Venturing Through Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: Winter Break Part Two

After enjoying two days in Tokyo, the real adventure begins!

Monday, December 19, 2022

Narita International Airport: 成田国際空港

As Bryan mentioned in the earlier blog post, we were up and at the Narita Airport by 7 am for our flight! Little did we know that every Vietnamese native in Japan was also checking in for the same flight; the line wrapped around the terminal! Unsurprisingly, this led Bryan to freak out that we were going to miss our flight in three hours, so after calming him down, we waited as patiently as possible to drop our bags and make it to our flight with minutes to spare!

As Bryan stood in line to board the plane, I snuck off to buy snacks and chuhais for the 7-hour flight. Little did I know that I had booked us on the Frontier Airlines of Asia, VietJet Air, where they don't feed you and you sit on nearly-cushionless seats...We did have the emergency exit seats, so the extra foot space was nice, but Bryan said there's no way we are ever booking with VietJet Air ever again.

Yeah... it was a long 7 hours without an in-flight meal, BUT at least we had Pringles, mini Oreos and two chuhais to hold us over!

Little Saigon Boutique Hotel

Upon landing in Ho Chi Minh, Bryan and I booked a Grab to our hotel! Grab is the Uber of Southeast Asia and it has come in clutch during our various explorations outside of Japan!

Upon pulling up to the alleyway with our hotel's sign, Bryan lost all faith in my hotel booking abilities. I could physically see the stress and fear on his face! But, fear not, after walking down the tiny alleyway, our hotel was the cutest little Boutique hotel located in the middle of the downtown district! PERFECT location and the rooms weren't all that bad either!

Tandoor Indian Restaurant

While waiting for Ryan and Cady to land, we decided to kill some time with a nice dinner, so we headed to Tandoor for some killer Indian food! For about $10 total, we enjoyed a cloth napkin-level fancy restaurant! The service was amazing and the food exceeded our expectations! So far, Ho Chi Minh's food scene was working in our favor!

Knowing Ryan and Cady's flight wasn't set to land until 12:15 am, Bryan and I went back to the hotel for a power nap! Gotta build up our energy supply to keep up with the two college kids!

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

(technically)

Tan Son Nhat International Airport: Cảng hàng không Quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất

So Cady and Ryan land at 12:15 am and we begin making our way to the airport. We knew it was going to take a while to get off the plane and through immigration and customs...what we didn't know was that Cady's passport number had been entered incorrectly for her E-visa...Ryan goes through, no issue. Cady gets stopped and told she has to turn around.

At this point, Ryan is trying to keep an eye on her from the other side of customs, and Bryan is pacing the airport waiting area and beating himself up for misreading and mistyping her passport info...it was a scary few minutes. Eventually, Cady gets connected to wifi and texts that she had to pay $60 for an emergency E-visa and would be coming through soon. Whew. Thankfully she made it through immigration about an hour later and she promised not to tell her parents of this mixup until after the trip ended...we didn't want them demanding her return this early in the trip!

By 2 am, we are all drained but together!!! Now to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before our first real Vietnam adventure!

Ryan collecting their luggage

crazy face bc its 3am...

Mekong River Delta: Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long

We met up for a 7 am breakfast at our hotel before heading out to meet our tour guide for our Mekong Delta tour! As we made the 2-hour drive south, Ryan and Cady got a taste of the bustling city and lack of traffic laws! Motorbikes are a big thing in Vietnam; with a population of 10 million people living in Ho Chi Minh, there are 7 million motorbikes flying around the city. We were told, "green means go- yellow means go faster- red means look both ways and then go," and our guide wasn't lying. Seeing the craziness of traffic, paired with the communist symbol on most flag poles, we were quickly reminded that we are no longer in America (or Japan)!

Unicorn Island: Điểm Du Lịch Sông Tiền

We made it to the Mekong Delta, where our tour guide showed us a map (above) of the islands we would be visiting. Then we hopped on a boat and were off!

Our first stop of the day was Điểm Du Lịch Sông Tiền, better known as Unicorn Island! Upon docking, we were greeted by locals who performed the traditional Đờn ca tài tử, a genre of traditional chamber music of southern Vietnam. As they performed for us, we got to snack on some local fruits and fresh green tea!

Thanh, our tour guide, also pointed out the infamous durian fruit, which is known to smell like smelly gym clothes, rotting meat, and raw sewage. Yum! Bryan and I were familiar with this stinky fruit from our time in Singapore and Malaysia, so we made Ryan and Cady smell it for themselves!

