Top 5 Reasons to visit Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Top 5 Reasons to vist Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam



1. Strong coffee!
2. Crawl inside the Cu Chi Tunnels
3. French influence on the many landmarks
4. Dare to cross the street!
5. The unique crafts



Here's a summary of the Vietnam posts in case you missed them:

Good Morning Vietnam!
Bac Ho (Ho Chi Minh)
Streets of Saigon
Vietnam Arts and Crafts
How Vietnam Won the War - Cu Chi Tunnel Series
Gourmet Blend Coffee



We were only able to visit Ho Chi Minh for 3 days. Although very short, I feel that it was still worth it especially the visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

I hope we can visit Hanoi next time.

Enjoy your trip!


--
PS. You can follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
PPS. You can sign up here to get travel and photo tips!!

Have a break, have a.. - Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

There is also life above ground for the Vietnamese when there is no imminent danger.



Aside from collecting undetonated bombs for recycling as traps, they would usually find themselves lounging on a hammock or chitchatting.



The soldiers also take time to write diaries or send letters to their families.



Even if they're on a break, the soldiers always have their weapons ready. Just in case.

These are all just manikins that we take souvenir photos with. However, we forget to realize that the message these manikins are trying to tell us is that real people were involved in the war. These soldiers have their own dreams, own families and own lives to celebrate. They are also human beings.

There still small wars being fought in many different places around the world. Let's not forget to always pray for peace in our beautiful world.

--
PS. You can follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
PPS. Get email updates here!

Gourmet Blend Coffee - Saigon Vietnam

When you're in Vietnam, don't forget to try out their coffee!

These are not instant 3-in-1 coffee mixes. The silver contraption you see at the top is the filter, something similar to the french press. They put coffee and hot water into the filter and you just let the coffee drip into the cup. They put condensed milk instead of sugar and cream. You can have it as iced coffee too!

Their gourmet or house blend coffee has a more hazel-nutty flavor. It's good but there are some who do not like it. Still, I suggest you try it out.

You can buy the coffee and filter at the grocery. I suggest you buy different flavors so you can try everything. Trung Nguyen is the brand my Vietnamese friends suggested.

Enjoy!



--
PS. You can follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
PPS. You can sign up here to get travel and photo tips!!

Living 6 feet underground - Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

One of the meeting rooms used by the Vietnamese soldiers.

I cannot believe that the Vietnamese lived underground for so many years during the war, but if it's only way for you to survive, then I guess you can't afford a little luxury.

The meeting room above is only 5 feet high. If you're any taller than that, you have to stoop down just to fit in.



Despite living underground, you'll be surprised by the availability of amenities such as clinics, dining rooms, sleeping quarters and kitchens.

Yes, they do have kitchens and you ask what they do about the smoke? They've also dug a smoke tunnel for the smoke to come out to the surface. Now to avoid giving away their position, the smoke tunnel is designed in a way that the smoke comes out from a hole far far away from the actual kitchen.


This is me duck-walking (walking while squatting) my way through the tunnel.

Take note that I am 5' 10" so this was very difficult for me. I may be smiling here but after a while, my legs started to cramp. That scared me a lot because I was worried I couldn't come out from the hole!

A warning to those who are claustrophobic: leave the tunnels to the adventurous people.


.. to be continued..
--
Ps. You can follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
PPS. Get email updates here!

Can you squeeze into this? - Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

This is a very clear example of how the Vietnamese won the war.

When facing the Americans, the Vietnamese will go into these little entrances to hide.

This hole gives them access to the underground tunnels.

The Americans would think that they're pursuing the Vietnamese when in fact, the tunnels have allowed the Vietnamese to circled around the Americans for a shot from the back!


..to be continued..
--
Ps. You can follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
PPS. Get email updates here!

How Vietnam Won the War - Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

The Cu Chi is one of the districts of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). It is made up of a complex labyrinth of tunnels that was used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War versus the Americans.

On the left side of the picture above, you'll see red areas where the many camps are located. These are all connected with long winding tunnels. This allowed the Vietnamese soldiers to move from one place to another without being detected.

On the right side of the picture, you'll see a cross section of the tunnel system. The Cu Chi tunnel can go up to three levels deep, where each floor is just about 5 feet high. They have rooms for a clinic, meeting room, kitchen, storage areas and sleeping quarters.

The tunnels that connect the different floors can be as high as 4 feet, but some are just 1 foot in height, forcing you to crawl on your belly.

When you visit the Cu Chi tunnels, you'll start of with a video of the war (see the small TV above).

The video was filmed from the point of view of the Vietnamese. So as a warning to American visitors, you may find some of their words offensive. Do keep an open mind though since this video was taken during the time of war.

.. to be continued...

PS. If you want to be updated on the continuation, enter your email here. I'll send you an update via email!

--
Follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
Get email updates here!

Vietnam Arts and Crafts

Vietnam arts and crafts include woodwork and paintings.

They would gather bamboo and stretch them to become round or flat plates that serve as their canvas. Because it's made of bamboo, it's very light to carry so it's easy to take home.



Paintings often depict women wearing the traditional Vietnamese clothing, Ao Dai. Another common feature is the Non La the cone-shaped hats.



Aside from painting on the bamboo canvass, they also put egg shells and capiz shells to decorate their woodwork.





Some of the plates are dyed to provide contrast to the white egg or capiz shells.



These are then polished and varnished to give it a shine.




What I like most about their work is how they combined different mediums (paint, egg and capiz shells) to make decorative pieces. Also, the final glossy finish gives it a more "expensive" feel to it.



Prices range from US$15 for small pieces to $100+ for the larger and more intricate designs.

--
Follow Adventure Travel Asia on Facebook!
Get email updates here!