Solotrip Part 2: Vietnam (18th-25th July)

From Bangkok, I flew to Vietnam, specifically to Ho Chi Minh City, or as many Vietnamese still call it: Saigon. Here too, the strategy paid off that I had looked up the appropriate bus numbers in advance and I found my way pretty well to my hostel, which was right in the city center and I wanted to explore it that same evening. Similar to Khao San Road in Bangkok, it seems that I have also landed in Vietnam in a colorful, loud, and bustling backpacker district (oh wonder). But this area exuded a good mood, and I had the impression that the people here were more open and friendly than in Bangkok. However, I was tired from the journey and soon went back to the hostel, where the next morning I could choose a well-portioned breakfast set, which was included in the three euros I paid per night. On that day, I explored the city. Saigon doesn't have many sights, so one day is enough, but it was still very interesting to see how different cities can be. The traffic, in particular, amazed me. I didn't think I would make it alive to the other side of the street as a pedestrian, having to maneuver through an incessant stream of honking motorcycles for which traffic lights are nothing more than a blinking decoration, but lo and behold, I'm still alive. And this system actually works because people still pay attention to where they are driving and show consideration for each other, which I find very impressive. I then visited various pagodas, a park, the post office, the neighboring church inspired by Notre Dame, and the famous statue of Ho Chi Minh, as well as a night market in the evening.

The next day, I got up early to take the bus to the ferry terminal, which would take me to the other side of the river, where I again took a bus to Monkey Island, a reserve where monkeys live in a mangrove forest. Here I really noticed that it was not peak season, only a Vietnamese couple and two other backpackers were in the reserve, which I had read was a popular tourist destination. But I was grateful for the tranquility and could stroll through the forest and observe the little monkeys in a relaxed manner. The path further into the forest soon turned into a boardwalk as the trees grew denser, and at the end, I found a kind of open-air museum about the Vietnam War. It was quite creepy, partly because I did not expect it and I was the only one there, and partly because the dolls looked pretty real, but it was still interesting to see.

The next morning, I got up early because I had planned a two-day trip from Saigon to Mui Ne, a beach resort with some natural attractions. I traveled in a sleeper bus (which didn't really make much sense during the day, but oh well), where each seat resembled a bed, which was quite comfortable. Upon arrival at the hostel, I immediately noticed that there wasn't much going on here, so I went for a walk and wanted to walk to the beach. However, access to the sea was blocked by restaurants, hotels, or smaller shops, so I had to walk a few kilometers along the road before finding a gap between the houses that led me to the beach, where I spent the rest of the day and swam in the bathtub-warm sea. The following day, there was a tour of the sand dunes, for which Mui Ne is famous. It started at sunrise at 4:30 a.m., which cast beautiful light on the fine sand. We visited the white and red dunes, with the white ones having a special charm as they offered a great view of the surrounding nature and the dunes shimmered red in the light. The third stop was the Fairy Streams, an ankle-deep stream where you could walk up and admire the towering white and red rocks on both sides. After that, I spent a few more hours on the beach and at the hostel's pool before returning to Saigon, where I was going to start my last trip in Vietnam, which I was looking forward to the most.

I was heading to the Mekong Delta, first to the city of Can Tho, where I met Ling at the hostel. Ling is Vietnamese and was traveling his country by scooter from Hanoi to the south, which I think is impressive. Anyway, Ling invited me to spend the rest of the day with him, he treated me to dinner, and we went to a viewpoint by the river and to a park. In the evening, we also got to know our roommates and learned some details about the Mekong tour that the hostel offered, and why I had chosen this hostel. It was supposed to start at sunrise, and breakfast was served at 4:15. We walked to the pier where two small boats and their boatmen were waiting for us. We got on board and sailed along the river, observing fishermen and loaded boats that, like us, were heading to the floating market. This boat trip was great fun, which was probably also due to the people who were there. At the floating market, large quantities of fruit, especially pineapples, were traded, and we tried a kind of crispy banana crêpe, which was also very tasty. After the floating market, we went into the jungle, where we got off the boat a few times to admire the amazing plants and hike through the rainforest. It was incredibly hot, but it hardly bothered us, as it is part of the experience. On the boat, our boatwoman folded crowns, scepters, and all sorts of things from palm leaves and flowers, which she gave to us as gifts. I wore my crown over my cap and truly felt like a queen at the front of the rickety boat and could hardly have been happier.