After the locals' performance, we enjoyed a calming boat ride through the Delta's inlets! While a little unsteady, these small boats are rowed by two locals through some of the lush jungles of the islands! Donning our cute nón lá hats, we enjoyed the cool, peaceful journey down the river!

building new river boats

After our tranquil boat ride, we disembark our lovely boats and are faced with giant snakes. Yep, the Mekong Delta has "trained" boa constrictors to help with their rat infestation and to supply added income once they are grown to "clothing factories." Now, Bryan and I are big proponents of protective tourism, so holding a snake and posing for a photo wasn't something we would have signed up knowingly for, but this is a way the community makes money (whether we agree with the making of authentic snake boots or not) so ...here we are.

We will talk more about protective tourism later in the trip, but for now, if you haven't watched The Last Tourist documentary on Hulu, stop what you are doing and watch it now. It will completely change the way you view tourism and you will definitely plan your next vacation differently while keeping global communities at the forefront of your mind! Ok, I'm off my soapbox for now!

Clearly, Bryan ditched me to be eaten by the snake all alone, but Cady and Ryan were true champs of bravery! After our snake run-in, we enjoyed another treat of local honey, honey tea and the most delicious banana chips in the world! These honey and banana treats are made right here on the island! Nothing goes to waste in the Mekong Delta.

We loved the banana chips so much, that Bryan bought a bag for us to enjoy later throughout our trip!

Tortoise Island: Cồn Quy

We took another small boat across the delta to Tortoise Island, where we enjoyed more picturesque scenery and a photo op along the way!

Upon landing at Cồn Quy, we were brought to an alligator farm (more of a tourist attraction than anything else) and a porcupine rehab area! Here, they rehabilitate injured porcupines and later release them back in the wild! Cady and Bryan were big fans! We even spotted a baby in the mix!

Finally lunch time! We enjoyed a lot of local Delta cuisine, including a giant, crispy fish (that Cady and Bryan tried.) After delving into all this food, we were happy to enjoy a few minutes in the hammocks to rest before continuing our journey!

Next stop: coconut candy shop! This open-aired candy factory produces sweet taffy-like candy from coconuts! During our tour, we were shown their family process of candy-making and we tried several different flavors- caramel, chocolate, durian (yep, that stinky fruit we mentioned earlier) and original coconut flavored! All were delicious and the perfect sweet ending to lunch!

Vinh Trang Pagoda: Chùa Vĩnh Tràng

After boarding our tour bus, we made our way to Chùa Vĩnh Tràng, a local Vietnamese Buddhist Pagoda on our way back to the city. Tour Guide "Thanh Cruise" taught us that Vietnam doesn't have a national religion. Only 15% are Buddhist and a mere 9% of the Vietnamese population are Christians, while the vast majority of Vietnamese aren't religious whatsoever.

This pagoda reminded Bryan and I of our Japan tours, but with a less traditional vibe. We also learned Ryan doesn't know how to act in public when he's running on 4.5 hours of sleep...

Exhibit A of Ry's shenanigans

Ryan created this awesome video of our Mekong Delta tour:

XO Food Tour

Our Mekong Delta Tour got stuck in traffic leaving the pagoda, so we were running late on our return to the hotel for our next tour! (I told y'all, I packed this trip to the RIM!) As soon as we pulled into our hotel, Cady and I rushed back to the hotel for a quick bathroom break before the four of us jumped on the back of four motorbikes for our XO Food Tour! The XO Food Tour is run by women and prides itself of taking tourists to the less-known areas of Ho Chi Minh for local favorites, and they did not disappoint! There's a reason it's ranked in the top 10 Food Tours around the GLOBE.

Pho Le

Running a little behind, we were quickly assigned a tour guide and handed a helmet before zipping out of District One to our first stop in District 5. Now, this 25-minute ride on the back of a motorbike in the middle of the chaotic streets of Ho Chi Minh almost did Ryan, Bryan, and Cady in. I thought they were going to quit the tour, as we pulled into the first restaurant stop and I spotted them all white-knuckled and big-eyed! That was a ride that shocked our systems and I lived for it.

Once seated, we met our New Zealand tourmates over a bowl of Bún bò Huế, Vietnamese beef soup. The restaurant may qualify for a C on US FDA restaurant grading scales, but the noodle dish was delicious and really filling! It was also nice to give B, Ryan and Cady some time to rest their hands from the tight grips they were to endure for the next few hours!

