Exploring South Việt Nam

     Whether you're considering traveling to Việt Nam, volunteering abroad, or curious about my experiences, you will find what you're looking for here if you keep reading! I've always wanted to go to Việt Nam for quite some time but it was hard as I don't have family I could stay with if I was there. But when I had learned of volunteer opportunities available, I couldn't wait any longer and in January, I booked a plane ticket to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Traveling alone is not scary, I promise! Once you brave into the unknown, it's not as intimidating because most of the time, you will meet some pretty amazing people, try things you never thought you'd do, have freedom to do what ever you want, and take time to focus on yourself.

  

    Due to the long-standing rule of the Chinese and French, the culture of Việt Nam was influenced strongly by a combination of Chinese and European culture in terms of religion, cuisine, and even art. Although I have not traveled to Hanoi, I've been told Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are very different. Hanoi is scenic and preserved; a city filled with traditional temples and remnants of old french colonial buildings. Rather than coffee, people usually drink tea and much of the city becomes inactive around 9 pm. The city is more slow paced in contrast to Ho Chi Minh (HCM). Saigon is a massive city that is home to over nine million people. Oriented more towards capitalism, Saigon embraces the Western culture. More fast-paced, the streets are filled with millions of motorcycles. Crossing a street whenever and wherever with thirty motorcycles driving towards you nonstop is standard. The roads are chaotic but somehow, everything seems to work. When wandering around aimlessly, expect to come across something interesting.  During my first week in Việt Nam, I was amazed to see motorcycles everywhere and mothers driving motorcycles while carrying their babies! People really take multitasking to the next level over there. I had visited a lot the major attractions and sights in HCM. Many which include:

     Located in District 1, Bến Thành is a popular tourist place filled with souvenirs, local food, clothing, and áo dài's. Many stalls do not set a price as it's up to buyers to haggle if they want a good deal. Tip: Start off by bargaining 1/3 the price asked. In the market, similar items are clumped together. For example, household items will be sold in the same area. The aisles are very narrow and when you walk around, they all look similar you may not even realize you're walking around in circles! There are some sections where shop owners and their neighbors are more aggressive when it comes to selling their things. They will physically grab your arm and drag you into their shop. Beware! When you find that section in the market, just avoid those areas unless you would like to buy something from them. Overall, it's a great place filled with cool stuff to bring home.

                                                A glimpse inside Bến Thành Market!

    The former South Vietnamese president used to live in the palace during the war. What was interesting is there were two different dining halls. One room was for westerners and another was for locals. The room for westerners had a large rectangular table whereas the local dining hall was much smaller and had circular tables. The reason being is with locals, a sense of community while eating is significant in Vietnamese culture as people like to sit much closer together and interact with everyone hence the circular table. A Western dining hall is used for foreign guests to accommodation to their tastes and culture. There was no air conditioning so the higher you go up, the more hotter it becomes. Bring a fan if you can. If I could tell my suffering past self that, I would.

     Located in district 1, the Sheraton Hotel offers two free drinks every Tuesdays for Ladies Night. Drinks are usually around $5 CAD each so it's a good deal. The view on the 23rd floor is nice as it over looks the city and within close proximity is the Bitexco Tower which is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

     Backpacker's Street is located in District 1. It is always hustling and bustling with people at night. It is a great way to meet other foreigners. The volunteers and myself included would often go to Backpacker's Street to hang out and play games and get cheap drinks (can range from $1-3 CAD) before we go out to another bar or club.

      The Bitexco Tower is the tallest building in HCM and has 64 floors. At night, there's a skybar on the 49th floor which beautifully overlooks the city at night. The drinks are pricier than anywhere in the area and you must purchase something to hang around the bar.

Pictures displayed on the War Remnant Museum

     The War Remnant Museum features artifacts such as weapons, artillery, and photos displaying the horrific events that had occurred during the Việt Nam War. When visiting this museum, it had brought up within me emotions of grief I didn't think I'd have with this country. I remember I once asked my father why he didn't want to go back to Việt Nam and he answered because he was still scared. After visiting the museum, I finally understood his reason. This museum captured the memories of the historical events that occur which had changed my father and thousands of others lives forever. The gallery contained graphic images of soldiers and innocent civilians suffering, tortured, their escapes and hardships. After walking through this museum, it really gave me a more deeper perspective on the destructive nature of war. The justification of war being for the good of the people can sometimes be undermined as it may entangle innocent people and the impacts it has is long-lasting as it may take years to recover and not only does it affect the present, but the development of the country and the young generations in the future as well. 

