Ho Chi Minh City Things to Do Tips by xuessium

To get an idea of what you be expecting, you may wish to have a look at this 2 websites:
http://www.deltaadventuretour.com/ and http://www.sinhcafevn.com/AboutUs.asp
Very organised tour agencies...but it also means a lot of customers.

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Website: http://www.deltaadventuretour.com/ and http://www.sinhcafevn.com/AboutUs.asp

You get to do this on almost all the Mekong Delta day tours. It's part of the package. Eventually you will reach this village making ricepaper, coconut candies and caramel rice crackers! All day-trippers get a chance to sample the latter 2 (as the ricepaper will be used to make those lovely Vietnamese ricepaper rolls). The coconut candy is very oily but I think the rice crackers are more appreciated - sweet, gooey and crunchy all at the same time. I gave it a pass myself as we Chinese pretty much have the same thing but I could hear the appreciative "umms..." and "yumms...." moaning off the mouths of the many western tourists.

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Another thing you will come upon on a Mekong Delta trip - see how ricepaper, so essential in those tasty Goi Cuons (or Vietnamese Spring Rolls), are made by hand. See how ladies could sit in one spot doing the same thing all over again and again and the sheer numbers of rice paper drying away in the sun!

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See the Vietnamese side of the story and see American brutality in the war. I remembered a picture of an American GI cutting off the head of a Viet Cong soldier midway through and him in fits of laughter. Heart-wrenching pictures on the devastation of war. Absolutely depressing but relevating. This is also possibly one of the few museums in the world that allows you to take photos of the exhibits. Must do if you are in HCMC! (I have forgotten the entry fee, as I have lost the receipt)

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Address: 28 Vo Van Tan

The entry fee is 15000dongs (~US$1). This used to be the Presidential Palace of the defunct South Vietnamese government and the Communists had virtually left the place intact as it was on that fateful day in 1975 when the tanks of the victorious Northern Vietnamese forces came crashing through the gates and the last bastion of American presence was scrambling away at the rooftop in their helicopters. See time frozen at that moment and walk through the opulence of the many stately rooms. See the many pictures capturing the work of the South Vietnamese government and its ultimate failure.

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This is the biggest market in HCMC. You can practically get everything here - clothes, food, utensils, arts and crafts, souvenirs, meat and vegetables, coffee powder, etc etc. It's open air - you can move through the many galleries gaping at how many things are being sold here. Bargain hard before you buy anything. My favourite section is the food section - where you can slurp down warm Vietnamese Beef Pho (noodles) (~5000dongs), have cold desserts (~2000dongs) and watch the world go by...as long as you don't mind the chaos going around you.

Jan 2007 Update (from friends): ..." am glad that I have gotten there now than later cause it is now largely invaded by tourists, especially those from Europe. So things are getting expensive and we got slightly burned at Ben Thanh market buying some local delicacies. Later, we actually go to their supermarket which was alot cheaper!!"...

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Directions: Near Pham Ngu Lao - the backpacker's district!

Go for a whirlwind ride around the city in a Cyclo, a cross between a trishaw and a tricycle. Experience HCMC like you never before with the traffic coming straight at you! Remember to bargain with the driver before you actually board one less in case you get hookwink.

Jan 2007 UPDATE: Comments from friends - ..."the cyclos are few in numbers now...they hover around the tourist spots only. Our tour guide said that the government has restricted their use"...

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Fall back in time and experience how the Viet Cong outsmarted the Americans by surviving in these unbelievably hot and stuffy tunnels, some so narrow, bigger size folks would find most uncomfortable. Claustrophobics need not bother.

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Directions: Most day tours out of Ho Chi Minh has this on the itinerary.

Take the Cu Chi tunnel day tours and you can see for yourself the simple yet effective traps the Viet Cong invented to torture the mighty Americans. Wince and feel the pain. The worse trap belonged to this swinging pole with metal spikes that had two portions - the top going for the chest and the bottom piece allowed to swing and going for the gonads. OUCH!!!!

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A "new" religion (quite confined only to the province of Tay Ninh), absorbing an eclectic mix of elements from other worldly religions (Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam to name a few). I am sure you could arrange a day tour out (the agencies usually tying the Cu Chi tunnels with the Cao Dai temples) and have a look at Caodai-ism. Rather amusing. The symbol of the religion is "The Eye" symbolising truth (see attached picture).

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