Four Days and Three Nights in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Be Mindful of Your Belongings

The 4.30 and 5.1 holidays in Vietnam make for a perfect opportunity to take a four-day, three-night trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. Excluding the travel days at the beginning and end, the trip is essentially two days and three nights. A trip like this is quite cost-effective. You can fly with VietJet Air, and a round trip costs only 1100, including over a hundred for insurance. The hotel costs about two hundred per night. There are actually many accommodation options in Ho Chi Minh, and since we didn't want to be disturbed at night, we didn't book a place on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Since it was our first visit, we didn't know what to do in other districts, so we mostly stayed in District 1. Day1: 4/28 We took a car from our place to Hanoi airport at 9 am. The airport is quite small, so it was easy to get our tickets and go through security. The whole process was very smooth; domestic flights in Vietnam are indeed simple. After that, we flew to Ho Chi Minh. The airport exit there is also small, and you're at the baggage claim as soon as you enter, taking less than two minutes from getting off the plane to exiting the terminal. It was incredibly efficient. What followed was the most disgusting experience I had in Ho Chi Minh. I was planning to use Grab after exiting, but a taxi driver kept calling out to me. I thought about it and decided to take the taxi. When we arrived, the meter showed 135K. I handed over 200K, and the driver kept saying he had no change. He took my money, supposedly to get change, but it still wasn't enough. He then claimed I had to pay the 9K toll from the airport, asking for 150K. I didn't want to waste time arguing, so I called a friend to give him the change. After finally handing over 150K, we got out of the taxi. Later that night, I realized the driver's trick and discovered I was missing two 500K notes. This incident was extremely upsetting; not only was the taxi expensive, but the driver also tried to be clever with small change and even stealthily took my money. This was the worst experience of my trip to Ho Chi Minh, and I advise everyone to be careful. Never let the driver handle your money to get change. I've certainly learned my lesson. Afterward, we checked into the Cap town hotel. Unfortunately, we were assigned to the 8th floor, and the elevator only went up to the 7th floor, so we had to climb a flight of stairs. My friend's room, number 4, was quite nice and spacious. My room, number 3, was particularly small and not worth it. Rooms 1/2 face the street, room 3 faces the side, and rooms 4/5 face a temple at the back. Overall, except for room 3, the other rooms were okay. 😢 I just have bad luck. The hotel was mostly occupied by foreigners, especially Europeans and Americans. The breakfast was decent, although it was almost the same every day. We rested in the hotel for a while and went out for a walk in the evening. The nearest market, Chợ Bến Thành, was crowded with all sorts of goods, but we quickly passed through and walked to the seaside square. Crossing the road to the seaside was difficult because there were no traffic lights, and it was hard to find a gap between the motorcycles to cross. Later, we strolled down the pedestrian street, which had performances and many photo spots, such as the famous coffee shop that occupies an entire building with a stage set up for various performances. Further down the street are the City Hall and the Opera House. The whole street was lively and felt great. We had Korean hotpot for dinner and went back to the hotel to rest because we were tired. Day2: 4/29 The next morning, we set out to visit some landmarks. First was the Independence Palace, which looked nice from the outside but had little to see inside, just some rooms. Then we passed by the Cultural Museum without entering and walked towards the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. We hoped to visit before it closed at 11 am, but upon arrival, we found the main entrance under renovation and closed. We took a look from the side and then visited the nearby Saigon Central Post Office, which we also left quickly. We finished touring by noon. After that, we browsed the book street, had coffee, and ate at the well-known Vietnamese restaurant nhà hàng ngon. In the afternoon, after being overcharged for two coconuts, we headed back. We skipped a few attractions, such as the War Remnants Museum, because we had seen similar exhibits in Hanoi. If you're just sightseeing, you can finish in less than a day. In the evening, we went to the Bitexco Financial Tower to watch the sunset and the city's night view. We had planned to take a boat tour to see the night view but decided against it, thinking it wouldn't be as impressive as the boat tours in Guangzhou. Then we visited Japan Street, had Japanese food, and found that it was truly a paradise for men. However, my friend was scared and kept walking forward, so I had no choice but to follow. This was a big regret of the trip. 😪 Day3: 4/30 Today was quite leisurely; we strolled through parks, had coffee, and got massages. The sun was intense, so we spent a lot of time resting in the hotel. In the evening, we went to Bui Vien Walking Street. This street is almost entirely made up of bars and is very lively at night. It's a must-visit for tourists to experience. Day4: 5/1 We returned to Hanoi. At Ho Chi Minh airport, we experienced the convenience of not having to queue for boarding passes, as we could use the codes we booked online for self-service ticketing. An airport staff member helped us, and it was done quickly. Since we had no checked luggage, we didn't need to queue for boarding passes, which I highly appreciate. Overall, this trip to Ho Chi Minh was somewhat regrettable, with some unpleasant experiences and places we didn't fully enjoy. Due to time constraints, we had to return. I suggest that to have a good time, it's best to travel with friends who share your interests and to allocate more time to avoid regrets.