Tag 8 - Ho-Chi-Minh-City: A Crazy Christmas Eve in the Big City

Today, I did something I sorely missed throughout my entire trip: sleeping in! And believe me, after all the early wake-ups in the last few days, it was absolutely heavenly. But eventually, curiosity called, and it was time to discover my new city.

To start, I thought, 'Hey, a hop-on-hop-off bus is perfect for getting an overview.' And that was indeed a good idea – but I wanted to explore the city more intensively. So I laced up my shoes and started walking. Big mistake! This city is enormous. I felt like I was standing still while an endless stream of traffic raged around me.

A taxi? No chance. In that chaos, I could have walked faster. But then I had a brilliant idea: scooter taxi via Grab. Yes, I actually dared to jump on the back of a motorcycle. Don't worry, I would never drive in this traffic myself. But these scooter drivers? True artists of street acrobatics! They wove through the traffic like ninja shadow warriors on two wheels, while I clung on at the back, offering up one desperate prayer after another.

Despite the adrenaline, it was just awesome to get from A to B so quickly and efficiently. The city suddenly felt smaller to me – and more exciting!

At some point, I had the glorious idea of sending postcards. To my loved ones back home, of course. When will they arrive? Well, I hope before Easter. But at least I thought of them – that counts, right?

In the evening, it was time for a night tour. Guys, I tell you: as a little country bumpkin from Switzerland, the light show of the big city blows me away every time. Everything blinks, sparkles, and shines. It's as if someone spilled the sky full of stars onto the ground and said, 'Have fun with it!'

But then came Christmas Eve, and I didn't know what hit me. There were people everywhere on the streets – sitting in groups, eating together, laughing, and singing. It was as if the city had decided to celebrate Christmas in the coolest and craziest way.

There was Christmas lighting and endless bling-bling. People wore Christmas hats, headbands with Christmas trees, and sometimes even complete reindeer outfits. Music was playing everywhere, and foam cannons created artificial snow – in the middle of the tropics! It was like a huge, glittering Christmas disco under the open sky.

My little unicorn, Ursula, was of course completely over the moon. She immediately fell in love with the lights of the big city and would have loved to build a bed made of Christmas ornaments.

Later, I crawled into bed completely exhausted but overjoyed. One more call from home, a few Christmas thoughts – and then I was out.

This city has absolutely blown me away. It is huge, modern, green, and just plain crazy. And Christmas here? It’s not a silent night – it’s a dazzling, blinking, frothy celebration of the highest order.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings, but one thing I know already: I will never forget this city and its crazy Christmas chaos. Merry Christmas – the Vietnamese way!