While applying for our Vietnamese visas in Luang Prabang, I was struck by the dual portraits of Ho Chi Minh, the spiritual leader of the Viet Cong, back in those times. Times have changed, but the city formerly known as Saigon still bears the provenance of its history: SGN
The question now, is, how long to spend here. (We’re headed towards the beaches of Hoi An, and HCMC was the cheapest and best entry point for us.)
Here’s a short summary of some of the things to consider when visiting HCMC/Saigon. It’s how we began our travel planning for this leg of the trip.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
- 20 reasons to visit Ho Chi Minh City (via Traveller.co.au)
A visit to Ho Chi Minh City is an encounter with exotic food, French colonial architecture and memories of war, writes Guy Wilkinson.
- Top 10 things to do in Hoch Minh City (via Wanderlust.co.uk)
Don Ault planned to live in Saigon for one year – that was four years ago. He explains what you can’t miss on a trip to this chaotic yet charming city
- Ho Chi Minh City in three days (from TheGaurdian.com)
Vietnam’s largest city has sprawled from the small Khmer village of Prey Nokor, once surrounded by prowling tigers, through a century of opium-raddled French colonialism, to today’s manic, modern metropolis stalked by glassy skyscrapers – a rapacious capitalist machine powering a one-party socialist republic.
- HCMC in 3 days (from VietnamOnline.com)
Ho Chi Minh City was once touted to be the Diamond of the East. With its dynamic business environment and the late night entertainment venues, Ho Chi Minh is now an icon for a booming Vietnam. Yet if you prefer something more reserved, you can always find a quiet corner for Vietnamese black coffee or a tea-room with live jazz.
So cough up your visa fees (for Canadians, it’s $45 USF) and hand it over to this guy. Then see you in Vietnam. We’ll be in the Hoi An area, most of March 2015.
