So this post would be a first of many things - in lieu of my first blog anniversary (Yaaaay!), first trip abroad with friends, first time in South East Asia and my first "birthday" trip. I think it was around late June when my best friend, Yiezza called me about a seat sale promo in Cebu Pacific to Vietnam then Cambodia. Immediately, I asked for my parent's permission and booked a flight to Vietnam (fly in) - Cambodia (fly out). Our airfare has been just PHP 6,000+ with no check-in baggage (another first!). We were supposed to go with our (mean) girls, but due to work and school schedule, they couldn't :( Yiezza planned our itinerary, she booked our hotels and bus transportation for the trip. Around July, I told Paolo, my friend, about it. We were talking before about how we were so stressed with work and we both needed a break - this was the perfect getaway from it. He immediately booked a flight, too! Happy to have very spontaneous friends! Hahaha. I wasn't feeling the thrill of the trip yet because of work, not until two days before, I had a last minute shopping trip and finished packing a day before. All the while, I was praying that I won't over-baggage since the 7kg is the only allowed carry-on weight. (I don't know the definition of "pack light"). I decided to use #highonlove because everything about this trip is just pure natural high on love. So here's part 1 of my trip - Vietnam. Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did! DAY 1 - Saigon | Ho Chi Minh CityOur flight was 10:50 PM, so around 8:00 PM we met at NAIA 3. One of the important things that I forgot was my company ID, the immigration officer asked for it and I thought I won't be able to leave :( Good thing she just asked me to write my company and position in the paper. Whew. It was really a close call. I'll put it on my priority list next time, lesson learned. And my carry on luggage was 6.7 kg! Thank God. We arrived in Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport past midnight. At around 1 AM, we reached Blue RIver II hotel, we got it for less than 2,000 for two nights through Agoda. We woke up early to catch the morning Cu Chi Tunnels tour. Our hotel receptionist helped us booked the Cu Chi Tours with Delta Tours which costs 130,000 VND or 6 USD. The trip going to the Cu Chi tunnel area took around 2 and half hours. We had a stopover at an egg/seashell gallery with handicapped artists. This is a very popular art in Vietnam and very inspiring, too! It shows no matter the imperfections we have in life, nothing can stop the creativity of a person. Cu Chi Tunnel TourThe Cu Chi District is the tourist part of the connecting underground tunnels located all over Ho Chi Minh City. These served as the base camp of Viet Cong's during the Vietnam War. These tunnels have been their advantage from Americans since the tunnel system was also their hiding spots, communication and supply routes, weapon storage and also, living quarters. The tunnels were liveable but the air, food and the water was very limited. Viet Congs usually go out at night to tend their crops, scavenge for supplies or plot traps for their enemies. The tunnels were very narrow, which was also an advantage for the Viet Congs since the Americans won't fit in the tunnels. Eventually, the American plotted "Tunnel Rats" - these are American volunteers/soldiers who can fit into the tunnels. They would go inside and plant bombs, but as per our tour guide, they would get lost inside the tunnel and get trapped inside. Most of these Tunnel Rats didn't make it out alive. Yiezza and I went inside the tunnel and had the hands on experience ala Viet Cong. #femalewarriors So after the Cu Chi Tunnel experience... We asked our tour guide how long it was, apparently we crawled through the 150 m Cu Chi tunnel. It was exciting and scary at the same time, because you don't know what you're going to face, there are times you have to push yourself up or crawl on the ground. There were areas where there are no lights and it was pitch black, so imagine you're underground with limited air, no lights and you don't know where you're heading. Exploring the cityThe tour ended around 1PM and we head back to the city, our first thought was "FOOOOOD"! It was past lunch time and we were hungry. We walked to Ben Thanh Market, and luckily, we found the famous Pho 2000! Without a second thought, we went inside and had some lunch. Pho 2000 is popular because 15 years ago (in 2000) former US President Bill Clinton ate here, then five years after, he went back with his daughter. We ordered three kinds of Pho - Beef, Chicken and Seafood. I had the Chicken Pho and I recommend it (It was also what Bill Clinton ordered). We also ordered Bhan Mi, I don't usually eat curry, but curry + baguette = yummy! The spring rolls are another story... They're mouth watering PERFECT. They have the best spring rolls. EVER. If I ever come back to Vietnam, I'd probably eat these spring rolls everyday. Lol. So please, if you ever plan to visit Vietnam, put Pho 2000 in your itinerary. It's worth the trip and it's very affordable. After eating, we crossed the street and spent VND at Ben Thanh Market! Hahaha. We had serious shopping issues, I bought my pasalubong and my bill was 1,009,000 VND. I had to exchange few more dollars because I only had 800,000 VND with me. Yes, we're millionaires at Vietnam! Hahaha. But seriously, their smallest money is 1,000 VND and they don't have coins, they only have paper bills. Next stop, Saigon-Notre Dame Basilica. Since it was Sunday, we decided to visit and pray. The mass was in Vietnamese so we couldn't understand a thing. The Basilica was built during the French Colonization. The French brought the Christianity to Vietnam, thus, the Basilica. Presently, religions in Vietnam are Buddhism, Roman Catholic and Vietnamese indigenous religion (folk religion). Right beside the Basilica is the Post Office, it's good for photos, but there's nothing too special about it. Since Vietnam's French influence is still very evident from their staple bread - baguette, french products and countless french inspired cafes and restaurants everywhere. And of course, we wouldn't miss going to these classy and quaint cafes. We also developed an unconscious habit of having desserts first before meals... Our first cafe is La Fenetre Soleil, it has a very cozy and vintage feels interior. Also, yummy ice cream! We had our dinner at L'usine, I love the place! If only we can have something like this in the PH. It's very cozy and warm at the same time. It has the Wildflour x Toby's Estate feels. For me, it would be a great place for brunch, an afternoon tea and even late night wine sesh with my friends. After dinner, we walked around looking for a nice bar to hang out. Since we're not familiar with the place and we can't see bars nearby, we again decided to stay in a cafe for the wifi... Hahaha. I forgot the name of the cafe huhu. This was our 4th cafe, our 3rd cafe was where Paolo bought coffee beans as pasalubong. It was so crowded and I think it's very popular among the locals. I also forgot the name of the cafe :( And so, we ended our night at a local bar in Ho Chi Minh and tried the local beers... And one of the highlights of the night was trying this Ostrich meat in a taco-like serving. It was very spicy, and we didn't even finish it. We went back to our hotel past midnight, we prepared for our trip to Can Tho province the next day. We have an early call time to catch the first bus since it was a 4 hour trip. It was a good first day in Vietnam! :) The people don't speak English that much and they only understand a little, good thing there were a lot of tourists who helped us with the directions. What I also love about Vietnam is the number of European tourists, probably 80% of the tourists, so imagine me ogling over blue-eyed, blonde, tall and fit European men with those sexy accents!! It was like my book-boyfriends came to life and I had hearts in my eyes. #fangirlalert I think more than the tourist spots, I appreciate the cultural experience. Vietnam is just like the Philippines but also very different. There was a lot to take in for a day, but I observed a lot in their culture and way of living. I hope you had fun reading this and just in case you need any tips if you're going to Vietnam, let me know :) xoxo, M
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She wonders and wandersMonica writes about her life, what she eats, what she reads and where she goes. This space is where her thoughts, experiences, memories and feelings turn into words. She's glad that she can share with you. Archives
August 2021
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