Welcome to Vietnam

After round the clock bus ride from Cambodia, we finally got to the Vietnamese border where we all hopped out of the bus to pass the immigration. We were actually pretty surprised by how quickly and hassle-free it all went down and we got to continue the last stretch of the long bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City. Few first notices were that Vietnam seemed quite lot cleaner than Cambodia, and the people were really warm and welcoming (unlike some stories we had heard before). Saigon blew our minds with its gorgeous buildings, great food and generally cool vibe. It really is a cosmopolitan city with so much variety when it comes to restaurants and bars- you can even grab a drink with a view on top of one of its skyscrapers! 

The whole district 1 (downtown area) is very nice and neat, and we really loved the fact that we could just walk around the town (in Cambodia it was definitely more challenging). In just few hours we had gone through the main ‘sights’ such as the cathedral, opera house and the gorgeous city hall, and a little walk further was the war museum which we really enjoyed visiting. 

It didn't take long to fall in love with Vietnamese cuisine- it’s simply just delicious with so many spices and fresh herbs we’re not even familiar with! In fact we splurged a little on one of the nights as we booked a table in this gastronomic place where we had a tasting menu…worth every penny. Later we wanted to check out the backpacker district, which usually means cheap street food, nightlife and lots of travellers who want to share their travel stories. We found all that, and ended up having a seriously fun night out till early hours…drinking super cheap Saigon beers with bunch of people on the street.

All in all we really liked HCMC a lot, it wasn't what we had expected and in fact a whole lot better. Friendly folks, heavenly food, and an interesting city that has lot to offer. Oh and let’s not forget the craziest part of this place- the armies of scooters! If you can cross a street here, you can do it anywhere in the world! I swear...

After Saigon we hopped on the night train headed further north to Hoi An. Again, we had been told to lower our expectations in regards the train etc., but we found the train to be rather comfortable…after all, the first Pho was served 6.30am and who could resists that? Not to mention the landscapes right after the sunrise; greenest rice paddies as far as we could see, glittering sea and mountains  range framing the background. Vietnam had already made a very good first impression and we were just getting started…

Here are some bits and pieces from Saigon...

Scooter Alert

The Food

Out & About

{All pictures © Voyages of Discovery}