20th February: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is lively but the buzz is genuine from locals going about their day to day lives. It’s also probably the most photogenic place I’ve ever visited, although I didn’t have the energy to compose the best street scenes today. It’s definitely my favourite capital in southeast Asia by some distance.

Kaja still isn’t feeling well today, so we took it easy and made regular stops in cafes on the lovely alleyways. There are still motorbikes on these but usually in manageable numbers. In one of the cafes, I had a lovely tropical smoothie to try to get some goodness back into me, whilst Kaja managed a peach iced tea. There are so many unusual coffee variants in Vietnam that I need to try over the next month – egg coffee, kumquat coffee, salt coffee, and who knows what else!

We left lovely District 3 behind and entered the main central District 1, where most of the touristy sites are. We immediately encountered tour buses and big groups of people following signs. Fortunately, away from the main attractions they vanished. Unfortunately, the Central Post Office was one such attraction! This light-yellow building, which resembles an old European train station from the outside, was designed by him of Eiffel tower fame. Anyway, we eventually got through the crowds to buy and send another postcard, watched over by a giant portrait of Ho Chi Minh.

It’s another day of 33 degrees, which feels like 36. An absolute sweat fest! We wandered past the Independence Palace, which looked like a modernist polytechnic. I’m all for that look over oppressive neoclassicalism any day and wonder if it was a deliberate choice after the French colonists and then occupying Americans were finally forced out?

The so-called ‘book street’ was a bit contrived compared with the authentic alleyways outside of the tourist area, so we passed through and found a spot to sit nearby. Perching on the ubiquitous kid-sized chairs, I ate my first banh mi in Vietnam! It was delicious too with just the right level of spice and balance. The return of bread is most welcome, even if it is only French style white bread rather than proper central European sourdough! I really hope that Kaja can eat some soon.

We picked up a couple of well-priced Vietnamese SIM cards to see us through the rest of the trip. I shared a joke with the people in the shop about being a spy after their shock at my bag of SIMs from various networks and countries!

Around mid-afternoon a very pleasant cloud layer built in and took the heat out of the day. Simultaneously, we walked down Nguyen Hue towards the river and straight into a lovely breeze. Crossing the main boulevard to get to the riverside was the most bonkers road-crossing experience so far in Vietnam. 3 lanes of relentless traffic passed in each direction, mainly filled with motorbikes many-abreast. The only thing for it was to walk and hope they passed either side or slowed down! They did, but it didn’t feel entirely convincing, especially after previous encounters with poorly ridden motorbikes at crossings or even on pavements. One thing which is surprising to me is the lack of Chinese electric bikes and scooters. Almost the entire fleet here seems to still be powered by chugging old internal combustion engines.

The water level of the Song Sai Gon appeared high, less than a couple of metres from the top of the dikes. The strong flow was in fact an incoming tide, topped with floating plants, but we’re only at a half-moon phase and therefore only moderate high tides. I wonder how easily this area floods when one or more of spring tides, typhoons, or monsoon rains occur?

The skyline looks like a small Chinese city in places, especially along the river where an imposing cantilevered cable-stayed bridge sits in front of concrete towers. Kaja thinks it gives Shanghai vibes, although without the immense scale. Back on Nguyen Hue, we explored the former apartment building which has now been turned into an entire building of food establishments. Another cool spot! Kaja still couldn’t eat much but managed a little of the delicious salad bowl with noodles and fried mushrooms, and the breaded fried tofu. I really hope she can eat properly soon. I know from experience on this trip that a 48-hour bug is one thing but not being able to eat properly for a prolonged period really saps your energy, especially if you’re also in pain.