Saigon

Thursday the 6th til Monday the 10th of February: After arriving in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) I went out the first evening to check out the beer/backpacker street. I just wanted to have a drink and then go back to my hostel to get a good night's sleep. That didn't work out of course. I was sitting in a rooftop bar, enjoying a nice cocktail and the view over the city, as three guys walk in. I'm thinking: Hey I know that stache! It was Tom and Henry, who I met in Hanoi and had that awesome karaoke night with! What are the odds!? So I joined them and their friend Matt for a night out on the beer street. It was crazy, lots of party people, very loud music, scooters trying to get through, neon lights... and of course balloons and street karaoke. Great night! Unfortunately my hostel had the aircon on high all night, so the next morning I woke up a little sick. I went on a little walking tour by myself, checking out the Ben Thành Market, the church Notre Dame and the War Museum. The museum was very impressive. I have seen some documentaries about the Vietnam War, but their exhibition about the war crimes brought tears to my eyes. So devastating what horrors people are cable of. All the more amazing I find it, that I didn't experience any reservations by Vietnamese people towards Westerners or Americans. I asked a couple of Vietnamese people about it (both quite young in their early 20s) and they said, some older people in the little villages still have resentment for Americans, but that the younger generation wants to move on and have a friendly and peaceful relationship with the USA. As my cold was getting worse I decided not to go out, but just chill with Henry on the rooftop bar of my hostel. The next day I wanted to join the boys for a tour to the Chu Chi tunnels, that where dug by the Vietnamese during the war against the French in 1948 and then massively expanded by the Vietcong fighting against the Americans. But I still felt quite sick the next morning, so I decided that crawling through very narrow tunnels in super hot-humid weather might not be the best idea. So I just went for a nice breakfast and visited the Bitexco Financial Tower, where you have an amazing view over the city. Up there I started chatting to one of the employees, Han, who was very interested in Germany and such a sweet young lady. Generally I have the impression, that a lot of young Vietnamese have a very positive image of Germany and are very open and interested to hear about how we live there. It's lovely to have these little chats and to learn about their views, hopes and dreams. In the evening I joined a street food tour and savoured Vietnamese pancakes, crab cakes, herbal drinks and so much more. I love the street food here so much 😍 After another chilled night with just a few beers with Henry, on Monday I went on a Mecong Delta Tour. Our guide Duy was great and the tour so interesting and very chilled. Duy told us that most Vietnamese prefer to say Saigon instead of Ho Chi Minh City, as this was the original name and the new name was chosen by the communist government after they won the war. I must say, I prefer Saigon as well, just sounds so much nicer 😋 During the tour we saw a floating market on the Mecong and tasted fruit there, did a short row boat trip into one of the little side channels, visited a place where coconut sweets, rice wine and puff rice were produced, did a bicycle tour through cute lanes between the channels and villages and had a little cooking class making Vietnamese pancakes. After lunch, we had time to chill at the restaurant and I had a nice nap in one of the hammocks they had hanging everywhere in their gardens. I really needed that, cause despite of not going out I had somehow slept very poorly the night before and felt super tired. On the bus ride back Duy told us a bit about his family story and their experiences in the Vietnam War. It was very touching and also very nice that he shared these personal stories with us. In the evening I got a massage, as my neck and back where very stiff and sore after I fell asleep in the bus in a bad position 😅 Having had a bad massage in Hoi An, this time I took a couple of minutes to read reviews and pick a place who had professionals working there. I went to Cat Moc Spa and it was soooooo good! Best massage I had in quite a while. I felt much better afterwards and got some good sleep before leaving for Cambodia (Angkor Wat) the next day.