Day 1/2 – Saturday Dec 7, 2013 to Sunday Dec 8, 2013 – In Transit

We had a long 24 hours travel journey ahead of us that started in YYZ to SGN (Ho Chi Minh City) with two stopovers in Vancouver and Hong Kong. The first 5 hour flight to Vancouver felt quick since I slept through most of it. Our next flight was a long 13-hour flight to Hong Kong. It felt long but not as brutal as my last Asia flight to South Korea… maybe because I slept well over 6-8 hours of it and watched 3 movies.

Our stopover in HK was 3.5 hours where we roamed some of the stops and had a meal at Taiwan Beef Noodle. The soup was tasty, noodles were good but the beef…ehhh it was a bit tough. The bubble tea was disappointing since the pearls were terrible. Gah, it was pricy too (about $14.00).

We left the airport and was a short 2 hour flight away from Ho Chi Minh City. This short flight even gave us a meal! We arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) around 11:45pm local time. The airport was nicer than I imagined but I was awfully nervous in entering the country…

First, get my VISA on arrival. My hands were shaking for the first time ever… it was my turn to hand all the documents in but I didn’t have everything out since the line moved too fast. I thought he was going to yell at me for holding up the line. I worried for nothing because everything went smoothly. *phew

Next, go through the border. This part was also nerve wrecking as others have suggested to give the passport control officer a “tip” to avoid long-winded questions. Yes, this was my first time handing a bribe over. An officer waved us over as I was walking towards the “All Passports” lane. This officer’s lane was “Crew only”. He must be really efficient and helpful or… looking for a bribe. I handed our passports to him with a $5USD bill slipped in. He said NOTHING… he didn’t ask any questions. He just handed each passport back to us.

As we exited, I saw an ATM and went to withdraw Vietnam currency. The first ATM ran out of cash and the second ATM wouldn’t dispense… WTH! Gah, cashless… We left the airport and I didn’t have a backup money plan since I knew my uncle and aunt who lives in Ho Chi Minh could spotted us.

Taking a taxi was another feat since there are so many scams I’ve read. Luckily, my uncle and aunt handled it and we were on our way to our hotel. We finally arrived at our uncle’s place to drop off luggage and then walk to the nearby hotel. Jet lag hit us, it was 3am but only 3pm Toronto. It was nice to finally lie down but I only managed 1.5 hour of shut eye. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow…

Day 3 – Monday Dec 8, 2013 – Ho Chi Minh City

Up and early, we checked out of the hotel and walked over to my Uncle’s place, which is also my dad’s childhood home. I’ve only seen photos and heard stories of the place. It was really neat to see it and get to meet my uncle, aunt and cousins.

We relaxed, unpacked and ate home-cooked beef noodles. I got the chance to have my first Vietnamese iced coffee, which I don’t think I’ve even had in Canada. IT WAS SO GOOD. I made it my mission to have one every day just because it’s that good.

We had a couple of small things to figure out on our first day including paying a deposit for our Ha Long Bay cruise, booking tours and getting cash and a phone sim card. My uncle took me via motorbike to the bank. It was CRAZY on the streets but so much fun riding on the bike. After going to three ATMs, the card finally dispensed me cash so that was a relief!

We continued with our errands via motorbike and I loved the experience. The traffic is crazy and there aren’t many rules. Motorbikes are all over the place and pedestrians are crossing whenever they want. I wasn’t so scared of getting in an accident so much as getting my sling bag snatched by “motorbike pirates”. We booked our Mekong Delta 2 Day 1 night tour for about $25.00 and our bus ride to Mui Ne. I still had to figure out the Mui Ne hotel… Bah, I prefer pre-planning and booking rather than on the spot. After visiting two agencies for pricing, I decided to just search online for better value.

I also went to my uncle’s preferred tailor to get some clothes tighten and altered. For about 10 pieces, it cost me $25.00! The tailor was nice and seemed very professional. Hopefully, everything will be perfect.

For dinner, we had Bò 7 món, which is “seven kinds of beef” –one of my favourites in Los Angeles. It was just “okay” and not as good as LA. However, the spring roll was delicious and possibly one of the best I’ve ever had.

We checked into our hotel, ‘Beautiful Saigon’ shortly after dinner to get some rest. I had to frantically shop for a Mui Ne hotel room and made a booking with a local agency. However, I had to await their confirmation. To be continued…