       Majority of my time spent in Việt Nam was volunteering in a local food kitchen that served affordable food targeting vulnerable, food insecure people. This particular population is primarily made up of students, elderly, low-income families, disabled peoples. The volunteers main roles were food preparation, setting up the restaurant, serving customers, and interacting with locals (at least try to interact). During my volunteer time, I was working alongside 2-3 other volunteers. Although the work was not too demanding, the heat and humidity can easily drain your energy and make two hour work feel like eight hour work. I had learn volunteering abroad has its advantages and limitations. In terms of limitations, the biggest obstacle is language. Language is essential for communication, establishing connection, and building relationships. It was a challenge to get to know some of the elderly or student locals on a personal level who were seen working in the food kitchen everyday and it was constantly a game of charades trying to figure out what we did wrong, how, and what they wanted done which was a shame because it would have been nice to talking to them. A few of the students and workers who knew some English were able to converse with us which was awesome. Also, another problem is public transportation and directions. Have we not had our volunteer coordinator, Hồ translate and guide us during our volunteer placement, I don't know how we'd have been able to do our job right. 

     The advantage of volunteering abroad is it lets you experience the culture in which you live in firsthand. If you're keen, you have the opportunity 24/7 to practice and learn the language, understand the customs and values, and try the food! You also meet people from all across the globe and you get to share with one each other the culture you live in and what compare what's different for you with what you're familiar with. It may also push you out of your comfort zone as you will try things you're not comfortable with or experience some mishaps every here and there. For me, I came out of it more stronger, more relaxed, and hopefully a bit more cultured.

     The building of this food kitchen is shared by two other businesses. In the morning, a different restaurant is run; it is own and operated by another owner. In the afternoon after the food kitchen closes, a school is open for students who cannot afford to go to school. The school is basic as students are only taught basic literacy skills which include reading and writing. Twice a month the food kitchen serves noodles for 1000 VN Dong (not even $0.01 CAD!). I had the opportunity to witness and volunteer during the day of this noodle madness. The night before, the volunteers went out and came back very late at night (myself included). The next morning, my friend Hania and I were the only ones that were able to volunteer and realizing the amount of work we had to do on our own, we dragged a fellow volunteer John with us to participate in the gong show. The noodle dish served is called Bún bò Huế (BBH). This is my new favorite noodle dish! The noodle dish is really centered around the broth. The broth is usually made with a variety of animal bones, lemon grass, shallots, spices, and I even saw pineapple in it (to give it some acidity) and topped off with thick, circular rice noodles with either pork or beef and green onions, onions, bean sprout as garnish. This dish originated in Huế, a central part of Vietnam. For two hours, we served non-stop BBH to customers. By the end of the day, we served over 800 bowls of BBH. Some customers come back for seconds or thirds.

     In many parts of Asia, there are many "wet markets". These are markets that sell fresh produce, meats, and fish. In Việt Nam, people usually go to the market at least 1-2 times a day to by groceries for their meal. Many homes do not have fridges so storing veggies, fruits, and meats are not possible due to spoilage. Also, people do not like frozen meat as the quality and age may be masked. With fresh meats, customers are able to see the color and marbling before purchasing it.

     The Củ Chi Tunnels is a 1-2 hour drive from HCM. The tunnels were extensively used during the Việt Nam war. It was multipurpose as it served as a hideout, method of transport, and to retreat. The tunnels were narrow for the purpose of preventing foreigners from entering; they were usually big enough for only vietnamese people to fit. Some parts of the Củ Chi Tunnel were rigged with booby traps in case intruders trespass. Many of the entrance were smartly camouflaged in the ground and would not be detected.

     Located in Northeat of Phan Thiet, Mũi Né was a five hour bus drive (depends on how fast the bus drivers go). Mũi Né was insanely hot. Stepping out of the bus, I had broken into a whole body sweat within five seconds. It looked as if I had just splashed water on my face but no, I was just sweating a lot. It was the hottest place I've ever encountered so far. Going to our hotel was a struggle. During the hottest part of the day, a group of my friends and I trek up hills after hills. By the end of the weekend, I swear I gained some well-toned leg muscles. They probably had a crocodile farm somewhere because at many restaurants, crocodile meat was available to eat! Of course I did not try it because it was odd too me and I'm not adventurous when it comes to trying bizarre foods. Our hotel was called Mũi Né Hills which was beautiful. The hotel had a nice pool and lounge area and was a three minute walk from the beach. What was awesome was I got to spend my 20th birthday there! 

     My birthday was an action packed day. Waking up at 4 am, we headed off in a jeep and drove towards the red and white sand dunes during sunrise (we were suppose to get there before the sunrise though...). We didn't bring enough money to drive a quad so we walked around the sand dunes for 45 minutes then head off to the red sand dunes to do the same. You can also rent a toboggan slide to ride down a hill in the red sand dunes, it was a lot of fun.

      The Fairy Stream is also in Mũi Né and was part of the tour. A very beautiful stream which you can dip your feet in cool, ankle deep water that runs along the red sands. On the site of the Fairy Stream, if you feel daring, you can ride an ostrich! I regret not doing it but it's something I definitely want to do when I go back. I had a friend that did it and she said it was the longest thirty seconds of her life. It feels awkward riding them because of their circular body and thin neck. I mean their the fastest birds on the planet! Is it even safe? My friends came back in one piece so why not, right?

