Saigon

Our journey through Vietnam started in Saigon, the largest city in the country with over 8 million inhabitants. The traffic here is even worse than in Yangon. Everyone rides a scooter and there is simply not enough space on the streets, so the sidewalks are also used. This is not so cool for pedestrians.

Our guesthouse was located in the Backpacker District, an entertainment area full of restaurants and bars. The evenings here were really lively.

After our arrival, we went straight to the city center and quickly ended up in the first shopping center. You can really shop everywhere. From expensive branded goods to whole shopping centers for counterfeit items. We didn't do much else on the first day.

Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum

On the second day, we went on a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These are part of a 250-kilometer-long tunnel system that the Vietnamese used as hiding places during both the First Indochina War against the French and the Vietnam War. We were able to see various traps, crawl through a tunnel (which was quite difficult due to the narrow path), and there was even the opportunity to try out the weapons from the war at a shooting range. However, we didn't do that. It was a short tour, but very interesting.

On the way back, we asked the bus driver to drop us off directly at the War Remnants Museum, as it was thematically appropriate. The museum was really interesting. Vehicles and planes from the Vietnam War were displayed on the forecourt in their original size. Inside, various aspects of the war were displayed in themed rooms using picture stories. Some of the images were really shocking, such as pictures of mutilated bodies or people with deformities due to the use of chemical weapons. The photo shows the famous image of the 'Napalm Girl'. If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War, this museum is definitely worth a visit.

Sightseeing

On the next day, we went sightseeing. We started at the Notre Dame Cathedral and then went to the old post office. A beautiful building with ATMs in telephone booth style.

Afterwards, we visited the Reunification Palace. A huge and luxurious building where foreign dignitaries used to be received and entertained.

The last stop was the Bitexco Financial Tower, the tallest building in Vietnam at 265 meters. Instead of going to the observation deck, we went to the Skycafe located on the 51st floor to enjoy the view of the city at sunset while sipping incredibly overpriced drinks. The original plan was to save the total of 16 euros admission for two people to the observation deck. Instead, we paid 15 euros for a regular coffee and a lukewarm chocolate drink. So we didn't save anything, but at least we had drinks with us.

On the way back to our accommodation, we stopped by a boxing event in the city park. That was quite fun. We were immediately placed in the VIP area right behind the judges (where the other tourists also sat ;-) The fights were not super interesting. Sometimes it was not even clear whether men or women were boxing. But at least one of the 5 fights ended with a KO in the first round.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

For our last day in Saigon, we didn't have much planned as we were both feeling a bit exhausted from the change between oppressive heat outside and the freezing cold shopping centers.

So we only visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum. The city's namesake is almost revered as a saint due to his political merits, including his role in the Vietnam War and his closeness to the people of Vietnam. The museum tells his entire life story through pictures. Unfortunately, the chronology was not always easy to follow for us, as there could have been a few more English explanations.

The next day, we continued our journey. This time our destination was Cat Tien National Park.