Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam (25 - 30 Jul 2014)

Preparations:


Prepared the itinerary in hard copy print-outs

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Flight details:

Flight Details	Booking Date: 07 Feb 2014
Date Flight Number Departing Arriving Wed 28 May 2014 3K551 Airbus A320 Flight Duration:  2hr 10min Singapore Wed 28 May 2014 1950 hr / 7:50 pm Changi Airport Terminal 1 Ho Chi Minh City Wed 28 May 2014 2100 hr / 9:00 pm Tan Son Nhat International Airport - International Terminal Mon 02 Jun 2014 3K558 Airbus A320 Flight Duration:  1hr 55min Ho Chi Minh City Mon 02 Jun 2014 1535 hr / 3:35 pm Tan Son Nhat International Airport - International Terminal Singapore Mon 02 Jun 2014 1830 hr / 6:30 pm Changi Airport Terminal 1

SGD $208.00 Original plan... but have to change... Topped up extra money...

Amended to the following: (final cost $328)

Date Flight Number Departing Arriving Fri 25 Jul 2014 3K555 Airbus A320 Flight Duration:  2hr 0min Singapore Fri 25 Jul 2014 0715 hr / 7:15 am Changi Airport Terminal 1 Ho Chi Minh City Fri 25 Jul 2014 0815 hr / 8:15 am Tan Son Nhat International Airport - International Terminal Wed 30 Jul 2014 3K558 Airbus A320 Flight Duration:  1hr 55min Ho Chi Minh City Wed 30 Jul 2014 1535 hr / 3:35 pm Tan Son Nhat International Airport - International Terminal Singapore Wed 30 Jul 2014 1830 hr / 6:30 pm Changi Airport Terminal 1

Flight was about 2hrs. credits Google maps

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25 July 2014


(1) 个人旅行，坐个 (2) 十多块的 taxi， 在一个不 (3) 不 (4) 的时间到机场。脑袋和 (5) 脏 (6) 腑还没醒的状态搭个 (7) 早 (8) 早的班机。


Changi Airport Terminal 1


Taking off!


Bird's eye view of HCMC


Landing


Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport


Arrival area




Ly Loan room for rent


Big spacious room with double bed, TV, aircon, fan, fridge...


Toilet with bathtub and hotwater. Fresh towels everyday!


USD$16 per night


First meal in Sài Gòn


Alley


Meat store by the street


Well known ABC Bakery




2nd level with Wifi


Bought Mobifone SIM card (100.000 VND + 50.000 VND)


DIY cut my SIM card again... And yes, it works too!


Bến Thành market


Getting sugar cane drink


Simple snack, but I forgot what it was called.


War Remnants Museum (Bảo tàng chứng tích chiến tranh)




Prison




Bùi Viện street (Beer Street)


Pork rice




Saigon beer at "Crazy Buffalo"


New friends from Holland


Having McPork (65.000 VND) at Mcdonald Trần Hưng Đạo - Q.1

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26 July 2014


Breakfast at Starmoon Coffee (207 B001 Bui Vien St, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, Dist.1)


Ice coffee and chocolate waffle


Fine Arts Museum (Bảo tàng Mỹ Thuật)


An old lift




豆花 - Vietnam style. The hawker balanced the items on a bamboo stick and walk around the street.


Hầm Thủ Thiêm


Cầu Mống bridge


Ho Chi Minh Museum


Little puppy being spoon-fed


Bitexco Financial Tower (200.000 VND)


Bird's eye view and panoramic view of the city


Raining again


Cơm chiên Thanh Noi style Fried rice for lunch (61.000 VND) at Food Creative


Shopping area


Opera House (Nhà hát Lớn thành phố Hồ Chí Minh)


City Hall (Trụ sở Ủy ban Nhân dân Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh)




Central Post Office (Bưu Điện Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh)




Photoshoot model


Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica (Vương cung thánh đường Đức Bà Sài Gòn)


Independence Palace, also known as Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất)


Ticket for 30.000 VND


Kitchen


President underground Command post


Communications equipment


Underground bunker


President reception room






Helicopter pad




Turtle lake (Hồ Con Rùa)




Phòng Khám Đa Khoa Thánh Tâm Tân Định


Nice pink structure




Gas station


Roast ducks


Green bean drink


Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chùa Ngọc Hoàng)




As dark falls...


Street stalls


Night Market at Bến Thành






Walked more than 13km !

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27 July 2014


Breakfast


Mariamman Hindu Temple


Bến Thành Market again, this time round is a guided tour with Saigon Cooking class.




Fresh crabs


Fresh meat


Surprisingly, the "market rate" of the food are actually being displayed at the main gate if anyone is sharp enough to notice. This is useful to prevent being scam.


Rice paper making


Saigon Cooking class


With Chef Kang


USD $40 / 840.000 VND for the half day market tour and cooking class


Đình THÁI HƯNG




Citimart (Citi Plaza)


Colourful helmets


Hello Kitty








Co.Opmart, 96 Hùng Vương, P.9, Q.5


Caesar Hotel - looks like an abandoned building


An Dong Plaza


Raining again!


Trying to walk to District 5, but got caught in the rain again. Eat chicken noodle soup with a kitty accompanying me

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28 July 2014

Arranged a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels. Bus pick-up in the morning from the guesthouse.


First stop: Factory for the handicapped










80.000 VND for the tour and another for the entrance fee


Tank


Traps the Vietnamese made during the war




Price tag for the live firing


Going into the tunnel


Cramp








Exchange rate in HCMC is better than in Singapore




Vermicelli crabmeat soup




Chasing the bus


Achaya Cafe


Live music




Cheeky Monkey Bar


Met new friends from all over the world!

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29 July 2014


Breakfast - SamKang


And I lost my 1-week-old Samsung S5 phone in the VinaTaxi... Unlucky...


Home-cooked food


Doggy!




Iced-milk


Ailu cat house cafe (284 Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển, 10, Phu Nhuan)


Naughty puppy


ZZzzzzzz




Just woke up face






Kiss~










Raining AGAIN

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30 July 2014


Breakfast


So many other countries currencies




Airport






Quick bite before flight





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More pictures: Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam (25 - 30 Jul 2014)