Travel to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam – Episode 374

Hear about travel to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jodi Ettenberg from legalnomads.com.

Visually Ho Chi Minh City looks more chaotic than Rome, Istanbul or even Marrakesh. “There is just this persistent sea of motorcycles like insects crawling around fast-paced around the city. People joke about crossing the street there. You just have to go right in the middle of hundreds and hundreds of motorbikes. You have to start walking into the street and the key to crossing the street is just to go and to have a consistent pace and keep moving slowly across and the bikes will go around you like water over stones.”

For people interested in the history of the Vietnam War (or the American War as it is called in Vietnam) Jodi suggests the War Remnants Museum.

Jodi suggests that you should pick a district a day to explore:

• Start in District One. See some of the old colonial buildings like Notre Dame Cathedral. District One is “ground zero for tourism”. It is where most of the hotels are, where the old Hotel de Ville is and where the Art Deco Post Office is. It is easy to walk around in and there are a few markets in the vicinity.
• For people who are visiting, District One, Three and Five are the three that Jodi recommends people wander around.

Jodi went to Vietnam for the soup, so it should be no surprise that Jodi not only tells us where to find some of her favorite food in Ho Chi Minh City but will soon be leading food tours to Vietnam.

right click here to download (mp3)
right click here to download (iTunes version with pictures)

Show Notes

• Legal Nomads
• Districts of Vietnam
• Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Post Office  (Post office was built at the end of 19th century by the very famous architect Gustave Eiffel.)  Where: 2 Cong Xa Paris, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
•  Hotel de Ville (At the end of Nguyen Hue street is the former Hotel De Ville completed in 1908, now the office of the HCMC People’s Committee. Great to visit after dark when it is lit up.) Where: At the end of Nguyen Hue street, District 1, perpendicular to the Rex Hotel (which is at 141 Nguyen Hue).
• War Remnants Museum  (Formerly known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, the War Remnants Museum is an important part of visiting Vietnam as it tells the stories of atrocities and war from a perspective rarely seen in North America.)
• Can Tho
• Mekong Delta
• Great pho in District 3 Easily the meatiest pho I found in town. If you’re really adventurous order the “dac biet” (special), to get a bit of everything. Where: 303-305 Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
• Futa Travel

• Quan An Ngon 

  (Street Food Alternative)

• New Year’s In Vietnam
• My Safety Whistle
• The Food Travelers’ Handbook

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