Vietnam

Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City

2424

07/12/2015

We decided to visit Saigon within our trip around the world in order to visit the city where most people travelling to Vietnam go. But also because we needed to post some stuff back home and have lighter backpacks. Plus manage our further trips and most of all meet our compatriot. We set off to Saigon from Da Lat located in Central Highlands. The journey took 7 hours but it was worth it because the views from the minivan were really beautiful. So if you have enough time and do not ride on a motorbike, do a daily trip. We paid 200.000 VND/person (cca 9 USD) including hotel pick-up.

Finding our feet in Saigon

After our arrival we accommodated in one hotel a bit further from the tourist center. Again price was most important for us. Thanks to the location we were able to find many cheap food stalls with delicious food. But there were also many cozy cafés with delicious Vietnamese coffee. Cofee was one of the things we really wanted to take out of Vietnam but we were not interested in carrying it in our backpacks therefore we bought more and posted it home with many other things. Post office for international parcels can be found at the corner of Nguyễn Du and Hai Bà Trưng Streets. We also needed to exchange money. Of course it was possible to do on local market nevertheless we did not want to bargain and take a risk so we were lucky to find a bank where they helped us to do so. By coincidence it was also located in Nguyễn Du Street. We are speaking about Commonwealth Bank of Australia. You are probably thinking: “Oh Gosh what a fuss for money exchange” and for us in the ordinary world it is pretty easy but in Vietnam it is a problem. They simply cannot sell you dollars or any other currency if you are a tourist. We needed money for our visa to Cambodia and we had to describe and specify our reason, provide them passports and credit/debit cards to copy and then they were able to give us only certain amount of US dollars. 🙂 It was very interesting experience.

What to see in Saigon advises Czech in Vietnam

There are many interesting places to visit in Saigon. Among the top attractions in Saigon belong The Old Post office building, Notre-Dame cathedral, Palace of Independence and other places. We were inspired by amazing man Czech in Vietnam. We had the opportunity to meet Mr. S (Secret) and it was absolutely gorgeous and inspiring encounter. If you still hesitate what to do or where to go in Vietnam, make sure to browse his website. And if you are going to Ho Chi Minh city explore Saigon with Czech in Vietnam. It is the best way to see the most important places and taste the best food you may find in the town. We were able to walk the city within one day and had enough time for planning what to do in other next destination. From the metropolis of Southeast Asia we headed to explore how beautiful Mekong Delta really is.