Seeing the Sites in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

The bus ride from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh was uneventful. The bus stopped right in the tourist part of the city for once! (Yet another reason Vietnam is my favorite so far). We didn’t have a hotel booked but knew where to look. We pushed through all the taxi drivers who couldn’t believe we didn’t need a taxi and a few minutes later we had a place to stay.

We did mostly touristy activities Ho Chi Minh with our first stop being the war museum. It was very interesting to see their perspective on the war. After reading all the history from their perspective, I am more confused then ever. On the walk from the museum to the street with all the restaurants, Sara made sure to take us through a large market. As we walked between the stalls, we were continually bombarded with hawkers asking if we needed a shirt, dried fruit, a watch, or anything else imagineable.

Saigon Central Post Office

We started out the next day by going to the post office (which is also a tourist attraction) to mail some postcards and a box home. The postal worker that packed our box made sure to be very thorough about inspecting every item that went into the box. We wanted to ship all the miscellaneous coins we have accidentally collected from each country but he made it very clear that we couldn’t mail money (even a pound of change that only totals $2USD). Since we didn’t want to get rid of it, I am still carrying it in my pack until we can sneak it into another shipment.

After being frustrated at how long it took at the post office, we decided it was time for our favorite pastime… Brewery hunting! There were two that we found in the vicinity, both of which only had German style beer. Gammer Beer was very good – they had a dark rye beer on tap which reminded me of the last beer I made (a strong rye for winter).

Vietnamese sandwich

We can’t complete our last post in Vietnam without talking about their food! First of all, the authentic Vietnamese sandwiches are amazing (and way better then the sandwiches in neighboring Cambodia or Laos). They are sold as street food and can vary from place to place. But they are all similar in that their flavoring is extremely dimensional. We loved them.

Pho

We also loved trying Pho which is Vietnam’s most popular dish. It’s a rice noodle soup with beef (or chicken) and it’s served with a variety of greens (mint, bean sprouts, scallions, herbs) or condiments (chili, lime, soy) to customize your dish. We enjoyed an excellent lunch at Quan Pho Quynh and would have ate there more if we stayed in the city longer.

We loved Vietnam and wished we could have seen more but that why we purchased an around the world ticket – to ensure we kept moving! Next up: a 3 day layover in Hong Kong!