Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City traffic

I recently toured Vietnam with my husband, his two brothers and their wives. The tour was organised by my Vietnamese born sister-in-law, Kien. The whole trip was a going to be a complete surprise to Mr J and me, as we had given Kien full control of the itinerary.

Kien had organised a mini bus with a driver and a guide and we were going to see the length and breadth of Vietnam in 16 days. All accommodation and meals were arranged as part of the package. No safe western restaurants for us, all meals were traditional Vietnamese.

I’ve got to tell you, after a few days of eating Vietnamese food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I was craving hamburgers and pizza.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to bring you my ‘travel Vietnam’ story in instalments. I will start the journey with Ho Chi Minh City.

After about an eight hour flight with Jet Star we were ready to prise our tired, cramped bodies from the aircraft.

We collected our baggage without any hassles and after a bit of a mix up with transfers we were finally underway.

As first time visitors to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), we were confronted with traffic packed streets, the constant shrill of horns, the thick layer of pollution and the dust that lies heavily upon the city streets. The racing riders screeching around corners and riding up your behind on sidewalks.

Crossing the road is a life-threatening and terrifying experience. You are warned to keep moving and let the traffic go around you. If you hesitate you are GONE!

It’s commonplace to witness families of four (or more) on motor scooters and they still seem to find room for the shopping. Babies look non-plussed as they sit happily perched on mums lap weaving precariously in and out of traffic, missing pedestrians by just millimetres.

Everything travels by motor scooter!

However, the energy that this city exudes with its seven million residents -is alluring.

Nowhere does one feel the dynamic changes occurring in Vietnam more than in Ho Chi Minh City. This city rightfully exists in most people's minds as an exciting, exotic part of the lure of Southeast Asia. The reality of Vietnam's largest city is not disappointing!

Our accommodation was impressive; it boasts the best and biggest buffet in the world. This busy, vibrant hotel is located in the heart of the city allowing easy access to explore the surrounding areas by foot.

At check-in, we were generously given discount vouchers to use at the hotels spa (50% off). My other sister-in-law, Barb and I couldn’t resist, so we made a bee-line to the Spa for a relaxing massage after our tiresome flight.

We were ushered to separate rooms for a sixty minute massage. My expectations may have been a little high, but inside of the darkened room was a massage table with grey, tattered looking sheets and two bottles of baby oil. Where were the candles and aromatic oil burner and soft music, I asked myself. I was issued with a grey pair of baggy shorts with matching cross–over top (patterned with a couple of cigarette burn holes). The door opens and my masseuse appears, a tall, young Asian looking women with long, hip length hair, wearing a very short mini skirt. Her English was very poor, my Vietnamese was even worse. We had a problem! I was starting to worry that I may not have explained clearly enough, what kind of massage I was expecting. I tried to ask her what she was doing and she always answered me with a smile saying, “Okay, okay”. She then scaled the table and was straddling the back of my legs as I tentatively lay on my stomach. She pulled my baggy shorts down and I pulled them back up again saying, “No, let’s not go there”. You guessed it, she replied “okay, okay”. She then continued to massage my bum. Thankfully, she soon moved up to my back and layered on the baby oil. I started to feel something like a broom brushing up and down my back and it felt creepy. I quickly glanced around and discovered... to my horror...that it was her hair!

I was charges $13 dollars for the massage and I must say, I left feeling much more stressed than I arrived.

The next day we decided to have a look around and we soon discovered Chinatown. Chinatown is full of huge, crowded markets that sell everything from knock off brand-name clothes and handbags, lacquered goods, souvenirs to snakes in bottles (said to be an aphrodisiac).

The popular Ben Thanh Markets were also bustling with throngs of tourists winding their way through the narrow aisles. There were so many people calling out to you that you feel like a celebrity, but realistically, more like a wallet with legs. Towards the back of the market there are a few small cafes to be found serving local cuisine or coffee and che, a popular Vietnamese dessert. Saigon coffee is the best, it is filtered over your cup and if you take milk it is condensed milk, something I had since I was a kid, but oh so enjoyable!

The wet market at the far back of the building has a selection of meat, fish, produce, and flowers, it’s interesting and hassle-free; no one will foist a fish on you, well at least, they didn’t do it to us.

We spent many hours weaving our way through the cramped stalls, lathered in perspiration from the hot, stuffy conditions.

In the open-air stalls surrounding the market we felt some relief, it was here that we discovered some quaint little eateries that open just as the market itself starts closing down, and this is in fact one of the best places to try authentic local cuisine. The adventurous can sample good local specialties like rice dishes, noodle soup, bun dishes of vermicelli noodles, or for the sweeter tooth, yummy taro flavoured ice cream and dessert for next to nothing.

Taxi rides to and from the hotel were only a few dollars for a 20 minute trip.

Vietnamese are proud of their resolve in their prolonged history of struggle against invading armies, and the story of the people of Cu Chi is indicative of that spirit. Just 65km (40 miles) northwest of Ho Chi Minh, the Cu Chi area lies at the end of the Ho Chi Minh trail and was the base from which Ho Chi Minh gorillas used to attack Saigon. As a result the whole area became a "free fire zone" and was carpet-bombed in one of many American "scorched-earth" policies. But the residents of Cu Chi took their war underground, literally, developing a network of tunnels that, at its height, stretched as far as Cambodia and included meeting rooms, kitchens, and triage areas; an effective network for waging
guerrilla warfare on nearby U.S. troops.

Underground triage

Camp

Visitors first watch a war-era propaganda film that's so over-the-top. The sight supports a small museum of photos and artefacts, as well as an extensive outdoor exhibit of guerrilla snares. The snares are gut wrenching to observe as they are cruel and merciless. Imagining any young soldier being caught in these snares stirred the deepest emotions and brought tears to the eyes.

Door trap

The reconstructions of the original tunnels and bunkers were awesome. We ventured into the narrow, dirty and claustrophobic tunnels to experience life underground. It was so dark and hot and I was crawling, holding tightly to Kien’s shirt in front for comfort. A few of my family members bravely continued on, however, I made my escape at the first opening.

Mr J was the only man in our group that
could fit into the tiny sniper holes.

There is also a shooting range where, for $1 per bullet, you can try your hand at firing anything from a shotgun to an AK-47. I just had to have a go. It was so noisy, even the basic earmuffs that were supplied had no affect on the deafening sound. I was certainly not a sharp shooter and if I was fighting for real I would have been killed in seconds. Our ears were ringing for the next couple of hours.

Lana tries shooting

During the tour, we visited the outdoor dining room and tried the sweet potato that was a Cu Chi staple, this was washed down with a strange tasting brew they called tea.

'A Sullen Lot' - Waiting for our sweet potato

I will never forget my experience at Cu Chi Tunnels, the heart wrenching memories will certainly be etched in my mind forever.

Bomb crater

Vietnam is full of beautiful temples