Getting to Ho Chi Minh was quite the affair. On our way to the airport, our diver told us that there was a big typhoon to the north of us and another one on the way. We had no idea this was happening and wondered if this would effect Lauren and Chiara’s flights back to Hanoi and NYC. When we checked in for our flights, we saw that nothing was delayed or cancelled…yet. Then slowly but surely flights started getting delayed and none of us ended up leaving until after midnight.
Once I arrived in Ho Chi Minh, it was roughly 2am and I was exhausted. I was hoping to take the public bus to my hostel, but of course that wasn’t running at 2am. I hopped in a cab and the driver made his way through the empty streets of the city. Many streets in Vietnam are too narrow for cars to go down, so I hopped out when we were close to the hostel and walked the rest of the way. I rang the doorbell and was greeted by a very sleepy young man who then told me they had put me in a different room in their sister hostel. Partially confused and also just wanting sleep, I said ok and hopped on the back of his motorbike with all of my bags. Thankfully only a 1 minute drive away, we arrived and I had an entire room to myself. By 3:30am I was finally able to go to sleep.
The next morning I woke up surprisingly early considering I had gone to sleep so late. I walked down to the kitchen where I enjoyed a nice omelet and tea. I was excited to check out of my hostel as I was moving myself into a 5-star hotel a few miles away called The Reverie Saigon for the next two nights (THANK YOU Michael for the free stay!) This is exactly what I wanted after an extremely late night, so thankfully I was able to check in early at the hotel! While I of course wanted to just relax all day, I knew that I should explore as I didn’t have long in the city.
Ho Chi Minh City has an interesting history. Before the 17th century, Saigon (what is now Ho Chi Minh City) was part of the kingdom of Cambodia and was known as Prey Nokor. Vietnam claimed this area as settlers moved south after the 17th century. Saigon became the capital of Vietnam in 1949 and remained the capital of South Vietnam when the country split in 1954. When the north defeated the south in 1975, the city was no longer the capital and was later renamed Ho Chi Minh City, after the communist leader of the country.
I grabbed a map from the hotel lobby and walked to my first site, the Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. During its construction in mid-1800s, all the red bricks and stained glass windows were imported from France but many have now been replaced since the war.
Next up was the Saigon Central Post Office, which is right next door to the Basilica. As one of the oldest buildings in the city, it attracts many visitors with its French architecture and colonial features.
Heading south from the post office, you’ll wind up by the Reunification Palace. Designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu, it served as the workplace and home of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The most significant event to have happened at the palace marked the end of the Vietnam War. On April 30,1975, a North Vietnamese Army Tank broke through the gates and the communist party declared victory.
My last stop of the day was the War Remnants Museum. As you enter the grounds you will find US armored vehicles and planes on display outside. Other parts of the grounds show replicas of the French and South Vietnamese prisons on Phu Quoc and Con Son Islands, which depict some of the inhuman ways the prisoners were treated. The bottom floor of the museum housed many propaganda posters and antiwar photographs. The rest of the museum is devoted to showcasing photography collections from combat and the horrific effects of napalming and bombing on the population. Overall, I definitely felt like the museum took a one-sided approach, but you cannot disagree with the terrible ways the prisoners were treated and the physical and mental side effects facing the Vietnamese today due to the bombings.
Feeling a bit down after I left the museum, I started making my way back to the hotel when I stumbled upon a cooking school. I LOVE Vietnamese food and had planned on doing a class before I left. With only 1 day left in Vietnam, it was now or never, so I signed up for the morning course for the next day.
I woke up around 7:30am the next morning and headed to the local market, Ben Thanh. Filled with different clothing and souvenir vendors inside the front of the market, my class quickly walked through to the produce section. We tried some local fruits, like the jackfruit, and then walked through the meat and seafood section. I was amazed by all the different types of fish and other seafood you could purchase!
After our market visit, we made our way back to the school to begin cooking. Our menu consisted of making Cuon Diep (green spring rolls with a dipping sauce), Pho Bo (beef noodle soup), Ga Sot Cay Voi Hung Que (chicken breast with spicy sauce and sweet basil), Com Hap La Dua (steamed rice with pandan leaves), and Suong Sa Hot Luu (tapioca dessert with honeydew).
I had a great time exploring the city, learning some new recipes and enjoying a little bit of luxury from my usual hostel stays!