     Lastly, we finished off with the final destination called Fisherman's Village. The ocean was full of colorful circular fishing boats and many fishermen were up early in the morning to catch fish. Unfortunately, the attraction was full of trash and filled with pollution and improper disposal of waste. Cows were seen eating piles of garbage. It was a shame there were no rules or regulation to protect the environment around that area. Hopefully they will do so in the future to prevent their surroundings from further environmental degradation so they can continue showing tourist the beauty in that area.

    When we got back, we hung out with some volunteers who just arrived in the pool area and later that night, all the volunteers got together and had dinner. After just lounging around and talking, some of the group including myself head off to a club called Dragon Beach. Some of the members of the group left and three of us remained, just as we were about to leave, the rest of the girls show up and we dance and had a lot of fun until early in the morning. A good birthday well spent. :)

     Dalat is on the way to Nha Trang and is approximately a 6-7 hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh. If you dislike humidity, you will love this small city. Located on the mountains, the climate is much cooler than any part of South Việt Nam I've been to. The view is gorgeous and if you're only there for a short time, I recommend taking a motorcycle and canyoning tour. The price is usually $7-8 CAD but you can try to haggle for a cheaper deal. My friend Jean and I were only here for a day but it was action pack as we took a seven hour long motorcycle tour that took us to many sites such as Linh Ẩn Pagoda, a waterfall, coffee farm, rice wine factory, small hike, silk factory and much more. It was one of my favorite tours during my stay in Việt Nam. Dalat has many greenhouses that are used to grow flowers. There are also many coffee bean farms and farms that harvest tons of produce for much of South Việt Nam food, especially the Mekong Delta. The bulk of coffee from Việt Nam that are exported are grown in Dalat. Have you ever tried weasel coffee? Well you can find it in Dalat!Check out part two of my video at the bottom for scenes from Dalat!

     Nha Trang is a twelve hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh and is like an Asian version of Mexico. Many Russian tourist can be seen and business often have brochures and signs in Russian and/or Vietnamese (surprisingly, some don't have English!). There are many activities available such as scuba diving, snorkeling, boating, and even para-sailing. If you're a city person but you also love the beach, this is another breath-taking city that's quite big and developed. It is strongly catered towards foreigners as many foreign companies (e.g., five star hotels) open business there and locals can speak English really well (Same in Mũi Né). My friend Jean and I took an all day tour where we island hopped and did snorkeling, swimming, and just lounging on the beach. The tour also included lunch were we dined on a floating restaurant (depicted in the GIF above), a band performance, and a "lady-boy" show. This lady-boy show wasn't really a lady boy show because the guy was not dressed as a girl like the other guys on different boats. I actually enjoyed it because he was busting a move popping, locking, and dropping on a floating raft. Many people started jumping off the boats and out of nowhere, the lady boy pulls out strawberry wine from his floating raft. I can't swim and I was scared of deep waters but I decided to give it a shot and I do not regret it. I somewhat conquered my fear of swimming and I took shots of strawberry wine as a reward and attempted to dance on the floating raft (I failed... it's much harder than it looks). 

     At night, this luxurious lounge is transformed into a bar lounge. Cover is free on certain days and drinks are fairly pricey. A ton of fun with good music, good people, and good vibes.

    In conclusion, I would say Việt Nam had its obvious ups and down but it has left a deep, memorable impression on me. Without the bad, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the good. This journey has given me the opportunity to learn a little bit more about myself, introduced friendships, and brought up inspiration within me. It had tested my limits, pushed me out of my comfort level and allowed me to connect to my roots as I've always felt a loss of cultural identity. I'm happy I seized the opportunity to visit this beautiful country and I am proud part of my roots come from Việt Nam (I'm also Filipina). Việt Nam's past has shaped its present through many failures and accomplishments. Although one of the most challenging issues Việt Nam faces today are wide disparity gaps and poverty, it's country that's continuously improving and only moving forward. This country felt so foreign to me; it was one in which it's culture, tradition, and moral ethics were different from one in which I grew up being familiar with. But amidst the chaos, dangers, and the insanely hot, humid weather,  it was a place that felt like home. I left my heart there and although it has only been a month since I got back, Việt Nam occasionally lingers in the back of my head and part of me is still itching to go back.

    I can't wait to ride solo again and I am in the process of thinking of where I'll head off to next. There are so many destinations I want to go to it's hard to decide where to go next. Also, being a full-time student with limited funds I don't know if I can... But fingers crossed I have enough saved up to go somewhere again next summer!  

Until next time, Tạm Biệt!

If you have any further questions or remarks, feel free to comment down below!

Check out my three part videos on my adventures in Vietnam!