7 tips to note when travelling to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC - flight view

I have always love traveling on my own (free & easy), whether or not it's with my family (members) or friends - that's how you really get to immerse yourself into the life of a commoner. =D

You may want to take note of the 7 'findings' below, shall you have your travel planned for Vietnam - especially to Ho Chi Minh City!

1) On Local Currency - Vietnam Dong

Please make sure all your Vietnam Dong (for currency above 10k and above) are polymer notes. The money changer in Singapore, exchanged a non-polymer 50k Dong to me - and it's not acceptable at all. Luckily, we managed to get it change in the local bank (money changer)!

This is an actual non-polymer 50k Dong - it is expired!

2) On Street Food - Clam (seafood)

You must try their street stir fry seafood! It's damn Solid! Especially their clamss! I love lala! It cost around 30k Dong for a small plate. It's sure appetizing and FRESH! Yumzzz!

Our First Meal On Arrival - Clams on the street!

3) On Zi Char - Must Try their Deep Fried Elephant Eared Fish

When I first googled for "Things to do" and "Things to eat" in HCMC, I came across a day trip to Mekong Delta and it appears that Elephant Eared Fish is a typical lunch menu! I began to ponder, shall I suggest travelling that far (from HCMC to Mekong Delta will take approx 3-4 hours car ride) for just a fish dish. After all, it might not be worth it and so, we will think about Mekong later, after we feed our stomach well =D. Just when we had our clam dish on Night 1 - we discovered a local 'zi char' nearby, and decided to give it a try (just follow the crowd). And to our surprise, there is an Elephant eared fish ON THE MENU! What more! We ordered the FISH! It's such a Yummy-Yumzz FISH! LOVE IT!! It cost us 170k Dong (SGD12).

Such a Yumzz Fish! Miss it!

4) On Must Visit - Cu-chi (pronounced as "Ku Chi") Tunnel

Cu-chi Tunnel is located approximately 70km from the northwest of HCMC. The road trip to Cu-Chi tunnel is not straight forward, in fact, it's quite a maze! First, need to passed through the hustle bustle of the city road (approx 30mins), then moved on to a small kampung road (20mins) , that leads to a highway (20mins) and finally linked us to the destination via a(nother) typical old highway route (40mins). On and all, travelling time is around 2 hours (max) - very much dependant on the traffic in the city and how long you got stuck along the kampung road. Nevertheless, the crawling in the tunnel is the main highlight of the entire trip (food aside!). Even though it's just a short 100m crawl/squat/duck walk (whatever you call it) along the tunnel, the 10mins in it, was quite a workout. At least, I perspired like I have worked out for an hour in the  gym (practically dripping) and the next 2 days, my thigh hurts! LOL!

A horror shot of me in the Guard's Bunker!

That's our victory shot! After 100m of crawl/squat/duck walk!

5) On shopping - Cua Bac Day Market in District 1

The market, I guess open from 8am (or even earlier) till late noon. There are loads to shop there but make sure you are equipped with the skills for negotiation. You can easily slashed them 30% to 50% off the price the quote you (e.g. a baby milo tee, typically are quoted at 150k Dong, the lowest they will go is between 90 - 100k Dong (come up to about SGD 6 - 7)). Look out for some LEECH SUCKING seller. For the same tee, they might quote you 200 - 250k Dong, this shows how insincere they are in doing business. So, you can 'siam' and move elsewhere. There are also loads of dry and wet food products sold. You might want to get a few packets (250gm) of lotus seeds and some wasabi green peas (this is definitely crunchier than those in SG). It cost around 250k dong/ kilo for lotus seeds and 130k dong/kilo for wasabi green peas!

Night shot of Cua Bac market @ District 1

Lotus Seeds and Wasabi green peas - real deligh

6) On their local fast food chain - Pho 24

Our common fast food chain here in Singapore and Malaysia is Mc Donalds'. During my stay in HCMC, I don't see any Mc Donalds' chain - I spotted a few KFC chain though. Just to let you know, if you want to try out their local fast food chain, you might want to pay a  visit to Pho 24. Seriously, there's nothing much to shout about - I just don't fancy this type of food (even though I'm a carbs lover, this is so not up to my expectation - I'm speaking out for myself, maybe you should try and let me know if you love it!). :)

Pho 24 -  Try it, if you want!

7) On more street foods - Snails and french loaf with shredded chicken with loads of vege

The other 2 street food you should try are snails and french loaf. I'm not exactly a fan of snails (imagine those disgusting snails we see sliding and moving slowly on the street..Ewwww!) but I made it a point to try it because my colleague who used to worked in Vietnam, urged me to do it - so I gave my virgin shot.  The snails taste good; as it's cooked and sauted in coconut milk (quite appetizing), however, the slimy texture of the snails - are just not to my liking. My travel partner had most of the snails. Hahaha! Moving on to french loaf (=D), love it! It's so  fresh - it's crust is so crunchy and it's bread, is so soft! Even the shredded chicken are tasty - and I rejected all the veges! :) Give it a try! You will love it more than me, I suppose.

Snails!

Lady preparing our order - 1 french loaf (Vietnam style)!

French Loaf with Chicken and veges!

It was an interesting trip to HCMC - all  random and easy! But I don't foresee myself visiting again so soon. The food are just not my cup of tea. I still prefer Japan than any other Asian country (not like I've been to a lot). Somehow, I just love Japanese Udon, Tamago and Ramen of course! =D