Ho Chi Minh City (Jan. 26, 2015)

Well, I made it safely to Ho Chi Minh City. It’s big, busy and very active, but pretty cool from what I’ve seen so far. I arrived at a Bus Station that was not walkable to the hostel, and hooked up with a Swedish couple who were sitting at the Bus Station having a coffee and assessing what they were going to do as a result of being dropped at a different station than we thought. So, I told them I had a booking and they were welcome to come with me, share a cab, and see if there was space at the hostel for them to stay. They said that was a good idea, and so we jumped into a cab and were dropped off at the hostel by 7:30 am. Of course you can’t check in at that time, but at least I could leave my luggage there and go walking around. The Swedish couple decided that they were going to get a hostel closer to the airport as they had an early flight in the morning. I walked them down the street to catch a cab, and we said our goodbyes. 

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The hostel is decent enough, but nothing outstanding. I think
I’m spoiled from having a private room for 10 days…..lol. It’s clean and breakfast is included. It’s also located on a quiet little street off a main street so it is quiet. It doesn’t really matter, as I’m only staying here for two nights anyway. I’m happy with the hostel in any case and find it’s location to be fantastic and central.

I walked around the area for a few hours today, waiting until it was time to check in. I saw the War Museum, and the Opera House. There is a performance going on tonight that looks like a traditional cultural thing, somewhere between Cirque de Soleil and something else, musical. It should be good and the venue is really cool. I got a single seat in a more expensive section as it was the only single left in the section and they wanted to get rid of it, so that was a nice break. It was worth about 400,000 VND more than what I asked for, but she gave it to me at the lower price to sell the single. Yeah!

War Museum

Outside the museum

Outside the museum

Me and an old tank

Opera House, later in the day

Opera House

Welcome sculpture outside 

Stage before the show

Ceiling inside Opera House

I took a look at Banh Thanh Market and stopped for a Bahn Cun which is the rolled rice pancake with bits of pork and mushroom in it. Also, it’s served with bean sprouts and fresh basil with cucumbers. Super delicious.

I went back to the hostel for a little rest as the bus ride to Ho Chi Minh was good, but not very restful. The roads were bumpy and I was at the back of the bus, so I didn’t get sound sleep, though I did sleep most of the way. So, I had a little lie down and slept soundly for two hours. Then I got up, got ready, and went to the Opera House to catch the show. It was called the A O Show and was absolutely fantastic. It was a large group of male and female performers who were in the best physical condition you could imagine. They did all kinds of beautifully choreographed movements using bamboo poles, giant wicker baskets, drums, and acrobatics. They had several Vietnamese musicians playing along to their pieces and it was the most lovely and impressive presentation I have ever seen. The physical condition and skills of these athletes/dancers/artists were incredible. I was so happy I went to see it.

Cast after the show, taking photos

Building across from Opera House

Store window

Another great building

After the show, I walked around the area, which is called District 1. The districts here are about as big as a little suburb so there’s lots to see. Here are some of the street scenes that I encountered while walking. A nice city with lots of lights and action. I am a little guilty to say that I was a bit hot today and this evening walking around. Now I know that no one is feeling sorry for me especially because I have been complaining for the past month about being cold. Well, no longer will I be cold for some time now. It’s back to being a bit sweaty and pulling out the hat and sunscreen……lol. Tomorrow I think I will go to the Ho Chi Minh Museum of Fine Arts. It looks interesting and I’d like to see that.