SEA Trip: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

CAUTIONS: This post does not contain any practical information. All is unimportant stuff filled with subjective judgment. Do not continue reading if you're currently doing research for your trip. Read this if you miss me ;)

Day 1: July 31, 2012 (HCMC)

Arrived at the Saigon Airport at 7.40 pm. The last bus 152 was at 6pm, so the option would be taking a taxi, which will cost 150.000 D plus guesthouse for sleeping, or sleep at the airport and cost nothing. I took the second option. Because it’s still early and I really had no idea of what to do, I decided to take dinner: a bottle of water which cost 15.000 D (normally 4.500 D) and a 30.000 D croissant. At first I slept outside the airport, but then a taxi driver annoyed me so I made attemp to find a better place to sleep. Lucky me to met the annoying driver, since it was because of him I finally discovered that the airport’s greeters hall is a really nice place to sleep. Go to the second floor and go straight, you will find some long-chairs which are originally restaurant sofas.

Day 2: August 1, 2012 (HCMC & on the way to Na Thrang)

They say Ho Chi Minch City is a restless busy city, with crowds and traffic, travellers and business. And that’s all just right. The first thing I discover was it was really chaotic in the road, even in the crossroads with traffic lights, you can see motorcycles just abandon the red lights. The result is: it is necessary to possess certain skill to cross HCMC roads. Even if it’s one way street, you still can find bikers go to opposite direction. Crossing the road require you to look carefully on both directions at the same time, because you never know what’s coming.

After purchasing ticket to Hanoi from TM’s Brother Cafe (cost 35 USD), I walk to Reunification Palace (30.000 D), which turn to be a dissapointment because both the architecture and the collection is just as ordinary as any old hotels. There’s one interesting point about the bunker, but nothing more.

Reunification Palace

 The next destination, War Remrants Museum, was a real surprise. Lonely planet descibes it as “a unique, brutal, and essential stop” and I would be lying if I disagreed. Most people came with full spirit, and finish the tour in exhaustion. Exhausted physically, morally, spiritually. What happened to Vietnam during the Vietnam War is the reason behind this torture towards the museum visitor. All the photographs, words, and installations show us the hostility of the war, and the continuing pain caused by it. I started the tour by looking at the tiger cage section, which explain how the prisoners were tortured. I almost shouted for seeing a mannequin, really skinny and naked with hopelessly sorrow face inside one of the dark chamber. And when I read the explanation regarding torture methods of the prisoners, I feel like I could throw up. Even when I’m writing this I still can feel the bad feeling inside my stomach creeping to my throat. I continued to the touching collection of campaign for peace in Vietnam, also some photographs and explanation about Vietnam diplomation history. One gift from a US troop attracted me: a collection of honour medals given to army personnels for their ‘achievement’ in the war, with a sentence attached to it “To Vietnam people, I was wrong. I am sorry”. Other collections are also touching, but the best is yet to come when you reach the second and third floor. Collection in second floor shows you photographs of the war victims: the most heart-breaking is the “Agent Orange” section, showing innocent children who are disabled because of the genetic harm of the US biological weapon which contains dioxine. I hardly able to swallow my saliva on seeing those pictures, yet hardly able to stop myself from reading the explanations of each pictures, which only causing more heartbreak. Third floor represents the dedication, and also strong emotions, of war photographers of Vietnam War, making them more aesthetic than the second floor. Good technique combined with emotional events, resulted in well-organized sections of touching photos, yet exhaust your emotion and burdening your heart with anger and pain of the Vietnam War. You must visit it yourself to really feel the thrill brought by this museum.

War Remnants Museum; tough from the outside, heartbreaking inside.

Dead body of babies resulted from Agent Orange biological weapon during the Vietnam War.

Photos of 3rd generation of Agent Orange Victims. Thousands of Vietnamnese became disable because of this biological weapon.

 It was rain when I went out of the museum, so I just came into the closest noodle stall near the museum. I was actually really really thirsty combined with some feeling like “I don’t want to eat” but finally I ate a bowl of noodle soup, which turns into a great satisfaction: 25.000 D with free flow free ice tea. In the morning I already tried dry noodle with grilled pork satay (20.000 D) and some bubble tea (20.000 D, also with free flow free tea), all was great. There, I met a Czech guy who gave me some words of wisdom for traveling, from whom I finally decided to go on foot to the Emperor Jade Pagoda.

The walk was quite far, a 25 minutes walk, but a fun journey although the pagoda itself wasn’t charming at all, at least in my opinion. I was getting used to read the map and know the streets, besides I can enjoy the city charm and taste the Vietnamnese-seasoned snails (32.000 D) which coincidently seen when I was walking. And finally, heading back to Pham Ngu Lao, I took a taxi to catch my bus which departs at 8: first (and maybe the last) trial of Mai Linh taxi which bring me to a conclusion that this taxi (as other travellers say so) is reliable. However it cost me 52.000 D so I’d rather walk through a different route next time, maybe.

The dissapointing Jade Emperor Pagoda. If you go to HCMC, don't do Pagodas!

The 1-hour waiting at the bus office was really worth, since I could charge this laptop and my cellphone and took a bath (a really improper bath, but well it’s a happiness though). The bad thing is: I left my water, and haven’t fold my dirty clothes properly. Ah, well, doesn’t matter. And anyway I have to change my itinerary since the night bus cannot go straight to Hue, so I should adjust another one night in Na Thrang and delete the other item. Ah, well, just good night. So long, HCMC!