Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
First day - arrive. Nap/Food.
ay 2 (HCMH): We enjoyed a leisurely morning, sleeping in before heading out for a late breakfast of Bo Ne. In the afternoon, we embarked on a city tour with HotPot Saigon (a student-led organization) that provided an introduction to the city's landmarks. We visited the Independence Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Central Post Office, also walking past the grand Opera House. The tour concluded with coffee at the unique 42 Nguyen Hue Street Coffee Apartments. Later that evening, we spontaneously decided to attend the AO Show at the Opera House, purchasing tickets right then and there. The show itself lasted an hour, and while we enjoyed it, we felt the price was a bit steep for the short duration (with the cheapest tickets at 800k VND).
Day 3 (Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta): Today was a full day of exploration, starting with a visit to the tunnels – a truly worthwhile experience. We opted for the optional activity of shooting a gun, which, while thrilling, was quite expensive (10 seconds of shooting cost 600k VND). After a provided lunch, we continued our journey to the Mekong River Delta. This visit was packed with experiences, including a boat ride on the river, a demonstration of coconut candy making, a chance to hold a snake (and tasting of a snake wine), a visit to bee farms with samples of their honey, a lovely performance by local singers, and finally, a peaceful boat ride through a small creek. I would recommend this tour; it's a fantastic day out, and includes many optional food tastings along the way.
Day 4 (HCMH): Today, we visited the War Remnants Museum. While the visit was interesting, the largest part of the exhibit is a photo gallery. We also took care of some essential travel tasks: doing laundry (we definitely underestimated how many t-shirts we'd need each day! – we went through 2 shirts per day due to hot and humid weather) and exchanged cash (we found the exchange rate to be better than what Google indicated). In the evening, we joined another tour with HotPot Saigon – Food Tour. This was a very enjoyable and relaxed experience, however, it might not be ideal for those very concerned about food hygiene – while it wasn’t terrible, it's important to remember that this is Vietnam. Perhaps letting them know about any specific dietary preferences or concerns in advance would be a good idea.
Nha Trang, Vietnam
Day 5 (✈→ Nha Trang): We arrived in Nha Trang in mid-December, a time when the weather is typically quite dry. However, we seemed to have struck a bit of bad luck, with almost the entire month's worth of December rain falling during our three days here! This meant the sea wasn't ideal for swimming; the water was murky brown from the mud carried down by the rivers. It's also worth noting that the airport is located a bit outside the city, requiring a roughly 50-minute taxi ride (costing around 360k VND). Once we arrived and settled in, we headed out for a bite to eat and then visited the impressive Cathedral and the serene Long Son Pagoda. A quick tip for temple visits: remember to cover your knees and shoulders, as you won’t be allowed to enter otherwise.
Day 6 (Nha Trang): Despite the truly awful weather – wind and rain – we decided to proceed with our booked snorkeling tour through Vuongland Travel (for 500k VND). Our guide was fantastic, and due to the adverse weather conditions, our tour was shortened a bit (with everyone's agreement). We ended up skipping one of the scheduled islands. Our first stop was supposed to be a vibrant coral reef, but unfortunately, the underwater visibility was too poor for us to see anything. Next, we visited a rocky beach, teeming with a variety of colorful fish that were a delight to watch. Our third stop was for swimming only (no snorkeling), after which we were served lunch on the boat. It's worth noting that the boat was quite basic, lacking the kind of luxuries we saw on other boats (some even had inflatable slides!). Our boat didn't offer much in the way of protection from the wind or waves, although it did have a roof. Overall, considering our worries about being stuck in the hotel all day, this tour was definitely a worthwhile experience. In the afternoon, we explored the ancient Ponagar Temple, where they thoughtfully provide clothing free of charge for visitors needing appropriate coverage.
Day 7 (Nha Trang): Today, we decided to visit VinWonders Nha Trang. Unfortunately, the persistent rain meant that many of the park's most popular attractions remained closed all day, even though it was only drizzling in the afternoon. This included the cable car, zipline, ferris wheel, and one of the main rides in the amusement park. On the plus side, the park was practically empty, though this meant we had limited options beyond the waterpark. One of the highlights of our visit was the opportunity to feed the giraffes and deers, which was surprisingly fun (each encounter cost 40k VND). Overall, we spent the entire day in the park, but in retrospect, we felt that our time could have been better utilized elsewhere.