A Queen's Story

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

03/07/2014-03/11/2014

My trip to Vietnam was unexpectedly nice. Suffice to say , it brought out the tourist in me. Having little expectations really makes things more enjoyable. No expectation=No disappointments.

This trip was actually an impromptu one and originally a business trip for my dad that turned out to be leisure trip cause I went with him. lol. I was told just the night before the departure date that I have to accompany dad to his business trip, good thing Philippine passport doesn't require visa from Vietnam.

We stayed for 4 1/2 days in Vietnam.

Vietnam time is an hour later than Philippine time.

We arrived at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport at around 1:30pm and was fetched by our Hotel Limo service. We checked in the New World Hotel which was soooo convenient because boutiques, malls, and markets were just close nearby and within walking distance.

Tourist Tips:

*Taxi Rates usually start at ( Dong 10,500, 11,500, 12,000) depending on the taxi company and increases at 3,000 Dong for every 0.7Km. ALWAYS look for the sticker with the rates written below the meter. Refer to picture below. Illegal Taxis very common in the place. They can charge as much as 190,000 for a two minute ride. To be SURE, ride "VinaSun" taxis.

**$1=21,000 Dong=44Php

For easier and faster conversion just take out the 3 zeros and double it to get the price in Philippine Peso.

e.g. 420,000 Dong= 840 Php

*** DO NOT RIDE in those carriage bikes cause they will trick you into riding by telling you that a ride will just cost you 15,000 Dong when in reality it costs 150,000 dong per one way ride to tourist spots and 500,000 dong per hour. In general be careful with the transportation here.

**** 50,000 and up bills are considered big amounts. So tip accordingly:))

***** Food is relatively cheap here so eat to your hearts delight ;)

Very Few Facts about Vietnam:

Vietnam has more or less 10 malls since they're only starting out (economy wise)
Vietnam Independence Day September 02, 1945 so their economy is fairly new
Vietnam is a communist country.
There are only 3 Starbucks Store in Vietnam which first opened just February 2014.

Places To Go:

Cu Chi Tunnels (inquire with your Hotel for tour guides and rides) Our trip to Cu chi tunnel costed $55 driver and tour guide included. One way trip=1 1/2 hour + Way back= 1 1/2 hour + 2 hours for the tour, a total of 5 hours. PS Leave early in the morning aroud 7-8am, the earlier the better to avoid large groups of tourists.
Visit malls like Vincom Center, Diamond Plaza, Parksons, NowZone fashion mall, union square if you're into high end stuffs.
Ben Thanh Market to experience the night market vibe and food. As well as for cheap stuffs+ souvenirs.
Boutiques near New world hotel offers a lot of Made in Vietnam clothes. Nice choices!
Eat at Nha Hang Ngon, a famous affordable spot for vietnamese food.
Visit the War museum after visiting Cu chi tunnels to understand more of their culture and history.

Trung Nguyen which means "Central Highlands" famous for its coffee. Very famous around the city with a No. 1 coffee slogan.

I'm sure this is a known fact that bikes and motors are very common in the country.

New World Lobby

Mandatory Mirror Selfie shot. :)

Their International Breakfast Buffet. One of the perks in checking in a nice hotel.

Outside view of our room.

Chocolate Mousse from Starbucks

Loving this Yogurt I tried from the buffet.

*The sticker rate I was talking about. Vina sun taxi..

Their supermarket offers a wide variety of fresh produce. Especially fruits and vegetables.

Large Indian mangoes.

Brain size Cabbages.

Flavors of Cornetto not seen in the Philippines.

Green Tea Cornetto!

Vincom Center is one of the few malls located in Ho Chi Minh City.

BEN THANH MARKET

Ironically the the documentary was talking about how Americans exploited the Vietnamese during the war. @-@

Bomb crater by American Soldiers.

Traps set by Vietnamese Cong for American Soldiers

Famous Cu Chi tunnels. Only slim people fit here imagine how thin the men were to fit in.
I look stupid here awkward moment to pose cause there were a lot of people looking lol