Chinatown Food Market

Our next stop took us to District 6, where we explored a local Farmers Market in the Chinatown area of Ho Chi Minh. Our guides were quick to point out unique fruits, some of which we had tried earlier in the day during our Mekong Delta tour! B and I got a little quiet when we noticed the live, caged chickens...our guide was a little too quick to point out that buyers simply point to the one they want, and then the market people carry it to the back to "humanely" kill it before handing it back over. Talk about fresh meat.

De Nhat Goat Hot Pot: Lẩu dê Đệ Nhất

After another bike ride to District 2, the gang is getting used to the motorbike way! Next on our food tour menu was goat breast meat, vú dê. This second restaurant was open-aired and made our mouths water as we drove up! After walking by the hanging goat carcass, (ok maybe that good smell isn't so appealing after all,) we were seated and greeted with cold beers and bottled water, while our tour guides began prepping the grills to cook our vú dê.

Similar to yakiniku in Japan, Vietnam also offers cook-your-own-meat restaurants. Unlike Japan, these little BBQ table grills were crusty and, what we chose to think, "packed with flavor." The goat meat was good, and we all enjoyed the chicken and prawn that the girls prepared for us! The great thing about this tour is that our tour guides were great at explaining which sauces went with which meats and how to properly eat the different things in front of us! They also didn't let us go thirsty- the minute one drink was finished, they were hollering at the staff to bring us another!

After our meal, the girls were quick to teach us a chopsticks racing game! We were each paired up with our guide to race against the other teams to see who could drop 6 seeds into an empty beer bottle the quickest! After many laughs and two losers (*cough, cough* Cady and Bryan), we grabbed our things and got back on the bikes!

Starlight Crescent Bridge

Our journey took us to District 7, the wealthiest district in Ho Chi Minh. Known for housing foreign defectors and the top 1% of Vietnam's communist political leaders, District 7 is the modern center of the housing market and well-to-do businesses.

Our guides shared that they wanted to show us all parts of the city and District 7 is one of the less-known areas to the average tourist. Our guides were great at explaining a little of the political climate and how some of the poorer districts have spoken out about the clear divide. In this district, it is illegal to honk your horn, a staple in all other districts' driving "laws," and we noticed how much cleaner and newer this part of the city was in comparison to the rest.

Our guides took us to a beautiful bridge to see the stars, where they explained that the average homes around us were several thousand US dollars a month, yet the average Vietnamese person brings home a mere $300 a month. This financial divide is felt by the people and clearly noticed, yet not much is being done to bridge that divide.

Ốc Loan

Upon leaving District 7, our final stop was in District 4, the poorest district. As we drove down lively streets, our guides pointed out their favorite bars, restaurants, cafe shops and housing areas. Our tour brought us to our last dinner place, Ốc Loan, and they didn't hold back! After rounds and rounds of different foods, our favorites were the Sò điệp với hành lá và đậu phộng, scallops with green onion and peanuts, and chân cua với đậu phộng, crab legs with peanuts.

As we finished off our meal, I noticed Cady and Ryan were nearly face-planting into their final dishes as the night caught up with them. I knew I was pushing my luck by cramming in two tours on their first day, but their bodies had had it and they needed rest! By 10:30 pm, we were back on our bikes and headed to the final stop of the day, Little Saigon Boutique Hotel!

At the end of this tour, we can all say the XO Food Tour was one of the top tours we did during our entire trip! Check out this video Ryan took summing of our Night Tour:

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Wednesday morning came quickly because we were up and on another tour bus by 7:45 am! Today we are focusing on Vietnam War history!

SƠN MÀI QUANG MINH- Handicapped Handicrafts

Our tour began with a surprise stop at Handicapped Handicrafts, an arts center that hires landmine victims to design art pieces representing Vietnam. We were given a short tour of the design process, where people with missing limbs from landmine accidents and birth defects caused by Agent Orange work meticulously with eggshell and seashell pieces to design artistic representations of the country.

We were all so impressed with the crafting skills of these people, that Ryan and Cady each bought a piece to take home as gifts! Bryan and I picked a fishing design that would remind us forever of our day on the Mekong Delta!

Ben Dinh Tunnels museum: Địa đạo Bến Đình

With our art safely packaged and stored in our backpacks, we continued our journey west to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Along the way, Vinh, our tour guide, taught us about (what the Vietnamese call) the American War.

