Ho Chi Minh City - The largest city in Vietnam

After relaxing on the island of Phu Quoc for a week, we head back to the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. We were here a week ago, but only at the train station and airport. We take a bus to the city, which takes about an hour, and then it's just a short walk to our hostel. It's time for us to save some money and stay in a cheaper accommodation than in Phu Quoc. Double room with shared bathroom for 15€. It was cheaper in Hanoi, but we can live with the price.
We spend the rest of the day exploring our neighborhood. We are very close to the backpacker party street, where there are many art studios. You can also buy really beautiful and colorful oil paintings there, but transportation is always a problem. Too bad :( In the evening, we go to a food court recommended by the lady at the hostel. There are so many choices, you can find almost anything there! 

The next day, we have sightseeing on our agenda. We can explore all the main attractions in Saigon on foot, which is very convenient. We could never figure out the bus network, and since there is no subway or tram, the traffic is a total chaos. The traffic seems even more chaotic than in Hanoi, and we have to get used to it again. There are scooters everywhere, and red, orange, and green mean the same thing: Go! Pedestrian crossings and zebra crossings are just decoration. Maybe it feels more exhausting because it's much hotter, humid, and stuffy than in Hanoi. 

We walk towards the business district, where all the modern skyscrapers and beautifully restored colonial buildings are located. Luxury stores like Prada, Dior, and Louis Vuitton line up next to each other, and each skyscraper has its own helicopter landing pad on the roof. This is Vietnam showing off its opulent side. However, one benefit is that you can actually walk on the sidewalks here, they are not filled with street vendors, scooters, and holes. 

After enjoying a refreshing drink at Highlands Café, we part ways for a few hours. Max wants to visit the War Remnants Museum, and I spend my time in a cafe reading. I got really sick and was in a bad mood for the rest of the day after visiting a war museum in Laos last time. I don't need that again.
Later, we go to a park and watch the locals doing sports. I could watch that forever xD They put on their fancy sports clothes, ride their scooters to the city park, and... walk. Just walk. Of course, in everyday life, they could simply leave the scooter and walk the 400m to the fruit vendor, but that's out of the question. Instead, they prefer to go to the park and stroll around in circles. Of course, with sweatbands. It's hilarious :-D But we have noticed many times that Asians have a different understanding of sports. For example, we have seen people disappear behind their shops, reappear in full sports gear, rotate their upper body from left to right with their arms extended, circle their arms a few times, and their fitness program is complete. It's good that they changed their flip-flops to running shoes. And this observation was not a one-time thing!

The next day, we have a tour to the Mekong Delta. We are picked up from the hostel in the morning and travel to the delta with a few other friendly travelers. Luckily, the group is small with 13 people. Often the groups are as big as 40. When we arrive at the Mekong, we get on a boat that takes us along the river. We pass by floating markets and our guide tells us that whole families live on these boats. Even schooling takes place on special school boats. It's currently watermelon and sweet potato season. 

A little coffee break is a must on any excursion. So we stop at a coconut candy factory, and to my surprise, it's really interesting. They show us how rice paper is made and how water, grated coconut, milk, and oil are extracted from the large green coconuts. They also demonstrate the production of puffed rice, and of course, there are plenty of sweets to taste. And as a finale, we try snake wine. Dead snakes and other strange animals in a jar, add some spirits, and it's done. 

Then we get back on the boat for lunch. We learn that the Mekong has tides in this region, most of the rice in Vietnam is grown in this area (Vietnam's rice bowl), and why the boats have funny eyes painted on them. Just not the fishing boats.
After a surprisingly good lunch, including a terrible karaoke performance by our drunk neighbors, we get on small rowing boats that take us through narrower tributaries. 

A visit to a small fruit plantation and a musical performance are also part of the program. Usually, we avoid these kinds of tours, but this one was more interesting and better than expected. We were pleasantly surprised. And we meet an old friend again in Mai Chau (Northern Vietnam). 

In the evening, we explore the city, going from minimarket to minimarket. It's like a classic tour of kiosks, and Max impresses a Vietnamese vendor by opening his beer bottle with a water bottle. It was really cute :-D We buy two bottles of beer at 7-Eleven, and they always offer to open the bottle for you. However, he misplaced the bottle opener and starts desperately searching the whole counter. We ask him to give us the water bottle behind him, but he finds that idea so absurd that he first offers us every other item in the corner. When Max finally has the water bottle in his hands and opens the beer bottle, I feel like I'm at a magic show. The young man is amazed, and there's even applause. Too funny :-D I bet he practiced for hours afterwards.

On our last day in Saigon, we are incredibly lazy. We stay in our room, plan our further travels, read, look at pictures, and write a blog. We only leave the hostel for lunch and dinner. But since I'm currently annoyed by the big city, I really enjoy the peace and quiet in the room. The city is just so noisy and hectic. You have to shout to have a conversation, and there's constant honking right next to you. I need to get back to the countryside! Luckily, our next stop is Kuala Lumpur...
On February 1st, we wake up early to be on time at the airport. We were advised to arrive three hours before departure because on February 4th, it's Tet (Chinese New Year), and the whole country is on the move to visit family. That was good advice! We really needed those three hours.
Bye Bye Vietnam