Vietnam - Punch Line (05.12.2013)

HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF MY SPENDING IN VIETNAM

HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF MY BUS TRAVEL IN VIETNAM

From Hanoï to Phnom Penh (Cambodia). Most of the time in the sleeping bus.

I LIKED

- The good times I spent with the 3 australians I met in Hanoï
- The Ha Long Bay
- The Imperial City in Huế
- The Hội An Ancient Town
- The beaches and my seaside resort in Mũi Né
- Hồ Chí Minh City
- The Mekong Delta
- The Food

I DIDN'T LIKE

- The food poisoning when I arrived in Hanoï
- The sleeping bus
- Nha Trang City
- The country is too touristy and people are always asking for money

Vietnam - Hồ Chí Minh City / Saïgon (02.12.2013)

I arrived in Hồ Chí Minh City on Monday 25th of November.
I stayed there 3 days and 4 nights.
It's a nice city and there are many things to do. I really liked it.

Hồ Chí Minh City was called Saïgon until 1975 but some Vietnamese still call it Saïgon .

The first day I just walked around.
I went to the following places:
- Financial district where there is the tallest tower of saigon, the Bitexco Financial Tower
- Saigon Opera House
- Central Post Office which was designed and constructed by the architect Gustave Eiffel
- Notre-Dame Basilica
- War Museum where I learned a lot about the war in Vietnam
- Night market

The second day, I went to Củ Chi tunnels with Antoine (the guy from Canada).
First, we visited a rehabilitation center for people affected directly or not by Agent Orange. 
Then, we visited the Củ Chi tunnels used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters.

The third day, I went to the Mekong delta.
I took the bus to Mỹ Tho then a boat ride to the island of Bến Tre.
I tested a few local products made ​​with honey, bananas or coconuts (tea, sweets, alcohol, ...).
Finally, I biked on the island and I did a quick boat ride through the mangroves.

Vietnam - Nha Trang / Mũi Né (26.11.2013)

I arrived in Nha Trang from Hội An after 12 hours by bus.
I was sitting next to the toilet and I didn't have enough space to lie me down.

It was still raining a lot in Nha Trang, so I decided to stay only one night.
The next day, I took the bus to go to Mũi Né.

Anyway, there was nothing to do in Nha Trang.
It's just a seaside resort for the wealthy Russians.

I finally found the sun in Mũi Né after 6 hours by bus.

I booked a dorm bed for two night one day before.
The first night was great because I had a single room for the same price.
They made ​​a mistake while booking.

During these three days, I rested.
I enjoyed beach, food, pool, sea and sun (sunset and sunrise).
I also booked a half day tour to go to the white and orange sand dunes and to one of the fishing village.

During this tour, I met a guy from Quebec in Canada (Antoine).
The next day, we took the same bus to go to Hồ Chí Minh.

Vietnam - Hội An (21.11.2013)

Hội An (which means "peaceful meeting place") was one of the most important international harbour in Vietnam until the early twentieth century.
Once, it was an important trading place. 
The boats stopped there to exchange silk, cinnamon, swallows' nests, tea, pepper, ...
Also, it was a stage city for water supply and to wait for the good weather before to continue on the road of China.

The Hội An Ancient Town is part of Unesco World Heritage.

It's a famous tourist spot. There are a lot of restaurant and shop.
When you walk in the street you often hear: "please please buy something!"

The weather was not really good during these three days.
4 days before, the streets were completely flooded.
So, I just walked in the streets and ate a lot too.

Every morning, I used to take my "croissant", my "pain au chocolat" and my latte coffee in a good bakery ("Cargo Club"). I went to all cheap restaurants that I found in my book ("Le Café des Amis", "Mermaid", ...).
I ate traditional Vietnamese dishes like Cao lầu (noodles, pork, and greens) and different Phở (soup).