Vietnam used to be a French colony until Japan invaded Vietnam during WWII and held control throughout the war. Following the war, Japan withdrew and left Vietnam to govern itself. With this newfound freedom, the north and south took different political leaders- the North was led by Ho Chi Minh and held communist views, while the south was led by French-educated Emperor Bao Dai and upheld democratic views. With the divided parties, the country was split at the 17th parallel. (Sound familiar? *cough, cough* Korea.)

While the US was off fighting the Korean War, Northern Vietnam quietly established the Viet Cong, known as the VC, which was supplied by the Soviet Union to "maintain order and reunite the country." At the same time, the democratic south established its own military power known as the "chi hang" to combat the VC. With tensions rising and witnessing the end of the Korean War in 1953, the north decided it was time to invade the south. The Vietnam War broke out in 1954 and continued until 1975: 21 years of heartbreak and strife for the country began.

During the war, the US sent 8.7 million soldiers to fight the Viet Cong but were outmaneuvered and outwitted by the Vietnamese people in many ways. The first being the cu chi tunnels. Being quite small and half-starved, 13-18-year-old VC fighters used small, underground tunnels to battle American troops. Imagine walking through overgrown jungles, in the pouring rain, and being shot at from below. The moment you realize where the shooting is coming from, your troop advances on the position to find a small foot-wide hole that is now empty, and the shooting continues from a nearby position. American soldiers were playing a game of whack-a-mole with their lives.

Bryan, Ryan and I were brave enough to try entering an old tunnel entrance. We learned that VC soldiers had to memorize the locations of tunnel entrances because they were often covered with leaves and wooden platforms that blended in with the surroundings. Keep in mind that this tunnel entrance has been widened for tourists, so the real tunnel entrances were no larger than a foot wide...whew.

The last few photos above look like termite mounds but really are air vents for the underground network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong. When soldiers would walk past, they assumed it was termites, when in reality these mounds provided air vents for those living 10-15 feet underground.

So you are probably wondering, how were these tunnels dug so quickly? These networks of tunnels spanned miles and were sometimes three levels of tunnels deep, but how did the VC people manage to dig all of this over a few-year span?

The answer is: they didn't. Farmers and local villagers used to live underground in deep holes to protect themselves from the rain. These homes began as single home-holes, then as families expanded- additional holes were dug and then connected with tunnels. These underground networks were originally family homes and were turned over to the VC by the local people. Those who supported the communist political views happily gave up their homes and even became guides for new VC soldiers to teach them the tunnel locations.

example family home-hole

two homes connected by tunnels

So the US troops were outwitted and outmaneuvered by the cu chi tunnels. The second way was through the recycling of American bombs and artillery. Keep in mind, the VC are poorly funded and have nothing to battle in this war. So the VC would repurpose American shells or malfunctioning bombs to create their own weapons. The most famous being traps.

The VC would dig deep holes in the ground and cover them with foliage. As American soldiers stepped on the coverings, they would fall into gruesome hellholes filled with poisonous snakes and scorpions, bamboo spikes and even sharp metal pieces that were recycled from America's own military garbage.

These traps gave the VC a great physical advantage by slowing down troop movements. But even worse, it was a mental game as well. Troops were constantly fearing every step, wondering if they would hit a landmine or fall into a medieval trap. Neither option would likely kill them, but would instead force their companions to carry their disfigured bodies back to basecamp before trekking out again to start the guessing game again.

Click here to see one of the traps demonstrated

Vinh, our tour guide, did a great job at demonstrating the traps and explaining how, at times, VC troops would forget the trap placements and hurt themselves on accident.

With heavy hearts, it was time to experience the tunnels ourselves! Modernized for tourism, these tunnels have been widened and stairs have been added. The original entrances were like the examples earlier- foot-wide holes with wooden covers. Either way, Cady and Bryan learned quickly they would never have survived as a VC soldier. Cady was all smiles entering, but both her and B were breathing deeply and ready to get out at the first exit location!

We also learned that it is illegal to own a gun in Vietnam and the Cu Chi tunnels are one of the only places in the entire country where you can legally shoot a weapon. Hearing this, Ryan was ready to pay whatever to practice his second amendment right (his words) in Vietnam! So Bryan and Ryan split 10 bullets and shot the gun supplied by the Soivet Union to the Viet Cong soldiers: the AK 47.

Check it out below in Ryan's summary video!

