It's summer time!!! After two months of working, it's time to take a break. Last year, we went to Bali to snorkel, this year, Nha Trang, Vietnam for diving! That's so cool :D This Vietnam Trip post will be separated into a few categories. In this, it would be the general culture, people and places to go and also what to expect if you are planning a trip to Vietnam in the near future.
Vietnam is a nice place. With summer in mid-year, you can expect a lot of sun and rain at times. Ho Chi Minh City is generally pretty sunny and people are fairly nice to you. When you go to Vietnam, except hotel/hostels fare, please bring more Vietnam Dongs. Boyfriend and I brought 600k of Vietnam Dong there and it was not enough. So, more Vietnamese Dong please.
Second, prepare your umbrella, wear light, and cooling clothing and also wear FLIP-FLOPS! So I arrived in Vietnam with long leggings and covered shoes. When we were walking around the town, it was still ok with the breeze although the sun is so scorching hot. Near evening, it rained!!! And with covered shoes, the water seeps into the shoes and if you are wearing socks, that makes it even worse. Yeap, Boyfriend got his socks wet :D
Be prepared to eat meat, seafood and plenty, plenty of veges. Meat (Beef, Chicken, Pork, fox, crocodile, seafood, you name it they have it) is quite essential for the Vietnamese. They like to prepare their dishes with fish oil so there will be a distinctive smell. Some people would not like the smell and the taste, but for me, a small amount is still acceptable. Besides that, before every main dish, you'll be served a big plate of vegetables, and they are pretty raw. I like vegetables but towards the end of the trip I am starting to avoid all the veges that I can. :S
Fruit juices and Fruit shakes are commonly found in Vietnam. Find for stalls with Sinh To and you can get fresh fruit juices. I particularly like the fruit shakes. I had it on my first day and mind you it is not artificially flavored or colored. I got it for around 10k VND and I just couldn't stop asking for more.
Baguette for meals is very common in Ho Chi Minh-ers. Baguette with assorted meats, some vegetables, mayonnaise and a few drops of soy sauce. The soy sauce is worth mentioning as it is different from the soy sauce we normally use. It does not give the salty taste but only the fragrant. Together with the meat, it gives taste to the baguette. I had it for one of my dinner to safe money and it is really very filling. Cost around 10kVND.
Walk around, unless you are willing to pay for a motorbike rental or bicycle. However, the traffic congestion here is so busy that walking is actually advised for bike-noobs like me. Do not attempt to drive on if you feel uncomfortable as you might get into an accident just like me and spoil all the fun. Traffic here is quite shocking especially if you are from places with very organized traffic, like Singapore. Zebra-crossing can be dangerous and green blinking man does not mean it is safe to take your own sweet time to cross the road. Do not rush across the road either. Just walk as per normal while keeping alert and the motorists will just avoid you with their state-of-the-art driving skills.
Travel from town to town with buses or trains as there is only limited things to do in one town. As in Ho Chi Minh City, you can only go to that few places like the Opera House, Ben Thanh Market, War Memorial Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral. After that, would be the Cao Dai Temple and Cu-Chi Tunnel about 3 hours away from district 1. So, find out from local tour agent where you can go from HCMC so that you wouldn't feel bored.
Be prepare to get cheated if you can't speak Vietnamese or do not have a Vietnamese-speaking companion. Boyfriend and I did not realize that until the last 2 days of our trip. We went for Cu-chi Tunnel trip and the entrance fee was 20k for Vietnamese and 80k for non-Vietnamese. The pricing was stated on the ticketing counter but it was all in Vietnamese. When we asked what were we paying for, the ticket seller wouldn't want to tell us. She even gave us the cant-you-just-pay face and stuck the tickets into our hands. Next day for breakfast, we ordered their oh-so-famous coffee. From the pricing billboard, it was written 8k VND for coffee with milk (iced or hot). But, when the lady served us she charged us for 20k. Even when we kept pointing at the pricing list, she gave all sort of excuses to insist that it is priced at 10k per glass. It does not feel good to be cheated especially when we are travelling on a budget. But well, I guess this is what you will get when you are travelling in a foreign country. So be mentally prepared to pay extra compare to the locals.
Sign languages is a must here. People don't speak good English and so sometimes it was quite hard to tell them what you want. Luckily food menu are all with English translation. But other than that, you would need to point or show or maybe even draw in order to get your message across to them.
Vietnam is a nice place. The pace of living is so slow that you have so much time for yourself, friends and family. But be prepared to wake up as early as 6am as the sun would have brighten the sky and turn in as early as 10pm to bed. This is how people live in Vietnam and I was so happily blending into their lives. But before I knew it, I am already back here in front of my computer to be prepared for the hectic life ahead. However if given a chance, I wouldn't want to go back to Ho Chi Minh City again. One time experience is just good enough.
