April 14 through 16, 2023
After a final excursion to the Angkor National Museum in Cambodia, we headed out to fly to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam. My expected visa issues were a non-issue here since Vietnam allows you to do an e-visa online in advance (nice!). The day after we arrived, we went to the famous Mekong Delta, stopping along the way at one of their common "hammock cafes" where people drink coffee and then lie around in a hammock for a while (an idea that needs to catch on in America). I did *not* have the coffee here either, but I'm getting really good at pretending to sip.
At the Mekong, we took a wooden rice barge ride to another part of the river where we took a canal boat ride (a sampan) to our lunch spot. One of the cool things about this trip was the wide variety of transportation modes we took, some of which I'd never heard of in my life. We had a very traditional Vietnamese lunch which was largely fish (descaled right in front of us!) so I didn't eat much 😑 I wasn't the only one on the tour who wasn't that fond of fish, but I was the least vocal about it 😏 Happily our tour guide was excellent at making sure everyone's needs got met. Later we watched a demonstration of how the locals make coconut candy by hand, which would have been more fun if the place wasn't crawling with tourists. The next day included a tour of the downtown area (including the central post office and Independence Palace) which included remains of colonial architecture. Lastly we visited a secret bunker that housed Viet Cong (I think) during the Vietnam War (once again I realized how little I know about history). Side note: One of our tour group fainted in the heat at the Palace which led to great worry from the rest of us. Believe me when I say the heat was relentless 🌞 Spoiler: she recovered with some A/C and electrolytes.
In the evening we got to do a super fun excursion - riding a motor scooter through the streets of Saigon to try out different types of street food. We were paired up with "professional" scooter drivers (I got a lovely man who spoke no English, who was okay with me wrapping my arms around him 😏). The driving was the best part for me since Vietnam traffic is legendary with high risk and high energy (even crossing the street here requires a whole lot of faith and prayer 💀); the food was good too although I didn't love all of it. Luckily none of it made me sick, just a bit queasy (I'm guessing it was the shrimp and scallop dishes I dared to try!).
Last day in Vietnam involved going to the Cu Chi Tunnels and learning about the Vietnam War. We got to see how the Viet Cong built a vast network of underground tunnels to fight in South Vietnam; we even got to go into the tunnels themselves which are quite narrow. Visiting this kind of "war museum" left me feeling very uneasy since it felt like government propaganda to me and a tribute to the side that won (but I guess the winners tend to write the history books). They even had a gift shop which felt even weirder. I did learn a fair bit about the war from our local tour guide, who waited until we were back on the bus before saying how she really felt about the war and the government 👀). Her family's story was quite tragic but I won't relate it here.
One thing I didn't mention enough is that all of these countries have had amazing night markets (probably created in an effort to avoid the daytime heat and rain)! They stay open late, they are massive, and quite a social scene. I contributed to the local economy many times 😀 and will be bringing home many souvenirs (that I don't need). I think LA has started similar kinds of markets, but I doubt they match the vibe of these places.
On a side note, I've heard that North Vietnam is worth a visit and is quite beautiful but there was no time for it on this tour. Although Vietnam has come a long way (e.g., it has moved from fully communist to being capitalist-communist, but still with lots of restrictions if you work in government 👀), I feel like I've seen enough for now. Final aside: still getting whiplash going back and forth between right hand side and left hand side driving, kind of ready to stick with just one side 😏
And then we headed back to Bangkok for the post-trip to northern/western Thailand (and a quick reunion with Art!).
Deena
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