Family Easter Trip to Asia Part 2
Check out Family Easter Trip to Asia Part 1 for the Thailand part of this trip
A short flight from Phuket and we arrive in wonderful Hoh Chi Minh City aka Saigon. It has been 20 years since my husband and I visited, when we visited the first time in 2002, we had to return the following year as we needed to see more of this wonderful country. The people have always stuck in my mind as the most beautiful, kind and humorous. For my 14 year old son, this was his first visit and the most anticipated of the whole holiday, he has a special interest in history and was very keen to learn more. Due to time pressure, we only stayed in Hoh Chi Minh.
We stayed in district 1, it is like the west end in London, the best location as well as the most expensive – however it is relative, beer was still less than £1 a pint!
Our time here was action packed, War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels, Street Food, Markets. Our family highlights differ here, mine and my husbands was definitely the Motorbike Street Food Tour, this may be because we had done the other attractions on previous visits, our son’s was the Cu Chi Tunnels. Ho Chi Minh is manic by anyone’s standard, you need nerves of steel to cross the road alone, but worth every minute. Vietnam’s population is 98 million, of which 10% live in Ho Chi Minh.
It has changed, almost beyond recognition, in 20 years. There are now pedestrian crossings – with green men, sometime vehicles even stop! There are now cars, previously only motorbikes, cars are still outnumbered by motorbikes. There are many hotels, lots of 5* options, it is very tourist friendly and so welcoming. The coffee shops and restaurants are so much more than they used to be i.e. street side carts and now think high tea at Betty’s!
Our motorbike street food tour was incredible, we each had our own guide, so this is perfect if you are travelling solo, as a number of our group were. We had 12 lady riders and we were pillion. These ladies were amazing at navigating the Saigon mayhem and we felt safe at every point, my son’s rider was only a few years older than him! As you are riding through the evening, the guide is giving some fabulous insight into life in Vietnam and they each have their own story to tell. My rider was brought up in the Mekong Delta and had a university scholarship in Saigon, she did the motorbike tours as a part time job whilst studying and post grad, stayed in Saigon for the job opportunities. She now has a flower shop and still does the motorbike tours in the evening. It was interesting to hear how the culture is evolving, e.g. previously it was expected that any daughters would marry and then live with their husband's parents. The new generation of women are not necessarily complying with that expectation and they prioritise ensuring that they are financially independent which enables them to make their own decisions.
We had five food stops, at each one we got together with the others in the group (max. 12) and enjoyed the amazing food and a drink. Each food stop is sampled by the owner of the bike tour company, he demands the best food and standards – it is important to get the right supplier for this excursion, from both a safety and content perspective. Anything booked with me has had safety and standard checks.
We opted for a private guide for the Cu Chi tunnels and were so glad we did. We were able to skirt around the huge groups and access everything privately and have our guide's insight. When we visited this attraction 20 years ago, there were a handful of visitors, this is definitely not the case now, you need to get there early to benefit from less crowds and the cooler temperatures. The attraction has changed significantly, for the better, there is so much to see and learn from that harrowing time for the people of Vietnam.
A new kid on the block for Ho Chi Minh City is the Ben Nghe street food market, recently relocated from the Ben Thanh market location. The new venue is fantastic, immaculately clean, a huge variety of food choices, Vietnamese and many other options. We ate here every day we were in Saigon. My son loved being able to navigate the stalls and choose both his food and the many soft drink options from fruit smoothies to bubble tea, whilst we were happy for him to wander in the safe environment whilst we enjoyed an ice cold beer or cocktail.
The markets here are fantastic with opportunities to buy goods which are made in Vietnam, we stocked up on great quality T Shirts and my husband on golf clothing. There are also some unique handmade goods which are unique to Vietnam e.g. lacquered bowls and cotton lingerie bags. There are some tips for navigating the market and ensuring that you are in the right area to get the fair prices, I can help with this.
Has Vietnam changed, absolutely – it is more modern however has no less charm and will still be my favourite country with THE most special people.
It is important that you have an expert to guide your through a journey in Asia, to make the most of both your budget and time. Please get in touch if you would like to enjoy this adventure.