- Forrest McGuire
- Where we stayed: NgocThao Guestouse, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
- What we visited: Markets, War Museum, Local Bars
- What we ate: Pho, goi cuon (rice paper shrimp rolls), Banh Bao (pork bun)
- Highlights: War Museum & 17 hour coma
- SNAPSHOT...
- We arrived at the Ho Chi Minh airport around 10:30pm after 19 hours of flying; excited, but exhausted, and ready to check in to our hostel. We took a taxi from the airport directly to our hostel for about 250,000 VND ($12 USD) and arrived to a small alleyway where our hostel was located. The NgocThao Guesthouse was about $9/night for each of us to stay in 1 bedroom with a queen bed. We took melatonin as soon as we showered and got ready for bed in order to get acclimated to the time change by going to bed and waking up at a decent hour. In the morning we were given a free breakfast by the guesthouse of eggs, bread and quick ramen noodles. Once breakfast was over we began our adventures around the city. Our first stop was the massive market in the center of town. We looked around for thirty minutes at the heaps of clothes, souvenirs, and food they had available-- all for very cheap prices.
- We wandering around the city in search of the War Museum and were approached by a pair of Cyclo drivers (basically just a three wheeled peddle taxi) and they offered to take us to the museum for very cheap. We were dropped off and told they would wait for us, so we went inside and checked out what the museum had to offer.
- The museum was dedicated to the Vietnam War, who was affected by it, and how it changed their lives. The museum offers a glimpse into the war, how it started, and why it lasted so long. The most impactful piece of the museum is the exhibit on the Agent Orange victims-- those exposed to the chemical warfare by the US forces. It honestly amazes me how people who went through such horrible atrocities can still be so happy and forgiving even though the effects of this chemical will be seen for generations to come. They had a section of the museum where today's Agent Orange victims make souvenirs to sell and play instruments while overcoming the hardships they face every day because of what happened over 50 years ago.
- As we exited the museum, the Cyclo drivers were waiting to take us to our next destination, we were dropped off just a few blocks away at the Palace of Reunification and ended up getting charged about 500,000 vnd ($20) for our tour around the city. I was furious at first but later felt at ease since we had a blast riding around the city on the Cyclos. We ate at Ngon restaurant right beside the reunification palace, and we shared an appetizer and two well portioned meals for a grand total of 150,000 vnd ($7!!). We walked back to our hostel and decided to look at our pictures from the day and take a quick nap before going out at night. However, we ended up taking a 7 hour nap. We then decided it was too late so we stayed in all night and ended up sleeping from 2:00pm until 7:00am!