Ho Chi Minh City - Day 1

I had booked a transfer to the airport through the hotel. On the way, with the active support of my travel advisor, I decided to cancel my booked flight to Haiphong and instead spontaneously fly to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon. It finally required summer conditions of 30+ degrees and sunshine! The short flight was spent listening to the final episode of the highly recommended three-part series of the history podcast 'What Happened So Far' about the Vietnam War. After landing, 'The Ballad of Ho Chi Minh', a protest song from the 1960s, played over the speakers in the airplane, which was unexpected but somehow fitting. Upon exiting, I was reassured: No rain and very hot. I shared a taxi with two fellow travelers from Belgium to District 1 of the 9-million metropolis. After devouring the best Phở I've had so far, I checked into my hostel. I took a Grab to Cholon, where Saigon’s Chinatown is located. The streets initially resembled a huge hardware store: tools, wire ropes, and many other hardware items were offered along entire streets. Right afterwards, there were food markets whose stalls extended far out onto the streets beyond the sidewalks.

After some time, I realized that my (racially connoted?) image of a Chinatown did not correspond to reality at all. I expected shady streets, fireworks, exotic animals, weapons... Instead, all I saw were shops offering traditional medicinal herbs, cigarettes, and lottery tickets; along with the usual stores and restaurants. It was striking in HCMC and actually in most places in Vietnam that there are hardly any pedestrians. The sidewalks are used for sales stands and seating areas of restaurants and street food stalls. People usually drive their scooters directly to their destination. After a beer by the roadside, I stumbled into a kind of Chinese cultural festival, which featured food stands and a temple with a crazily decorated stage.

I then took a Grab to the evening flower and food market. Here, there were really wild things to eat: In many aquariums, fish and sea creatures were swimming, waiting to be placed on the plates of numerous visitors. Various kinds of clams, snails, crustaceans, giant isopods (allegedly better than lobsters) were offered alongside fried field rats and chicken feet (both delicacies) and other grilled specialties. I opted for some ordinary meat skewers, grilled octopus, and beer.

I strolled aimlessly further and came across a very busy and beautifully lit park. I met a US veteran named Rick, who had served in Vietnam in 1967 and simply approached me. He and his Vietnamese-looking wife were very nice. I didn't dare to ask critical questions about his time in the war. On my way back to the hostel, I unexpectedly approached Bùi Viện Walking Street - obviously the party mile of the city. Here, a cover band played Western hits, dancers animated the crowd, and neon lights provided colorful illumination. Unpleasant tourists could be observed, prostitutes solicited clients, and party people were being poured shots directly down their throats at the club entrances. I watched the scene from a kiosk where I met Nora from Malaysia, who was also traveling alone. Together we watched the colorful goings-on and laughed at the chaos on display. After a late-night snack, I finally made my way back to the hostel.