Ho Chi Minh City is a beautiful, bustling city full of adventures.  The bus was the most efficient option to travel from Phnom Penh to HCMC, so we hopped on a Giant Ibis bus and made the several hour journey across the border.  It cost $18 per person, which was more than we were used to spending, but we were assured that the border crossing would be smooth.  The bus was comfortable enough, and the visa process was painless as possible.  Through a travel agency we had applied for our three-month Vietnamese visa, which was extremely easy.  On the bus we stopped to get processed out of Cambodia, then we stopped to get processed into Vietnam, and finally we stopped once more to get our bags processed into Vietnam.  Then it was free sailing.  We arrived in the afternoon and promptly ignored the taxi drivers yelling in our faces as we unloaded from the bus.  I had booked an Airbnb a few miles from the bus station, so we opted to walk.  We typically find ourselves walking from the bus to wherever we are staying mostly as an act of rebellion- the taxi or tuk-tuk drivers are loud and unbearable every time we step out of a bus, and they really try to rip us off.  The walk was hot and long, but we got our first views of HCMC.

Our first Airbnb was hosted by a sweet guy named Thong, he welcomed us with a map and a list of places he recommended to eat and see.  Up two flights of stairs that resembled ladders, we had a very nice room in a local neighborhood.  We stayed there for three nights, but it was booked so we could not extend our stay there, so we decided to stay in HCMC at a different Airbnb.  The next Airbnb is hosted by a guy who goes by Victor, who we only saw once when he let us into the studio apartment.  The studio is up four flights of grimy stairs, but the room is clean and comfortable.  We decided to stay here for a week to slow down and recuperate from Phnom Penh.

We went to the War Remnants Museum, which was extremely sobering and informative.  What we know as the Vietnam War is known as the American War, and there were entire exhibits devoted to “U.S. Aggression.”  What was most grotesque to me was the American’s use of chemical warfare.  The photos and stories throughout the museum were graphic to say the least, and didn’t try to hide anything.  However, the museum did not paint the U.S. in an entirely negative light, even though I’d say we deserve that.  There was information on how Agent Orange affected American soldiers, and how that was passed on to their children as well.  Also, there was information on how many Americans protested the war, which I found really interesting because it showed that the point of this museum was not to place blame, but rather to really share what actually happened.  Sam and I discussed the museum with a few other westerners, and we all agreed that if all Americans could see this museum no one would be able to support any sort of war again.  It was absolutely horrific and heart-wrenching.

A highlight of HCMC was absolutely the food.  We tried to stick to the street food, as that is supposed to be the tastiest (and the cheapest), and we were pretty successful.

Some challenges we face here in Vietnam is mainly the language.  In Thailand and Cambodia we were spoiled with English menus, English signs, and English speakers.  Nearly no English menus are to be found here, at least if you’re not in the main tourist areas, and most people don’t speak English.  This has encouraged Sam and I to learn some Vietnamese, but it is challenging.  I didn’t experience much culture shock in Thailand, but I feel like I am more lost here.  Street signs, signs for buildings, street food menus, even food in convenience stores are all a mystery.

The only really bad experience we had here was when we got shoe scammed.  Looking back on it, it seems totally ridiculous and I’m not really sure how it happened, but it was scary and frustrating at the time.  We were walking through a park and playing on these outdoor exercise machines that are frequently found in parks around here.  Then, a man came up to Sam and started putting some sort of glue on his shoes, but when Sam tried to pull away the man slipped Sam’s shoe off.  We both started saying “no, no, no, we don’t want this” but he had already started scrubbing away at Sam’s shoe and had put a slipper on his shoe-less foot.  Sam tried to politely get his shoe back, but the man had already figured out that we were too naive and gullible, and continued to scrub away at his shoe.  We sat down trying to figure out what to do, when another man appeared and unstrapped my Tevas and took them before I even realized what was happening.  Long story short, they cleaned our extremely filthy shoes, replaced Sam’s soles, and gave him new inserts that made his shoes not stink.  However, then they both demanded that they be paid 550,000.00VND, which is $24USD.  That’s not too much in the grand scheme of things, but we didn’t ask for the service and we didn’t agree to the price.  I mean, 555,000.00VND could buy our meals for the next two days here!  Sam gave the first guy the full 550,000.00VND, but we didn’t have enough cash to give that to the other guy so we shoved a 100,000.00VND in his hand and ran away as he screamed at us.  This experience was extremely unsettling, and we couldn’t help but feel like we’d be taken advantage of.  It was scary and silly how they managed to target us, and force our shoes off without us even.  Every time we see a guy with a shoe-kit walking around now, we scowl and forcefully say NO.

TLDR; eat the street food, go to the war remnants museum, and ignore people trying to clean your shoes.