“The traffic in Vietnam is crazy. You just have to hope for the best.”
It’s fine, I thought, I know and love South-East Asia, I’m used to crossing the road.
“You’re going to Ho Chi Minh City? You should’ve booked to go Hanoi, not there.”
Oh, darn it, we were 50/50 between HCMC and Hanoi so we just went to the cheapest.
“Well next time, go to Hanoi.”
Needless to say we didn’t kick off Vietnam with the highest of expectations.
What was this “unruly city” going to do to my family and I?
It was the last leg of our honeymoon and I was feeling low after waving goodbye to my chinese family in Malaysia.
On arriving in HCMC we ordered an uber taxi which I suddenly realised was a moped, so I quickly swiped for a taxi car.
Once inside the car we witnessed why mopeds are a good option over here… everyone everywhere was riding a moped.
Ho Chi Minh City (Formerly known as Saigon):
Overview = HCMC is bustling with life (and traffic) and great food. It surpassed our expectations.
The highlight of our trip was doing a cookery course at the Vietnam Cookery Center which is set at the top of a beautiful old building over looking the city. Watch our video here.
Accomodation =
We stayed at First Hotel which is a huge two-part hotel in the suburbs close to the airport.
The photos on hotels.com don’t do the rooms justice.
It’s dated and rough around the edges but surprisingly lovely homely rooms.
Trips =
There’s tons of trips you can do such as going underground in the Cu Chi tunnels, going to museums and seeing sights of the city. Check our trip advisor or your hotel concierge for more.
Having young kids we decided to explore the markets, parks, the palace and do our own walking tour of the city.
Verdict =
HCMC is vibrant, a bit bonkers and full of fabulous food.
It’s still very cheap compared to somewhere like Thailand.
Hardly anyone we spoke to could speak English so make sure you have a phrase book and/or google translate app.
We loved our trip and there was plenty for us all to see and do. The malls are also great for play centres and guaranteed air con and toilets.
We were there over New Year so the city was full of colourful lights and everyone was so friendly.
5 Comments. Leave new
That soft play looks amazing – I can’t imagine taking my kids on a holiday like this – it would be so out of my comfort zone it seems very exotic and adventurous to me!
I can empathise with with traffic, it was similar across China! Sounds like an amazing trip though.
Oh wow, what an amazing place it looks to be! I would love to visit although I cant imagine living there with all of that traffic!
Hi there, I have never been to Vietnam but it looks like it would be a great spot to see one day. Glad you took your children. It seems like you managed a nice family trip! Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!
I was really impressed by the War Remnants Museum. Maybe not a place for children but a very interesting visitor attraction.