To be honest, Vietnam was so long ago now, and so much has happened since, it's going to be difficult to describe what Saigon was like (I haven't even written it up in my diary yet...).
I arrived early morning as always, another easy bus journey sprawled out across 4 seats where I managed to grab some sleep. I headed off in search of a cheap stay but ended up going round in circles on the back of a moto checking out a load of commission-based guesthouses, none suited. I ironically ended up in the exact place the bus had dropped me off an hour earlier. $5 with bathroom and fan, standard affair, until I realised that the trip-switch for the AC was outside the door, turned off, so I turned it back on, free AC......well after tweaking it to turbo cool and uber fast with my pliers...
Saigon was going to be a short stop as my visa was running out. I managed to squeeze in a few things though; the day I arrived I headed for the War Crimes museum where the atrocities of the war were on display, along with some of the wounded survivors limping round selling books. That evening I bumped into a guy I had met in Nha Trang so we shared the room, and the cost. The following day we booked on to a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, similar to that of the Vinh Moc, but far less impressive. They were very small and you could only walk/crawl a few metres, all whilst sweating like pigs. I can't imagine what it would have been like for troops in full combat gear moving through the area, it was so hot and humid. In the same area was the "Sport Shooting Range", which is essentially a place where you can go and waste a load of money shooting a variety of guns. I opted for the infamous M16, only 5 rounds mind, but it was still nuts!
Saigon was a far busier city that Hanoi and way better in terms of backpacking; all the hotels, bars, cafes, tour agencies were all in one place, unlike Hanoi where they are littered all over the Old Quarter. After 2 nights there I was done, and headed off on a bus bound for the Cambodian border... The adventure continues... More thumbnails ...
| 
Ho Chi Minh City Hotels
15 votes 
This is a top pick!
