{"id":8935,"date":"2025-05-23T12:20:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T12:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traveltales.ahot.online\/?p=8935"},"modified":"2025-05-26T16:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T16:35:20","slug":"sea-ho-chi-minh-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traveltales.ahot.online\/index.php\/2025\/05\/23\/sea-ho-chi-minh-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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22.5. \u2013 24.5.2023<\/p>

On Monday we changed cities again, this time by plane. A flight of just under two hours took us from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh. Luckily it was a domestic flight, so immigration checks etc. weren\u2019t as tight as on international flights. We had been warned that due to the size of the airport, security checks and border control for international flights take forever.<\/p>

We hopped in a taxi at the airport and were quickly at the Orchids Hotel. No one was really keen to explore the city, so we only went to Jollibee for quick snack (brought back some memories from the Philippines), supermarket and laundry. All of these were within a short walking distance from our hotel. Marko and the kids also went out in the evening to test out the hotel pool.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) has a population of about 10 million.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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On Tuesday afternoon we took the Hop on Hop off bus to explore Ho Chi Minh City. We had previously checked that the sights of the city were mainly focused on the Vietnam War and the history of the country. We adults aren\u2019t too interested in military history and the kids have time to learn about it when they get older, so we were happy to just sit on the bus and listen to the English audio guide. As a fun detail from the audio guide, there are about 8.5 million scooters in Ho Chi Minh. That\u2019s quite a large number considering that the city has a population of just over 10 million.<\/p>

After the bus ride, we had dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant before returning to the hotel for the rest of the day. This time we have actually stayed in our hotel rooms. Usually we use them only for sleeping.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Apparently, many others had also realized that there isn't much to see in this city.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Vietnam War ended in the courtyard of the Independence Palace in 1975, when a tank of North Vietnamese troops broke through the gates.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Ho Chi Minh City, all the sights seem to be related to the war. This guy, however, successfully defended Vietnam against the Mongols.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Instead of an Italian restaurant, we could have eaten at the street kitchen next to our hotel.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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On Wednesday, we set off early again, much to the delight of the children. This time we visited the Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam war and the Mekong River. The drive to the tunnels took a little over an hour, so we had to leave at 8am. Once we arrived, our guide Ben gave us a tour of the area and briefly explained the history of the Vietnam war. We got to see the network of tunnels dug by Viet Cong, the armed communist organization that fought against the South Vietnamese and US forces supporting them. The network of tunnels is about 250km long, but only about 150km of it has been discovered. No further attempts are being made to find more tunnels, as those who would know the exact location of the tunnels are already dead. The tunnels are full of various traps, so it is not safe to explore them any further.<\/p>

The tunnels were surprisingly narrow, only 40cmx40cm. The secret entrances were even narrower. For tourists, one of the entrances in the area had been widened so that even a medium-sized Western tourist could fit through it. This entrance was 50% wider than the original ones. We could try to enter the bunker if we wanted to. And of course we wanted to try. It was super easy for the kids, but Marko\u2019s guerrilla career came to an end when his shoulders couldn\u2019t fit through the opening. Jaana managed to squeeze through the hole, but coming up from the bunker was another story. Because the opening was so tight, it was impossible to push up from the floor of the bunker. Jaana\u2019s biceps muscle training has also been pretty scarce lately, so there she was, standing chest-deep in the bunker, unable to get up. Apparently this happens now and then, as two guides immediately jumped in to help. So she\u2019s not guerrilla material either.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Risto fit easily through the opening.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When the lid is covered with leaves, it's impossible to see.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ronja also fit inside easily.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Maybe Marko should just stick to being a communications officer and leave the guerrilla warfare to others.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It's a bit tight!<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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