separate part of Saigon before? It was originally a settlement for many ethnic Chinese, mainly Cantonese speaking, people. It would seem that many 'Hoa' people would've had ancestors who had once settled in Cholon, or Tai Ngon in Cantonese. According to Wiki, Cholon had merged with the city of Saigon in 1931 when it became Saigon-Cholon, and only after 1956 was Cholon completely dropped from the city name.
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| The best Com tam I've had...maybe ever (okay, this is a Vietnamese dish ;;) |
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| Delicious yum cha spread at 'Tieu My' on Tran Hung Dao street |
Some of my family had previously lived in Cholon before they immigrated. I was told of places where I could find some excellent Chinese food. I know what you're thinking...why should I eat Chinese food in Vietnam? Because it's excellent! We had some delicious yum cha for brunch and salt baked chicken for dinner. You can see the locals outside of the city center. There are also many pagodas and markets to see if you want to spend more time sightseeing there.
The most famous market in the area would be Cho Binh Tay! Bustling and busy, if you can speak Cantonese, you may be able to haggle a little better ;) As I said, because Cholon is historically a settlement formed by ethnic Chinese, you can get along with just speaking Chinese to most of the locals here. You'll also find the oldest pagoda in the city here too, the Quan Âm Pagoda.
I would say it is worth a trip to see Cholon if you plan to spend some time in Saigon.
4. Stroll
There is so much to do in Saigon but one of the things I enjoyed the most was strolling casually along the streets of Dong Khoi, and around the surroundings of Ben Thanh markets and the park next to it. I just found the streets to be an interesting array of high rise buildings contrasted but smaller shops serving humble locals lunch and coffee on the sidewalk.
If you have a few hours to kill, just take a leisurely walk through and you can see the river, Notre Dame, Diamond plaza, the old post office, the concert hall and more. When it is near holiday season you can also see lovely decorations throughout the town. I went during Christmas and the lights and decoration were very pretty. It is similar in the weeks leading up to Tet. But I think even without my recommendation, most people wouldn't be able to help themselves to explore the city by foot anyways.
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| Park next to Ben Thanh |
If you have a few hours to kill, just take a leisurely walk through and you can see the river, Notre Dame, Diamond plaza, the old post office, the concert hall and more. When it is near holiday season you can also see lovely decorations throughout the town. I went during Christmas and the lights and decoration were very pretty. It is similar in the weeks leading up to Tet. But I think even without my recommendation, most people wouldn't be able to help themselves to explore the city by foot anyways.
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5. Get a Massage
The first time I've ever had a massage was in Vietnam and WOW! I know Thailand is probably the most famous for their massages but don't discount the Vietnamese either. My relatives took us to one of their favourite massage spas in the city which was just a few minutes walk from our house (which is 5 min walk from Ben Thanh markets).
Long Life Foot Massage is probably frequented more by Vietnamese (local and non-local) as it is not located in the center of the tourist districts. Even though most places have set prices on the wall and in pamphlets, it's always wise to agree on the price beforehand just in case. We got the full package (85mins foot, back and hot stone massage) for around US$6 each. Considering the astronomical prices of massage salons back in Australia, I was more than ecstatic at the low prices (we're in SEA, of course). The trained masseuses are very considerate and will always ask if you are comfortable with the strength or intensity of the massage. I am very ticklish with my feet so they kindly took that into account, especially when I was the only one giggling LOUDLY in the room.
I also discovered my love of hot stone massages. Wow! My comfort levels were over 9000. I'll admit that I preferred this Long Life Spa's hot stone treatment over the one I had in the very lovely and slightly pricier Urban Retreat Spa in Bangkok. This is mainly due to the temperature of the stones. I felt after a short moment, my body adjusted to the hotness of Long Life's stones much better than in Bangkok. It was still very hot after a while that the Urban Retreat masseuse had to rub her hands on the stones and then massage me with the transferred heat in her palms. After the massage, we were offered some lovely tea and I was feeling more relaxed than Fran Katzenjammer (below)! The massage experience was one that I would definitely return for again and again.
Long Life Foot Massage is probably frequented more by Vietnamese (local and non-local) as it is not located in the center of the tourist districts. Even though most places have set prices on the wall and in pamphlets, it's always wise to agree on the price beforehand just in case. We got the full package (85mins foot, back and hot stone massage) for around US$6 each. Considering the astronomical prices of massage salons back in Australia, I was more than ecstatic at the low prices (we're in SEA, of course). The trained masseuses are very considerate and will always ask if you are comfortable with the strength or intensity of the massage. I am very ticklish with my feet so they kindly took that into account, especially when I was the only one giggling LOUDLY in the room.
I also discovered my love of hot stone massages. Wow! My comfort levels were over 9000. I'll admit that I preferred this Long Life Spa's hot stone treatment over the one I had in the very lovely and slightly pricier Urban Retreat Spa in Bangkok. This is mainly due to the temperature of the stones. I felt after a short moment, my body adjusted to the hotness of Long Life's stones much better than in Bangkok. It was still very hot after a while that the Urban Retreat masseuse had to rub her hands on the stones and then massage me with the transferred heat in her palms. After the massage, we were offered some lovely tea and I was feeling more relaxed than Fran Katzenjammer (below)! The massage experience was one that I would definitely return for again and again.
I have also been told by my relatives, who in no way have vested interests in the massage salon/industry, that it is courtesy to tip masseuses around 100,000VND. This is because, while they work in professional salons, their wages are still quite low and their jobs are quite "physically demanding". I assume they meant that for someone who ends up getting a small percentage of the massage fee, most likely on a quota based system, it is hard to earn a lot of money when you can only accommodate your strength to very few customers a day. That is taking into account each customer takes 60-85mins, then you'd probably need a break, and repeat. They pretty much told me that I can forgo tipping waiters, bellboys etc but most definitely should tip masseuses. That's just a random tidbit I wanted to add in about local's perspective on tips.
In Summary
Well, that brings us to the end of my two part post about 10 things to try and do in Ho Chi Minh City. I am by no means saying you will definitely enjoy everything on this list. I only wanted to make a short summary of some things I enjoyed on my most recent trip. I guarantee that the city has a lot more great things to offer, which I'm sure you've already seen on TripAdvisor, but I just wanted to add my own perspective for friends who may be interested in the future. Hopefully, this would be a little helpful for some future travelers to Ho Chi Minh City. If you want to add anything else to try in Ho Chi Minh City, please leave a comment below :)
Thank you
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