Daily Archives: December 6, 2013

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!

Best for bright city lights 

It’s time to jump borders again, something that is remarkably easy to do in this neck of the woods. Board a train in Phnom Penh, and half a day later, you’ll be stepping off in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

The capital of former South Vietnam, HCMC (or Saigon) has its own share of heavy history, but there have already been large doses of that, and it’s time to keep things light for a few days. Ho Chi Minh City is a good place to do that, to – as the base of the American operations in the country. It has quite a bit of a city-slicker vibe left over, though not in a way that takes away from its innate charm. It’s a city that’s got neon lighting up the skyline and immaculately-dressed residents walking along its broad pavements, sitting check-by-jowl with tiny lanes crammed with traditional ‘pharmacies’ and quiet temples offering respite from the chaos outside.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Ho Chi Minh City

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Ho Chi Minh City

And it is chaos outside. Everyone in Ho Chi Minh City gets around on two wheels, and the roads are always covered by a veritable swarm of motorbikes. It’s rather unnerving at first, navigating your way across Continue reading “Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!” »