Ho Chi Minh City Things to Do Tips by kidfree

I had seen and read about the Cu Chi trip and was eager to go and experience it for myself. I booked the trip just the evening before through Delta Adventure travel and I knew that at $4 dollars for a ticket it was a bargain
On arrival we were ushered into a stuffy room to see old newsreels celebrating the various heroes of Vietnam who had been given titles such as American Killer Hero which I felt was a little unnecessary but I guess they can claim some sort of bragging rights.
A lot of tours depend on the guide and the way he handles his group. Ours was very good if a little dramatic at times. To be honest he did get carried away with his own heroic efforts during the conflict and at the end of the tour I`m still unsure what side he fought on.
It was obvious that most of the displays were mock ups rather than genuine leftovers of battles but what did strike me was the resilience and resourcefulness of the Vietnamese. Nothing that the French or Americans left was wasted, unexploded ordnance was reused and old tyres were made into long lasting sandals.
The tunnels themselves while apparently being widened to accommodate tourists showed just how prepared the Vietnamese were to take the fight to whatever lengths were necessary to grind out victory and although the descent into the tunnels was described as the highlight of the trip I was not the only person grateful to exit early and very few souls managed the full hundred metres.
I`m sure the highlight of the trip for most of the adult males was the opportunity to fire off a dozen or so rounds from an AK47, at a dollar a bullet it was fairly good value I guess as like most Englishmen I had never bought one before never mind held a rifle, it certainly got the adrenaline going and was a good way to end the trip.
This is a good tour for those who want to get an insight of the French/American conflicts in Vietnam even if only from the Vietnamese perspective but the Vietnamese have a right to be proud of their achievements

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Directions: 70 km north west of Saigon. Any tour operator can arrange this trip

Another good day out is go on a Mekong Delta trip. I booked mine through Delta Adventure again who I found to be reliable and whose rates were as competitive as most.
After a relaxing drive out of the city the scenery became very rural and peaceful and it was nice to be away from the din of Saigon
At the central embarkation point travellers are directed to different boats depending on which tour you had chosen. We set off on our boat and made several stops to see ( and taste ) the delicious coconut candy, taste honey tea and see rice paper being made. The delta really is the rice bowl of Vietnam and you can see all types of fruit growing in abundance at the rivers edge. Our trip included a light lunch and we were treated to being serenaded with local countryside songs while we relaxed and ate.
One of the options on the one day trip was to return to Saigon by boat which although a little long at four hours was a really nice and relaxing way to return to the city as the sun set and to see more of life on the river

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Directions: Every agent in Saigon can arrange this or longer tours. Its much to better to use the tour operators outside of the hotels who offer far better rates