Ho Chi Minh City

  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Arrival at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was a painless affair apart from the rough handling of Deb's bag that damaged the retractable handle. We negotiated a set fee taxi int the city and asked to be taken to a reasonable hotel in District 1. The taxi driver took usto an area with plenty of hotels. It was only 100m away from the Ben Thanh Markets so looked like a good area to us. The 1st hotel we looked at had reasonable (not great) rooms but we thought the US$40 per night was a bit much so decided to look around. We only got about 30m down the road when an employee from the hotel chased us down the road. The price quickly dropped to $30, then to $25. The employee was pleading with us to stay in her hotel so we gave in.
Exploring the market is an experience. Some of the stall holders can be quite aggressive in a friendly sort of way. If you are close enough some will grab you by the arm and steer you to their stall. We found the starting price in HCMC shops to be quite high compared to other regions, so be prepared to bargain hard.
Around 5pm the day market closes and the Night Market sets up on the streets outside. This is a great place to visit. The streets are partially closed off, no cars and buses but the pesky motor bikes can't be kept out. There are lots of copy clothes and bag vendors as well as a great range of restaurants.

Night Market dinner

The beer was always cold and the range of seafood is great. One evening we sat munching our meal while being stared at by an aquarium filled with live frogs waiting to be BBQed! (Deb wouldn't let me order one!)
My first t-shirt purchase is a good example of price range. The first price given was 250000 dong (Approx AU$17). I thought that was ridiculous and walked away without bargaining. Within a few metres the price was down to 150000, kept walking, 100000, kept walking, 60000, came back & bought shirt. We found that 4 times the final price was quite common around here. I did find 1 stall in the night market where the lady 's first price for a shirt was 60000 dong. Obviously she is still making a profit at this price, I'm happy with a $4 Adidas knock off so I didn't bother bargaining with her and just bought the shirt. Consequently I returned to her stall a few times.
Another thing we found to watch out for is transport scams. I think I mentioned in an earlier entry that generally we have found taxis with meters the best way to get around. That is still the case, with a couple of warnings. At one point we went to get a taxi back to the hotel from a market. The fare to get there was less than $1. This driver said the fare would be $3 to return. I asked for the meter and he refused to turn it on. Consequently we walked away and found another taxi. Having the meter turned on is not a guarntee against scams either. One day we got a taxi to the water park. The Driver turned on the metre so I thought no worries. We had already been warned the park was some distance away and to expect a fare of around 60000 - 70000 dong. As predicted the fare was 72500 dong. I handed over a 100000 dong note and waited for my change. The driver indicated this wasn't enough! I pointed to the meter an said what it was showing. I wrote down 72500 on my note pad. He shook his head. I then added a zero, 725000! He nodded. That fare was close on AU$50, or 1 1/2 months salary for the average Vietnamese worker. I said a few choice things and we left him with the 100000 as I knew I wasn't getting any change. I guess someone fresh into the country who hasn't got a handle on the conversion rate might fall for it. Lesson learnt: even with a meter don't hand over the fare until you have agreed on what the meter actually says!
We found that the area we were staying was not part of the main tourist area, even though it was close to the market. The tourist drag, with bars, restaurants, laundries, internet cafes, was about 5 min walk away. I'm glad we found it because the travel agents there had the tours we wanted to do 10x cheaper than the travel agents near our hotel. We booked our tours with TNK travel and would recommend them to any one in the area. The Cu Chi tunnel 1/2 day was $4 and the 1 day Mekong Delta tour was only $7. The travel is in good quality air conditioned buses and the guides speak excellent english.
We really enjoyed the Cu Chi tunnel tour.

Cu Chi Tunnels

The story of the tunnel development from the French war in the late 40's through to the end of the Vietnam war is fascinating. It is ingeneous how they were built. The tunnels have been made larger to suit the bigger framed western traveller but they were certainly claustrophoic enough for me. We had the luxury of electric lighting. I can only imagine what it would've been like crawling through the original size tunnels with only a gas/oil lantern or no light at all. Some people lived in these tunnels full time for up to 10 years!

Cu Chi tunnels kitchen

Our tour started with a video which was VERY uncomplimentary towards the Americans. We wondered how the Americans in the group were taking to being publicly bagged! The Vietnamese freedom fighters had a particularly low opinion of the American troops, in fact they considered them to be quite dull and utterly predictable in their their movements and actions. They were particularly taken with the American habit of "leaving no man behind". The Vietnamese thought this was great as it gave then time to regroup and consider their next move while the Americans were gathering their dead!
The Vietnamese made their traps and bombs from unexploded US materials in tiny underground workshops. I thought the rolling "metal stick" trap (pictured) was particularly nasty. As the guide explained, "Step in this trap & metal sticks start at feet and roll all the way to head,... no need for doctor!"

Rolling metal stick trap

Another interesting one was a device that would swing down from the ceiling and spike you in the groin, "This one, no more babies for you!"
When we returned to the city the bus dropped us at the war memorial museum. I recommend a visit as it really tells the story from the other side. There are pictures of American soldiers posing with the severed heads of Viet Cong as trophies etc. Not the story we see in the Hollywood version of the war. There is also the prision that suspected communists were taken and tortured and/or killed. Some stayed imprisioned for 10+ years. There were torture tools on display. I commented to Deb that is is just like the Killing Fields in Camodia only we didn't hear about these horrors because it was our side perpetrating them!
The next day I booked the Mekong Delta tour as Deb was going to have massage day. Our tour had another excellent TNK guide who gave us a lot of interesting information about HCMC. He said a lot of the city population were like him and had moved in from the country. Apparently his friends call him "bumpkin"!
Once we were on the boat the other members of the group were snapping away merrily with their cameras. I had mine at the ready but didn't see much that was different from the other boat trips we had been on. For most of the others I discovered this was only the first or second day into their trip and eveything was new and wonderous. I reflected on the number of pictures we took early in our trip compared with the few we are taking now. I think we are both ready to head home. Actually the main reson Deb chose not to come on tis tour was she thought it would be, as the locals put it, "Same, same, but different". She was pretty much on the money apart from some interesting diversions. Eg - catching crickets for roasting, coconut caramel factory.
Our morning tea was at a restaurant where we were to be entertained by traditional music and singing. When the band moved to our end of the restaurant I chose to absent myself and come back when we were ready to move on. When I returned I was greeted by a strained , wailing verson of jingle bells!
The next bit was an interesting paddle through some of the canals that make up this part of the delta. Much of the transport through this area is by canoe and the locals are very good at managing them.

Mekong Delta canals

After my return we decided to try the tourist area for tea. Very different to where we were staying. Much more of a "pub street" atmosphere. Sellers galore, and if you say no to the legitimate offering the next item that comes out are the drugs!
We heard some gloomy stories about HCMC before we arrived. We have found it quite a good place to visit. Busy, polluted, but as long as you keep your wits about you, an entertaining place to be.
Well down to the last day of our trip! It has been a great journey. Reflecting on the magnificent sights we have seen, people we've met and the 1000+ pictures we have taken, there are memories that will last a very long time. As much as we both enjoy the travelling, and the excitement of the unplanned way we go about it, we miss family and friends and are really looking forward to coming home. Having said that Deb is already thinking about the next adventure!
See you all very soon!