Vietnam Trip DAY 1: Things To Do in Vietnam

Our first day in Vietnam started by eating breakfast. Haha! I know I'm not a good joke but meals are important. My brother-in-law, who is living there temporarily, bought us this bread with veggies and meat filling called banh mi. It looks like Subway but tastes different.

Walking City Tour

We did our own walking tour since my brother-in-law is familiar with the place. We visited the Opera House Saigon, People's Committee Building, Notre Dame Saigon and Saigon Central Post Office since these places are close to each other.

For lunch, we went to the Nga Hang Ngon restaurant. It is a short distance walk from Notre Dame Saigon. I kid you not, they serve amazing fresh spring roll. For tips on where and what to eat in Vietnam, check out my post: Vietnam's Glorious Feasts.

Ped Xing

Pedestrian Crossing in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is crazy. But don't worry the vehicles won't hit you. Yeah right!

I remember crossing a busy street in Saigon with my husband. The road looks clear from our side of the road, so we started to cross. Suddenly, we were caught in the middle of around 25 - 20 motorcycles coming at us. I let out a quick squeal. The feeling of fear and excitement standing in the middle of the road full of motorcycles enveloped me.

I'm glad we made it to the other side safely. Haha! We survived! My brother-in-law mentioned not to worry much about vehicles running over you because they won't. They'll just try to adjust and steer clear when you cross the road. Sigh! That's a relief.

Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

After lunch, we booked a tour to Cu Chi Tunnel by Diamond Travel Co. Ltd at Pham Ngu Lao Street. The tour costs 120,000 VND for the bus tour + 90,000 VND for the Cu Chi Tunnel entrance fee per person.

The tour bus is clean and decent with good air condition. Here's a tip. Book your Cu Chi Tunnel Tour at Pham Ngu Lao Street. There are numerous affordable tour shops and options to choose from. If I'm not mistaken, the price of the tour online is thrice the price compared to booking on the spot at Pham Ngu Lao Street.

First Stop

Our first stop was at Handicapped Handicrafts. Prepare around 500,000 VND - 1,000,000 VND for small art items. Here you can find creative art designs. For bulky items, they ship to countries all over the world.

After our stop at the craft store, we then headed to the Cu Chi tunnel complex. The tour took 6 hours. Snacks are a must. You can buy at the stores in Pham Ngu Lao Street before boarding the tour bus.

Dinner and Desserts

For dinner, we went to Quan Nem. Though this restaurant serves 2 food items in their menu: spring roll (cooked in Northern Vietnam style) and Buncha (bacon with 3 small burger-like-patties), they are notably delicious! Don't believe me? My husband and I can't stop talking about it days after we arrived from Vietnam.

For desserts, we went to Highlands Coffee. Their passion fruit cake is good and their coffee is a must-try. Love that we stop by. It's a great way to end our first-day trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

Well, see you on our Vietnam Trip DAY 2: Things To Do in Vietnam. ;)