Ho Chi Minh City

How can a city be stressful and relaxed at the same time? How can it be utterly chaotic and yet highly organized? Very modern yet deeply traditional? Communist and capitalit at the same time? Steeped in a violent past yet looking to a bright future? It is these contrasts that give Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), or Saigon as it is equally referred to, its particular charms.

Walk along HCMC's busy streets and you will communist propaganda next to a brand new Mc Donald's restaurant. A street stall serving Pho (the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) in front of a glitzy Asian fusion rooftop bar. A beat-up soviet Diana moped overtaking a Porsche SUV on the sidewalk. A memorial commemorating the victims of US bombings framed by a glass walked skyscraper. Combine that with smoke=filled traditional cafes and stylish new Matcha-joints and an incredibly vast variety of restaurants and shops that serve every taste and you have the perfect recipe for a city that will make you stay longer than you had expected.

Apart from the classic tourist must-sees like the War-Remnants-Museum, Ben Than market, or the Cu Chi tunnels one and a half hours to the north, we spend our days just strolling around, exploring everything from Chicano-style barber shops to cockroach-infested street stalls. Although the center has its charms there are many other parts of the city that beg to explored. And with its proximity to the Mekong Delta there is even a quiet and rural aspect to the city.

In between Vietnamese iced-coffee, Hue-style pancakes, and Pho soups we put our feet up in the parks, talked to the locals (who are eager to get into a conversation with you without any second thoughts of selling you something) and just chilled. After the first two days we did not even the ever present sound of millions of scooters any more. One word of warning though: be careful when you cross the streets and never try to run. There will never be an empty street to cross but if you cross at a steady pace the flow of traffic will engulf you but bring you safely to the other side.