What Led Me There 

I’d met a classmate when I was studying abroad in France that was Vietnamese American. She was interesting, so I promised myself that one day I was going to visit Vietnam. This was almost seven years ago, and yet for the past year, I kept hearing Vietnam repeatedly in my head. I wasn’t sure what was making me hear this, but I decided that this was the time to go. Very spontaneously, I applied for my single-entry visa, was approved in 48 hours and I took that as a sign from God. I packed my bags, and I left for Vietnam.  

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam 

I can’t even lie; the first thing I noticed about Vietnam was the pollution and the Grab app. When I arrived in the airport, my phone wasn’t quite broken yet, but it was severely messed up and I couldn’t download the Grab app from the airport to my spot, so I had to use the taxi cabs. I hate taking taxi cabs in any country, including America, because I feel like they’re always finessing you. But alas, it was what it was.  

Once I took the cab they arranged for me to my destination, I couldn’t help but notice the pollution. It’s really hard not to see it (and inhale it). They use motorbikes to get around all of Southeast Asia more quickly and that contributes a lot to pollution. I was also struck by the canals that flowed throughout the city. They were filled with heavily polluted water, and it was hard to see that because I’m a water girl, so much so I tried not to look at it when I took a walk through the city.  

My Walk Through Saigon and the Traffic 

Funny enough, I had to buy a cell phone soon after I arrived because mine broke the day after I arrived (I kept dropping it). And because I didn’t have a phone or the Grab app at my disposal, I had to walk to the nearest cell phone store which was about a 20-minute walk from me. People were looking at me like I was crazy. I didn’t see many pedestrians until I got to the main part of town.  

Most of the people were on motorbikes fully masked up or they were chilling at the many cafes and restaurants that face the street. And crossing the street in Vietnam is such a thrilling task in and of itself. You have to be bold to cross those streets. I remember feeling like I was going to get ran over a lot, but you just have to step out with confidence honestly. They’ll work their way around you. And luckily, the drivers in Vietnam are respectful and practical. They’re not trying to bump into or hurt anyone; they’re just trying to get to where they need to get to. Even in the flow of traffic, with all the honking, it was more like they were trying to let people know they were there more than asking them to move out the way. It’s a beautiful and scary thing all at the same time.  

A Maze – ing 

What I love about Saigon is the layout of buildings, businesses, and homes. The homes are tall and thin, often three or four stories high. They are tall, long from front to back, and thin. The businesses I saw were often one story, but they were all separated into long thin pieces, and all the businesses really utilized their space well. I loved it! There was a cute coffee shop near where I stayed where I quickly discovered milk tea, the best thing I’ve tasted since having mint tea in Morocco. The coffee shop was long from front to back but couldn’t be more than six feet wide, but it had a row of couches along the wall that faced the street with small tables in front of them on one side and then on the other side were individual tables with two chairs per table. Then you could step down to the edge of the shop and there were cute little chairs and tables lined up alongside the street as well facing outward. This is where I saw most of the smokers sitting.  

Most of the small business that I saw in Saigon were structured like this and there were so many. One day, I needed to print something out impromptu and there was a fully professional full services printing shop tucked away in a corner right around the corner from where I was staying. The owner of the business was kind enough to print something out for me for free, but it was amazing. I never would have guessed it was there and although it was so near to where I was staying, and I probably passed a good 20 businesses before I reached it, this is how good a use of space they make in Saigon. It was like a maze of amazing discoveries.  

Welcome to District Five 

Saigon is split into wards or districts, and you are supposed to know what’s the nice and swanky areas are based on the wards that you’re in. Honestly, I didn’t explore enough to know one way or the other. But apparently some of the finer districts have high rises and fancier restaurants. Saigon is a large city, so I honestly wouldn’t know one way or the other, but if even I go back, it’ll be work checking out I suppose.  

The Airport 

This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had in an airport. There weren’t enough people to help the customers. I took an early morning flight. This is something I’ve never seen before. The line was so far out for security that it began to wrap in a circle like a snail, and people were confused about where the entrance of the line was. Then people started cutting in line. The shit was crazy. But it’s cheaper to fly into Saigon than a lot of the other airports in Vietnam.  

Cuisine 

I developed a deep and profound love for milk tea. Vietnam is known for its street food, but it honestly wasn’t for me. Not this time, but it is worth checking out, especially the sandwiches (banh mi). I believe that the recommendation for buying street food is to find the booth where many people are congregating and buy from them versus buying from someone whose stalls are empty.  

Also, other than street vendors, I found that the smaller restaurants were also great to buy from. The food is inexpensive and delicious. Some of the food I ate was honest stuff that I was familiar with in America like beef fried rice and whatnot. Still bomb though. That and my milk tea. I also found a restaurant that made amazing tofu. I ate that a lot because I love tofu.  

Vietnam offers so many adventures when it comes to cuisine, being open is necessary.  

Return 

I’m not a big city person which is what Saigon is, but I do need to return to enjoy it in all it’s form. I believe that I missed out on a lot of experiences because of my culture shock, Tet was happening, and honestly, I was just exhausted, but there were more niche things that I wanted to enjoy while I was there and will return to do so.