Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

The first thing that comes to your mind when someone says "Vietnam" is war. That's how it is, it was a big, extensive and everybody knows about it. So it's pretty much the first thing that you'll think about. And if that's not the case, then your second option will be motorcycles and a lot of honking. Because these are the things people share, or the impressions we have of that country before going there. I even heard that it was a very dirty place and it was not enjoyable. But what I didn't know because no one told me (and I feel like I need to share it) is that the people there are really friendly and caring and even if they can't quite understand you (language barrier) they will still give you a smile when they can.

I did enjoyed Ho Chi Minh, probably more than Hanoi (which I will write about in another post). I sweated a lot (my shirt was wet!) and my feet were black and dirty from the dust, but damn I loved it. It's a very cultural place and yes, you have to be careful so that you don't get scammed or robbed but just trying to be part of it instead of being just a tourist made my days there better.

Before arriving Ho Chi Minh I read a bit about what the prices of things should be, just to have a rough idea and not get scammed. This was helpful, since their currency (dongs) is in thousands (I mean, 1 dollar is approx 20,000 dongs) so if you don't have that in mind before going you might be a bit lost at the beginning trying to guess how much that is in US dollars. Still, having that in mind, we had a bit of a problem with our taxi. While in the airport we made the arrangement with this guy that hooked us up with the driver. Now, the guy accepted to charge us 60,000 dongs, but the driver (who doesn't speak english) wanted us to pay 100,000 dongs and would not understand that we made the agreement for 60. We ended up paying 80 just to let it go. Till there until I got to the hostel I experienced 3 things: you can get scammed by taxis if you don't know about it in the airport, there are a lot of motorbikes in the road and they can carry absolutely anything (boxes, trees, an entire family), and getting across the road is difficult at the beginning.

The only thing I knew about Vietnamese food was the Viet spring rolls. While doing some research about the place I read about pho, that it is yummy, that it is cheap and that is eaten at any time of the day. Pho, or noodle soup, is like a speciality there, and it's sold absolutely everywhere. We were recommended to eat the 'best pho in Vietnam' in a place near our hostel (and till date I still consider it the best pho). For 2 bucks I got a big bowl of pho bo chin (well-done beef noodle soup), and it didn't matter how hot it was outside, pho is pho and it tastes good at any time of the day (I'm actually craving for it now).

There are two places where you can go to check on history: the re-unification palace and the war remnants museum, both recommended by our hostel and highlighted in our map. Also, both close to each other and in a walking tour you can visit them. I won't recommend the first one since it's freaking IKEA, a museum of the furniture of the ex-governor. Like you read it. You will see chairs and tables and beds and the exit door. I could say I was tired and hot, but it was just not my piece of cake. Later came the war remnants museum, and I still was tired and hot but here I spent as much time as I could. You might have read this somewhere else, and if not, I will tell you that it is shocking. There are always two sides to every story, and this one is told by the journalists that had to live there to take photos of how the Americans tortured the viet people. You see the photo taken from a van with a kid running just behind it, and then the next photo is taken from the same van seconds after they killed that boy. Photographers tell their story about how they got injured, some of them even got killed and their film was recovered later. There are stories told by those who survived, hiding in tunnels, about how they killed their family and friends. Soldiers that were ordered to kill just because, to burn every house, mutilate people and even kids on the road. And then you have the stories of the families that had to live with the effects of the agent orange (this toxic mutagenic agent that they spread as if it was pesticide above all the fields and houses). I know there are two sides to every story and that the Viet also fought back torturing and killing Americans, but this is how they tell this side of their story. It was brutal and that is fact.

Moving on from the sad and shocking moment of the war, we got to know some locals by visiting a popular market (Ben Trah Market), where I got to practice my ability to bargain. My dad is good doing it, and I learned from him, so for everything I wanted to buy I asked for the price, reduced it to the minimum and then saw their expression. If they were shocked then it's because I probably reduced it too much, if they accept it immediately then it's because I could have asked for less, and if they say no with doubt and ask for a bit more then it means I should stick for my price because it's probably right. And if that's true and they don't want to accept what I'm asking I walk away, they will come after me and say "ok" and smile you back. They're all super friendly, and they will always be laughing and smiling. Even when you walk by their place again they will say "you come for more?" and hope to sell something to your friends as well (and that's how we got our matching CK underwear).

After much shopping we had some more food in the market, with stools so low you feel like you're eating sitting in the floor. But here's the rule: the lower the stool, the cheaper the price. Search for comfy chairs and expect to pay more.

The day ended with a bit of local interaction, chilling in a park watching them play with this thing with colours (I don't know the name, and I can't describe it, so that will be hard to picture). We bought one of those and made a circle and started playing with it (you play with it as if you were playing football and doing kicks, something like that). It was fun and we sucked! One guy joined us but we were so slow and bad that he left. Still, it was fun. Walking at night back to the hostel was cooler than at the morning, and we got to find a place where all the motorbikes are parked with couples sitting there kissing and hugging and eating together.