Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

After the beautiful sunny Dalat, we continue to the next big city: Ho Chi Minh City. Without realizing it, we booked a hostel directly on the main party street - luckily at the end of the street so we are not constantly bombarded with noise. Unfortunately, Kiki's Guesthouse is not one of the nicest accommodations we have stayed at on our trip, we long to go back to our small Star Hill hotel room.

Now we are looking for a nice place for dinner. We walk along Bui Vien street and are immediately greeted with loud drum music and various acrobatic dragon dances. Colorful neon signs flash on the left and right, and restaurants, cafes, bars, and nightclubs compete for customers. Loud electronic music is playing in the background.

As usual, the restaurant we had chosen for the evening is closed. Plan B, when we arrive there, seems too touristy for us. Besides, restaurants that serve Vietnamese dishes, pizza, pasta, Mexican food, and American breakfast are generally suspicious to us. Strange mix. But apparently there are enough tourists who find this selection great and seem to be able to deal with the quality. Well, we definitely won't sit with them.

We find a small Vietnamese restaurant that serves delicious fried tofu with lemongrass. Add a few fresh spring rolls and fried noodles and dinner is perfect.

To Lisa's delight, there is also the 'Kong Caphe' coffee chain here in Ho Chi Minh, where we had the most delicious coconut coffee smoothie in the world in Hanoi. That calls for a revival, so dessert is set. Tired and full, we go up to our rooftop terrace for a nightcap. From up here, we have a good view of the colorful street lights. Good night, Ho Chi Minh.

Now it's time for museums again. Today we have taken on a particularly heavy topic: the War Remnants Museum. Original tanks and fighter jets await us even before the main entrance. The exhibition room on the ground floor deals with international opponents of the war and Vietnam sympathizers. In the upper floors, we learn more details about the history of the Vietnam War. The gruesome pictures leave us speechless. The exhibition room with the inscription 'Agent Orange' especially leaves a lasting impression on our thoughts. There are no words for that. We won't visit another museum today, as we need time to digest our impressions.

The next day we meet Clara, a friend of Lisa from Heidelberg who is on vacation in Vietnam with her boyfriend. We go out to eat, talk about our travel experiences, and discuss Vietnam. Clara also recommends a travel agency to us, with which we book a 2-day tour to the Mekong Delta. In the afternoon, we visit the Reunification Palace, the former 'White House' of Vietnam, where important international conferences are still held today. In the basement, there are the old communication systems, huge machines used for communication during the war.

It's been too long since our last visit to the theater, so today we go to the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater. Of course, this is not classical drama, but traditional Vietnamese water puppetry is also a form of theater. We take our seats in the small air-conditioned auditorium, a heavy red velvet curtain covers the stage. Then the gong sounds and the doors are closed. Curtain up, let the show begin. The view opens to a little house with a traditional red pointed roof, in front of it a water trench. Musicians with traditional instruments and microphones are on the right and left of the trench. The music starts, a cheerful sound, and a little figure dances in, excitedly telling a story. The figure's voice comes from the young musician on the left, and soon colorful fish join in. Even though we don't understand the Vietnamese language, it doesn't matter because the consecutive scenes are easily understandable without words. Dragons fight here, colorful swans fall in love, young ladies go fishing, and agile dogs chase each other. The lovingly crafted figures are a delight for the eyes, and the players and musicians skillfully bring them to life. The visit is entertaining and highly recommended.

Finally, we visit the art museum, which is worth a visit for its beautiful historic building alone. We will dream of the affordable admission prices here in Vietnam when we are in Cambodia...

We spend our last evening in Ho Chi Minh dressed up, at the Chill Skybar. We reach the 25th floor via a red carpet in the foyer. The view from up here over the glittering city at night is fantastic. We have to toast with a proper drink to that: Moscow Mule. The electro beats, the view, and the strong drink create a relaxed party atmosphere. Even the security staff at the entrance loves the beats and not only ensures our safety but also provides a good atmosphere with his stage-worthy dance moves, including the moonwalk.

But before we head to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, we have one last stop in Vietnam: the Mekong Delta.