Ho Chi Minh City Off the Beaten Path Tips by neurochic

The Cao Dai Temple experience is a bit touristy but at the same time its a brilliant display of color in a religious ceremony that little is known about. Also it was strange to see many temples that had swastikas on them. Someone told me that the symbol meant fertility but who knows. You will find yourself get a little upset however if you are a person who believes strongly in respecting other's cultures because you will find that the many tourists during the temple ceremony are loud and rude.

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I highly recommend taking a side trip from Saigon down to the Mekong Delta, either My Tho or Chau Doc. Alot of the local travel agencies can book you a one day trip for only a couple of US dollars but you can't beat the experience of riding in a small boat the size of a canoe along the Mekong Delta. It is a bit of a tourist trap how they take you to several of the nearby islands off of Saigon and want you to buy items supposedly native to those specific islands like honey and coconut candy, but the experience is worth it.

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If you go to Saigon, you must travel to the Mekong River just to experience what everyday life is like for the people who live in the Delta. You will see whole families living on houseboats that make you feel so humble that you would never complain ever again about your college dorm room being too small. You will see beautiful tugboats in brilliant shades of blue and red that you have never seen before. You will see boatmen fishing and kids playing in the river. A wonderful cultural experience to be had.

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Okay the Cu Chi Tunnels are a tourist trap. And definitely don't take an American vet here. The whole time I was visiting the site, I couldn't help but think what my vet Dad would have felt coming back here. When you first arrive you are fed a propaganda tape which is quite graphic showing dead American GIs at the hands of the Viet Cong. Also here in these tunnels I discovered that I was clausterphobic. Definitely not a good time to discover this. Also if you don't want to get dirty I don't recommend you going through the tunnels because you get a red clay all over your back. Furthermore, mosquitos attack you out in the forest so bring mosquito spray!

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Phone: (84.8) 794 8823
Website: www.cuchitunnel.org.vn