I set off from Halifax, somewhat unusually reticent about travelling. Most unlike me. All the usual anxieties, mind. My return tickets to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) were incredibly cheap at only £503. This of course resulted in me being paranoid that I had been scammed; if it seems to good to be true . . . Then imagining that I hadn’t done something in regard to my new passport, such as registering it online or performing some new confirmation security procedure. Obviously I needn’t have worried, but I did, all the same. Checked in at Manchester, no problem, they even gave me the boarding card for my next flight. This of course then became a source of irrational fear as the second leg was with a different airline. Why would BA give me a boarding card for China Southern airlines? Why only the boarding card for the second leg and not the third, which was also with China Southern? There was clearly skulduggery at work. I then started thinking that when I got to Heathrow (more on this later) the whole teetering house of cards would come crashing down. I would be stuck at the airport, no holiday, out of pocket, maybe even attracting the attention of the law, and immigration. I might become the first victim of a new strict approach to undocumented aliens and end up being deported to Rwanda. Anyway, the flight to Heathrow took about 35 minutes, there was no drama and the boarding card enigma was solved; there is no China southern desk at Heathrow. When I arrived I was given the official boarding cards at the gate. I have not been to Heathrow before, it is enormous. I had to catch two buses to get from terminal 5 to terminal 4. Heathrow was like an adventure all of its own, could easily write a blog about my 4 hours there. I imagine there are people who have become lost and have spent months there, unable to find their way out.
The flight to Guangzhou was 11 hours, the seats were quite small, it wasn’t a great experience. The low cost of the tickets became more understandable. The last time I flew for 11 hours I spent most of it asleep or eating. This time I spent most of it awake. In the grand scheme of things, this is no real hardship. However, it felt more like 3 days than 11 hours. Guangzhou airport provided a couple of moments of mildly titillating mirth; the comfy looking nap cabins that could be hired, and a young lady demonstrating a motorised suitcase. I was only passing through and failed to take advantage of any of them. After a short delay on the taxiing strip, we were off on the final leg to Ho Chi Minh City.
I have been to Vietnam a few times, so there wasn’t the element of surprise. I kind of knew what to expect, and this provided a highly efficient set of manoeuvres from the plane to my accommodation. Grabbed a cheap (£10), but unlimited data, SIM as soon as I got into the airport, updated my Grab details, had a manageable wait for immigration (UK citizens can visit Vietnam for up to 45 days without a visa) and then changed £100 into Dong at a very favourable exchange rate. Booked a cab on Grab, see what I did there, and before you could say good morning Vietnam I was at my accommodation.
I had stayed at LoCo Homestay (with Netflix) before, so I knew the location and pretty much what to expect. The last time I stayed I had a lovely room, this time not so good. I mentioned this and was assured it would be upgraded as soon as a better room became available. Marvellous. The accommodation was VND 550,000 per night but the guy gave me a discount of 50,000 a night. This most welcome gesture resulted in the room, a studio apartment with en suite, Netflix, basic cooking facilities and fridge, costing £14.51 per night. It is situated in District 1, very central and close to many popular attractions. I have visited many of these before, such as The Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Tao Dan Park, Museum of Ho Chi Minh City etc, so I gave them a miss. I would recommend them all if you are here for the first time. The onus was now on me to find things I hadn’t done before, which was pretty easy to be honest.
My first day was dedicated to some sincere self-love. I moseyed along to Ben Than market, a short distance from my accommodation. If indeed you can mosey in 31 but feels like 38 degrees. Stopping along the way to partake of some remarkably tasty Cafe Sura Nang, hot milk coffee to the uninitiated. I have to admit I had forgotten that coffee in Vietnam can be very hit and miss in terms of strength. This was rocket fuel. Anyway, on to the market where I identified a snide Lacoste polo shirt and a Stussy t-shirt. I had only brought one t-shirt with me as I knew I would be able to pick something up here. A little obligatory haggling and I got them both for £13. Following this I took a brisk stroll to the Full Moon barber shop. For VND 1,000,000 (£28) I received a 2 hour package, with two wonderful assistants, which consisted of head massage, foot massage, full body massage, ear wax cleaning, ears trimmed, pedicure, manicure, facial, wet shave, hair wash and blow dry. Serious pampering.
The following day I identified a Zen Buddhist monastery that required a visit. I walked the 6.4km, engaging with the practice of finding Zen in the mundane. The walk was hugely enjoyable, my attention rarely straying from the immediate experience. The Van Hanh monastery was not huge, but it was captivating. Despite a small crew of workmen erecting some kind of temporary stage, the place was infested with serenity. I spent a short time in quiet meditation inside the main temple before strolling around the gardens. All good. Whilst I was there, I found myself in conversation with two young Vietnamese ladies. They were most impressed that I had an interest in Buddhism, not just the temple. We chatted for a while, swapped WhatsApp details and went our separate ways. I then walked back to District 1. I am told this is the key to Zen; just mindfully doing normal things. Before enlightenment, chop wood, make fire. After enlightenment, chop wood, make fire. Apparently, it’s all about direct experience, not scriptures and books. Anyway, I spent the rest of the evening wandering up and down Ngyuen Hue, a wide pedestrianised boulevard laced with bars, cafes, eateries etc. It is very popular and has, at the north end, Ho Chi Minh’s statue, the Opera House and City Hall. These buildings are excellent examples of beautiful old French colonial architecture. I also took the first of several visits to the top floor of the Cafe Apartments. This, unsurprisingly, is an apartment block consisting of cafes, and a few gift shops etc. The first time I walked to the top floor, level 10 I think, and thought I was going to die. The other times I willingly forked out the VND 3000 (86p) for the lift.
