August 20th, 2019
We got up bright and early and took a shuttle from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam. It was about a 6-hour journey and when we reached the border we had to carry all of our stuff while we walked across, and then run it through security machines when we got to the Vietnam side. We then got back on our same shuttle that drove across the border and then continued the rest of the way to Ho Chi Minh.
We checked in to our hostel that was downtown and then set out exploring.
Walking around the city is definitely not a walk in the park as there are thousands of motorbikes everywhere. You take your life in your own hands every time you have to cross the street. We had been warned about this and found it to be true. You had to be on high alert as I would see several motorcycle drivers on their phone texting driving through intersections with millions of people. Lots of accidents happen here! We saw one while driving in where the motorcycle rider was crashed and sitting on the side of the street with blood running down his face and his bike on the ground. It is really intense!
The Vietnamese language uses English letters like Malaysia does so when you first glance you think you can read it until you realize the words are nothing you recognize. There was only one word that I did recognize which is “pho”. Lots of pho places and that was the first line of business when we reached the city. We went to a street food market where they had lots of stalls and I got my first bowl of pho in Vietnam and Brendan got a Bah Mi sandwich. The pho was cheap (just over a dollar) but I have to say, not the best I have had. East West Restaurant on Proctor in Tacoma, WA does a pretty dang good job and still ranks as my favorite.
After the street food market, we went to one of their big central markets. We roamed around there and then also went to one of the known “walking streets” in attempts to get away from some of the motorbike madness. Ho Chi Minh is an interesting mix of old French colonial architecture next to new, modern buildings. We walked until we were tired and went back to the hostel.
Quite a challenge crossing the street. That building with your name impressive. Not a fan of Pho even in Tacoma! Love N.