📍Ho Chi Minh City

The next few days we spent in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. The city has about 9 million inhabitants, but because we were there during the Tet Festival, we also got to know a quieter side of the city. 🌆

Thanks to our dear hosts Kien and Julia, we had accommodation for the first two days and got great impressions of what life is like here in Vietnam as an expat. Especially because of the large number of living immigrants in Ho Chi Minh, the city offers many opportunities and delicious restaurants with Western standards. However, the gap between rich and poor is even more evident in the million-strong city than in other parts of the country. 🏘️

Since we were in the city for 10 days, we enjoyed some peace and quiet to work. 😴 🧑‍💻

We visited the Reunification Palace with its central role in the Vietnam War, among other things with government offices and command centers. We then went to the War Remnants Museum - a memorial museum with photographs, stories, and weapons from the Vietnam and Indochina wars. The visit to the museum, with all the depicted violence and the consequences of chemical weapons, was very depressing and we haven't taken any pictures that we can show you. 🕊️

In general, there are many colorful and beautiful corners in the city, and especially for the Tet Festival, the New Year festival according to the Chinese or Vietnamese calendar, everything was beautifully decorated and adorned with cats for the coming year. The laser and drone show as well as the fireworks on the Saigon River for the New Year festival were simply breathtaking. We were able to admire these from a rooftop terrace in the front row. 🎆

Tips:

- Restaurant Hum Vegetarian, Garden & Restaurant (32 Đường số 10, 2nd District) Especially for vegetarians, an absolute paradise. 😋

- Experience the Tet Festival and the New Year's event! Even if many people hesitate and leave the country before the holidays, it's worth staying and experiencing the festival. ✨

- Take a ride up the Bitexo Financial Tower shortly before sunset. 🌇