The following day I had arranged to meet Rosy, and her sister whose name I was never told, in order to visit another temple quite near to Van Hanh. Vinh Nghiem, was ok, it ticked most of the boxes. We set some caged birds free, $10, a decision I partly regretted as a couple of them were injured and probably wouldn’t survive long. At least they would have been fed and safe in the cage. Karma is all about intention, so on that level I will have avoided any dark energy. This is a SE Asian phenomenon; people catch birds and then other people pay to free them in order to make some kind of merit. Near rivers it also happens with fish. There is an obvious chicken and egg dilemma; do people catch them because people pay to release them, or is it the other way. Who knows, but as long as people pay, people will keep catching them. After this we all found another temple nearby and sat chatting in the main gompa for an hour or so. Rosy, and her sister with no name, were keen to increase their knowledge of English, asking me what things like “cost an arm and a leg” mean. We then had dinner at a lovely vegan restaurant. I spent the rest of the day and evening wandering quite aimlessly around District 1.
The next adventure was to trot along to visit the cathedral Notre Dame. I had first visited it in October 2022, and had been disappointed to find it adorned with scaffolding. Likewise, in February of this year. Imagine my disappointment to find it still a la scaffolding. This means that it is still closed to visitors, although it hosts mass twice a day. In the shadow of the cathedral, lay the city post office and Book Street. Ho Chi Minh Post Office is definitely the best post office I have ever been in. Old wooden phone booths with clocks showing the time in cities across the globe. A huge vaulted ceiling, large portrait of the man himself, beautiful wooden counters and tables where people can write letters etc. A rare example of colonial era architecture still being used for its originally intended purpose. Book Street does what it says on the tin; lots of book shops and a couple of cafes. You would be hard pushed to wring more than an hour out of it but it is definitely worth a gander.
My next mission was to locate and visit the site of the famous burning monk episode. I had first done this the day before, after leaving the post office, but the sun was high and it was too hot to spend any real length of time there. The irony is not wasted on me. The following day was much cooler so I took a walk up there again. There is a large statue and monument for Thich Quang duc, set in a garden with some seating and a large stone frieze surrounding it. It is a very peaceful spot, despite being next to a major road junction. The incident is well documented, no need for me to go into any real detail. I sat and contemplated his experience, then contemplated my experience of contemplating his experience. The actual location of his self immolation is across the road from the memorial, marked by a small shrine.
When I visited in February I had identified a small Vietnamese vegan cafe at the end of my street. A large bowl of vegan beef noodle soup for VND 39kk (£1.13) became my favourite. I now rekindled this love affair. I also found another restaurant for the evenings, a little more expensive but let’s establish some context. Their vegan meat yellow noodle soup was VND 50, (£1.43) criminal. I managed to find a few coffee shops, so I flitted between them, like a coffee chasing butterfly. Coffee was typically priced between VND 20 – 50k (57p – £1.43).
I discovered a wonderful enterprise, about 200m from my accommodation, at which I became a daily visitor. This is N & N Coffee & Spa. The proprietors, Henry and Luyen are welcoming and provide excellent hospitality and services. I had a coffee and massage every day I was there. If you are in Saigon, I would recommend you visit. Massages are VND500,000 -700,000 (£14-20) and are most thorough and enjoyable.
My original plan was to spend a few days in Saigon and then travel to Da Lat, a few hours north by bus, for a few days. However, there had been some seriously disruptive weather in Vietnam, resulting in many areas being flooded and many roads becoming impassable. Such was the case with the route to Da lat. Therefore, I remained in Saigon the whole time. Whilst not being ideal, it was a long way from any real hardship.
I spent some time cruising up and down Bui Vien, a walking street in District 1, and one of the main destinations for most tourists. The reasons for their visits vary widely from mere curiosity to patronising the seedier massage spas. In between people have legitimate massages, drink in the many bars, have tattoos, eat food. Bui Vien used to be an administrative centre housing many journalists and media endeavours. It then morphed into a backpacker mecca and finally into its present incarnation. You can get a 60 minute full body massage for VND300 (£8.50). Street food costs pennies and restaurants usually hover around £3-10 for a decent meal. It is an assault on the senses, fire eaters, booming music with scantily clad girls dancing on tables, beggars, bars, tattooists, transsexual freelancers etc. You are constantly getting propositioned by any or all of the above. It is loud, very colourful and very engaging. There is a similar area near the opera house called Japan Town. It is a rabbit warren of streets and alleys, crammed with bars, cafes and massage spas. Everything is Japanese themed but all the girls who work there are actually Vietnamese. The prices here are higher than in Bui Vien. It is a visual spectacle and an invigorating experience, but I didn’t really scratch the surface. I had been warned that the area is known as a rip-off in many ways.
I had fallen into a tourist routine, as opposed to a travelling one. There is a difference. I spent a lot of time just relaxing, people watching, aimless walks and general dossing. I did take a lengthy walk to Chinatown one day, about 4km each way. I later felt that maybe I missed something as enjoyable as it was, it wasn’t a particularly memorable experience in terms of unusual or outstanding sights etc. Sticking with the Zen appreciation of the mundane I guess. I did visit Binh Tay Market but it was just closing as I arrived. A monumental lack of foresight on my behalf. We will put that one down to experience.
One other highlight, if you excuse the somewhat clumsy pun, was the Saigon Skydeck. This is a viewing gallery on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. It costs $10 (£7.70), and you can stay as long as you want. It affords fantastic panoramic views of Saigon, as well as a brief but interesting history of the city from its beginnings to the present day.
So, a lot of pampering and indulgence. A lot of chilling and watching the world go by. A much more immersive tourist experience. The Vietnamese are among my favourite people. They are patient, friendly, welcoming and surprisingly warm. Saigon remains one of my favourite cities. It’s vibrant, cheap, colourful and holds many surprises. What’s not to like?