Sydney to Vietnam

March 5, 2012

Leaving Sydney on the way to Vietnam, only problem is that when we arrived at the airport  we discovered that we needed a letter of approval for a visa from Vietnam or confirmation of traveling out of Vietnam which we did not have in order to get on the plane. So we went down to the computer that are available at the airport and search for the website to apply for the visa and to book boat trip out of Vietnam. The visa cost and extra $25.00 to get urgently and the trip was $10.00 for a whole day trip from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh. So back to the the ticket counter and all is well and we get our tickets with just minutes to boarding. Through security and I test positive for explosives, not once but twice, and the only thing that is about to explode is me, so had to have my bag checked and was patted down and deemed alright to board the plane then a mad dash to the boarding gate and on the plane.

 The rest of the trip was uneventful. Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City one must get in line to fill out a form to get your visa, and then fill it out and get in line again to return the form and your passport to the immigration person have you passport stamped and a visa stuck in it. The approval for the visa was there and we had no problem getting our visa. Then picked up the luggage and got a taxi to the room that we had booked.

Upon arrival one asked one's self just what the hell we had gotten in. Were dropped off at a alleyway and had to go down several arms of the alley to find the hotel. Found the hotel and the owner was very nice and although the room was sparse was clean and the lady owner turned out to be very helpful.

Up the next morning and had a great breakfast at the ABC Bakery, (croissants and cappuccino ) then off to explore the city. Ho Chi Minh City is noisy, hectic and the streets are filled with thousands of scooters which seem to control the streets. One must negotiate one,s way through the busy street to get to the other side . Just one day here as we have decided to take a three day trip in the Mekong Delta and we leave in the morning. Have gone to the markets and War Remnants Museum ( this was very depressing) The Unification Palace and the History Museum and the Jade Pagoda and that is all we could fit into one day. Early morning tomorrow, we go by bus to the Mekong delta and then have a home stay for the night.     

Tank at the War Remnants Museum

Independence Palace- Witness to history

A replica of the helicopter that took the people from here who were working for the US at the time of the fall of Saigon to safety.

Street outside the entry to out hotel

flowers at market ,beautiful and cheap

inside Ho Chi Minh City Post Office

St Peter' Catholic Church

Street Vendors

Statues at Botanical Gardens and Zoo

Train at Zoo with John Deere emblem on it

Cranes at Zoo

Pagoda enterance

Jade Pagoda entrance.

Street Market


 

If you can not stand constane noise, horn  blowing,  chaotic traffic, no so clean streets, and pungent smells, million of people and scooters then this is not the place for you to visit.