Delicious Banh Mi Ngon

Needing a break from our heavy history morning, we grabbed a bite to eat on our way to the War Memorial Museum! Ho Chi Minh is famous for their Bánh mì, a baguette packed full of meats, veggies, and apparently some spicy sauces that really got us sweating! Being that this was a late lunch for us, we were happy to eat our weight in carbs before grabbing a coffee as we continued our walk! Nothing like carbs and caffeine to keep you fueled for a busy day!

With full bellies, we dodged the heavy traffic of Ho Chi Minh City! I mean, just look at this video I took as we tried crossing during a crosswalk-protected red light!!! Traffic in HCMC is absolutely crazy but we have grown to love it!

War Remnants Museum: Bảo tàng Chứng tích Chiến tranh

We made it to the War Remnants Museum with only 2.5 hours before closing, but we think this was enough time with all that we learned earlier that day. The yard outside the museum was filled with US aircraft. Inside, the exhibits were focused on photos from the war and boy, do the photos speak volumes.

Some of the most memorable photos were taken by American photojournalists showing American helicopters raining bodies as they pushed live Vietnamese from the aircraft as an intimidation technique to get information from suspected VC supporters. Another powerful image of American soldiers waterboarding locals in an attempt to get information regarding VC whereabouts will be remembered forever.

Visiting museums abroad, we are reminded that these overseas wars were home to others. We are blessed to live in a country where war hasn't rampaged our towns and cities, but for the Vietnamese citizens, this war ravaged their homes. This morning, we saw the brutality of the VC soldiers and leaving this museum, we were shown how ruthless American soldiers were as well. This was a reminder of how animalistic and inhumane war can make people.

The final exhibit we visited showed photos of local people suffering from the consequences of Agent Orange during the war. In an attempt to combat the VC tunnels and guerrilla warfare, the United States dropped Agent Orange over jungles to kill the vegetation. While this chemical weapon killed trees and shrubbery, making it easier for soldiers to travel through the dense forests, it also contaminated water sources and food production for the local people. These long-term effects of Agent Orange were most seen in pregnant women whose children were born with cleft palate, mental disabilities, hernias, and extra fingers and toes, while increases in cancer and dementia diagnosis also spiked in Vietnamese locals and US soldiers who came in contact with the chemical herbicide.

Reunification Palace: Dinh Độc Lập

As we headed to dinner, we made a pit stop at the Reunification Palace. We learned in the museum that these royal gates were home to the President of the Republic of (South) Vietnam and became famous when, on April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates symbolizing the fall of Saigon and the reunification of the country under communist rule. Following the fall of Saigon, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh, to recognize the northern ruler.

Fun Fact: we learned during our food tour that the locals call the city Ho Chi Minh, but the downtown part of District 1 is referred to as Saigon, since its the party center! So to be like the locals, you should always call it "HCMC!"

Pasteur Street Brewing Co.

With the sun setting and a full day under our belt, it was time for dinner and Ryan and Cady agreed that a local brewery would be just the place! We stumbled upon Pasteur Street Brewing Company, which was conveniently located right down the street from our hotel, and we ordered their sharable platter packed full of BBQ chicken, ribs, slow-cooked beef, and several veggie sides! The beer was cold and the food was good, making this the perfect ending to another long day!

While heading back to our hotel for the night, we stumbled upon a huge street party! Set with giant screens and DJs every few blocks, we realized that Vietnam's soccer team was competing in an Asia tournament that is apparently a huge deal for the city! Knowing we were getting up at 2:15 am for an early morning flight, we chose not to participate in the festivities and opted for a quiet game of cards in our room before calling it an early night!

I mean, look at this! Right outside our hotel, this huge party was happening! You know Bryan was exhausted when he opted for an early bedtime rather than join in on the soccer fun!

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Our morning started early with a 2:15 am alarm with the hopes of catching our 5:15 am flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, and while Bryan and I struggled to get out of bed and packed, Cady and Ryan were enduring a whole other level of stress....food poisoning.

Cady woke up to her alarm with the tummy gurgles and was immediately called to the bathroom. While Ryan finished their packing, he texted us that they may take a few extra minutes this morning to get out of the door.

Noi Bai International Airport: Cảng hàng không quốc tế Nội Bài

Cady was a trooper: she got it together enough to get out of the hotel and ended up emptying her tank in the bushes while I checked us out of the hotel. Then we struggled to get a Grab because it was 3 am...but we eventually got in the car and were on our way!

By the time we got through security at the airport, Cady was feeling much better! We were just thankful she didn't get the travel tummy that this area is known for! Whew! What a relief!

Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam!

--Katie