( Overview
/ WHEREVER THE MOOD TAKES US….
Saturday 4th Jan
Finally arrive into HCMC, it took an hour to get through passport control so we didn’t leave the airport until 4.30, caught a Grab car to our hotel which is buried in a labyrinth of alleyways in District 3 but very close to all the attractions of Didtrict 1. We head back to the main road and find a restaurant called The Street, we order snail-balls (not the testical variety but I’m pretty sure they use the whole snail without removing the fiddly bits!!) to try, we then order beef with broccoli and courgette flowers, all delicious and a great people watching spot. Head back to our hotel and I’m
in my element as they have a free laundry facility on the top floor which also has stunning views so I bung a wash on at 9pm… hilarious how I can get excited about doing laundry!
Sunday 5th January
We’ve booked a private guide for a history / walking tour. Our guide Nana, arrives on crutches at 9am! We think it’s some kind of joke but she explains that she had a motorbike accident some months back and is still recovering. We all hop in a taxi and she takes us to our first stop…. Venerable Thich Quang Duc (the famous Burning Monk monument), the next stop is Bo Van Hoa, the hidden weapon bunker in Tet offensive 1968. We pop down through a trap door in the floor to explore the basement bunker.
Our next stop is for a coffee at HCMC’s oldest coffee shop (opened in 1938) Cheo Leo, and still being run by the same family today.
Nana then takes us to Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment blocks which were built in 1968 and finally we wander through the Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market.
Nana joins us for lunch at a place called Vietnamese Broken Rice and after lunch we part company with Nana at around 3, she was an amazing guide, gave us lots of tips and ideas for the rest of our stay in HCMC and the rest of Southern Vietnam. We continue our solo walking tour taking in Notre Dame which is currently covered in scaffolding and then Buu Dien (the old Post Office) which is full of tourists and locals all preparing for Tet (the Chinese NY), it involves dressing up and having loads of photos taken. We work our way back to District 3 and visit the Tan Dinh Catholic Church (Pink Church) and finally head back to our place, for a bit of a breather before heading out again in the evening (I may have to do yet more laundry!).
Finally arrive into HCMC, it took an hour to get through passport control so we didn’t leave the airport until 4.30, caught a Grab car to our hotel which is buried in a labyrinth of alleyways in District 3 but very close to all the attractions of Didtrict 1. We head back to the main road and find a restaurant called The Street, we order snail-balls (not the testical variety but I’m pretty sure they use the whole snail without removing the fiddly bits!!) to try, we then order beef with broccoli and courgette flowers, all delicious and a great people watching spot. Head back to our hotel and I’m
in my element as they have a free laundry facility on the top floor which also has stunning views so I bung a wash on at 9pm… hilarious how I can get excited about doing laundry!
Sunday 5th January
We’ve booked a private guide for a history / walking tour. Our guide Nana, arrives on crutches at 9am! We think it’s some kind of joke but she explains that she had a motorbike accident some months back and is still recovering. We all hop in a taxi and she takes us to our first stop…. Venerable Thich Quang Duc (the famous Burning Monk monument), the next stop is Bo Van Hoa, the hidden weapon bunker in Tet offensive 1968. We pop down through a trap door in the floor to explore the basement bunker.
Our next stop is for a coffee at HCMC’s oldest coffee shop (opened in 1938) Cheo Leo, and still being run by the same family today.
Nana then takes us to Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment blocks which were built in 1968 and finally we wander through the Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market.
Nana joins us for lunch at a place called Vietnamese Broken Rice and after lunch we part company with Nana at around 3, she was an amazing guide, gave us lots of tips and ideas for the rest of our stay in HCMC and the rest of Southern Vietnam. We continue our solo walking tour taking in Notre Dame which is currently covered in scaffolding and then Buu Dien (the old Post Office) which is full of tourists and locals all preparing for Tet (the Chinese NY), it involves dressing up and having loads of photos taken. We work our way back to District 3 and visit the Tan Dinh Catholic Church (Pink Church) and finally head back to our place, for a bit of a breather before heading out again in the evening (I may have to do yet more laundry!).
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