So it was time to say goodbye to
Cambodia and cross the border into Vietnam. Upon arriving at the border, it was quite uneventful compared to entering Cambodia. At the immigration officer's booth, everything went quickly. He stamped something in my passport while fiddling with his phone, humming a little tune, and seemed unusually cheerful. A few meters further at the immigration checkpoint, there was already an extreme line. The bus tour guide informed us that it would take about 1.5 hours before we could cross the border. He grabbed our passports, and then it was time to wait. Ultimately, it took over an hour, and then we bypassed part of the line and got our passports back. The obligatory scanning of luggage didn’t seem to interest anyone at all. The last immigration officer, glancing through my passport with a dull expression, waved me through and received a few banknotes from our tour guide, which I observed as I walked past. So even with the Vietnamese comrades on-site, everything seems to run a bit smoother with the right grease.. The rest of the journey then proceeded quite slowly; especially as we pushed further into Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. The countless mopeds and scooters weaving through the (only seemingly) chaotic traffic are quite an experience and just watching them is a nice pastime… At least at the beginning... Eventually, we arrived. Two hours later than scheduled. The bus stop was also not where it was supposed to be according to the booking; but great, it was only about 1.5 km to the accommodation instead of 4 km. Now I had three tasks to complete before I wanted to satisfy my stomach growling; getting local money, a Vietnamese SIM card to get back online and find my way, and then reaching my accommodation... A tourist with a large backpack quickly attracts interest, and it didn’t take long before a moped driver asked if he could take me somewhere. However, I spotted an ATM, so I wanted to complete my first task first and told him that I still needed a SIM card afterwards. No problem, he said he would wait... Of course, my first attempt to withdraw cash with the Visa card failed. Hmm, SMS from Barclays, card was blocked due to unusual money movements in Cambodia and now Vietnam. They weren't that unusual since they all came from me, as I could clarify later. But first, I pulled out my other credit card, and voilà, I was a Dong millionaire. After a brief negotiation regarding the fare with the waiting moped driver, I hopped onto his bike with my large travel backpack and then went to the local SIM card dealer, who also doubled as a currency exchange office; a rather shady character in his small shop. But shortly afterwards, I was back on my phone and also exchanged some dollars, which were partly rejected in Cambodia because there, dollar bills with tiny tears are turned away... Great, now I just needed to find my accommodation. So back on the moped into the traffic chaos. The local driving style doesn’t feel safe. I held on tightly to the moped, and after a few minutes, we finally arrived... The accommodation was hidden a bit in an alley, but after some wandering, I managed to find it with the help of my driver. A true fortress. Nobody gets in easily. Through cameras and an intercom, I was directed to the key box and then to my room... After a brief rest and resolving the blockage of my Visa card, I went out - it was already 8:30 PM - to explore the surroundings and search for food. My neighborhood has a very nice vibe again, despite the unusual traffic, and I quickly found a nice place to satisfy my hunger. On the way back, I passed by a 7/eleven convenience store, stocked up on some snacks, and was able to try out my Visa card again. It worked. Great... I was quite tired from the short previous night and the long travel day, so I quickly nodded off after enjoying some cozy TV watching with a sleeping drink...
