Last December, I visited Vietnam with my family. It was a rushed trip, so we had only 4 days to spend there, but during that time, we saw as much of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) as we could. After the trip, I realised that I had quite a few decent pictures of the places we visited, so I'm going to share them here now.
If you haven't been to Vietnam, may I recommend it as a good place to take your next vacation at? It's a beautiful country with nice, friendly people. Tourism is big there, so you will find a lot of foreigners around the year, but if you look hard enough you can also find nice, peaceful spots to spend time in.
I hope these photos will inspire you to visit 🙂
First glimpse of Saigon from the air. The crawling waterway is a branch of the famous Mekong River.
Immigration. I didn't know it was forbidden to take photos here. Soon after I took this pic, I was confronted by an immigration officer who almost took away my phone. Fortunately, I was able to apologize and get away with it.
Remnants of the Vietnam War. This is a US fighter plane on display at the War Remnants Museum in the city.
More planes.
When I posted this photo on Instagram, my caption for it was "Death from above."
The city is crawling with bikes.
At the Ben Thanh night market, one of the places you must definitely visit. Raws and raws of sprawling shops selling everything from dried fruit to shoes.
Takashimaya shopping mall. One of the chic places in the city.
In front of the Takashimaya mall. We were there on Christmas Eve.
Traditional Vietnamese dress: Áo dài
Vietbucks.
Our tour guide on the Mekong Delta cruise. This full day trip, with lunch, costs only $12 per person. It can be booked through any local hotel.
On the Mekong River.
Beekeeping, and the production of honey is big on the Mekong Delta.
That's my brother wrapped in s snake.
More snake charming.
During the Mekong Delta trip, you get to cruise through a narrow canal in these boats. The rowing is done predominantly by local ladies.
The 'leading lady' on our boat.
More boats.
On one of the islands in the Mekong Delta there is a small crocodile farm. I think this guy is not too happy to be in a cage.
Chilling.
Another shot from the Mekong Delta trip.
Statue of Budai at Vinh Trang Temple
Vinh Trang temple. It was empty and peaceful when we visited.
Another statue of Buddha at the Vinh Trang Temple.
A demonstration of how the Viet Cong guerrillas made improvised footwear from leftover rubber tubes from destroyed US vehicles.
The Saigon Central Post Office. An iconic building in the city.
The post office is operational even at 7 pm.
The gift shop at the Post Office.
A statue of the Jade Emperor, a powerful deity in Chinese tradition.
The bikers of Saigon. They are everywhere.
The city has a number of museums. On many of them you can find exhibits related to the liberation movement in the 60s and 70s.
Ho Chi Minh City museum
The best way to travel around the city is by bus. Most of the conductors don't speak English, but we were saved by Google Maps! Whenever we got on a bus, I'd just show them our destination on Google Maps, and they'd give us the correct ticket.
A Buddha statue at the Vietnam History Museum.
Another Buddha statue at the Vietnam History Museum.
Wooden sculpture.
A solemn guard at the Vietnam History Museum.
a beautifully crafted marble statue.
This dragon's head can be seen just outside the Vietnam History Museum.
At the Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens. These flowers, however, are not real. Cue Radiohead! (get it?)
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda. Another famous Buddhist temple in the city.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
Incense is a major part of Buddhist ritualistic culture. This is another shot from the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
On our first night in the city, there was a local fair at the Saigon Central Market.
A wooden sculpture at the Ho Chi Minch City Museum.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
A lady in prayer at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Tile patters on the floor at Vietnam History Museum
Museums are best to visit when they are deserted 😄
Keeping the green wall alive at the underground Sense Market in the city.
Do you have any favorite photos from Vietnam? I'd love for you to share 🙂
Happy trails!
2022
