Woche 15 - Phu Quoc + Ho Chi Minh City

Family vacation on Phu Quoc! When I finally got on the plane, I was really looking forward to seeing my mom and Rudi again and the precisely selected resort met and exceeded all expectations. For the first time in 3.5 months, a private room with a private (clean) bathroom where I could strew all my belongings for 4 nights...luxury! The house beach was also a dream and on the loungers I was able to plan my trip in peace and drink countless juices and smoothies. On my birthday they brought out a super sweet cake at the resort and in the evening we had seafood hotpot, super delicious! We also had a successful trip to Starfish Beach. Rented two scooters and scurried for about an hour over smooth, wide tarred roads and sandy construction sites. Finally landed on a beautiful beach, from where we needed another boat to the actual Starfish Beach. After this trip I feel safe on the scooter again and look forward to renting one more often in Vietnam.

We then flew back together to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City HCMC), where I stayed for 2 days and Mom and Rudi flew straight on to Da Nang. In Saigon, I didn't live in the 1st district, which is why there were hardly any tourists in my neighborhood. The traffic is chaotic but still manageable when crossing the street. You're being looked at a lot and a smile is a rarity. English is also spoken less than expected, but communication is always made possible somehow. Most of the time they dig a translated menu out of the corner or there are photos on the menu. There is a guide on the Michelin website that recommends restaurants in Vietnam that do not have any stars but appear to be of high quality. I orientated myself a bit on this in search of a good pho a day and a banh mi (Vietnamese baguette with any warm meat and vegetables, coriander and a juicy sauce). At Bahn Mi it quickly becomes clear that there are huge differences in quality, but a good one can actually taste VERY good. But similar with the Pho. A good pho is served in combination with an even larger plate of greens, limes, fresh chilies and hoisin sauce.

On the first day in Saigon I also went to the Central Post Office, an impressive building right next to Notre Dame. You can clearly see the French influence in the architecture here. In the post office you can buy postcards and stamps and there is a small writing station so you can send everything straight away.

Overall, Saigon was cool to see, but not that interesting from a tourist perspective, as you quickly checked out the main attractions in District 1. Many people also take day trips outside of the city, but I skipped them.