Saigon and its Limitless Energy

4.1. Early in the morning at around 7.30 I left Nha Trang with Destination Ho Chi Minh City, which many Vietnamese still call Saigon. Government officials re-named Saigon to its official name Ho Chi Minh City or just HCMC. After a 5 hour trip by sleeping bus (does not really reward the name as berths are made for Asian people ;) and the noise is incredibly high) we reached Mui Ne, with its wonderful beaches. Weather was damn hot (around 35°Celsius or 95°Fahrenheit). Having a short lunch for around one hour we got on the bus again. Finally, after 6,5 mor hours we arrived in Saigon at around 7.30pm. Wait - we arrived in Saigon at around 5pm but it took us almost 2,5 hours to get from the very outside and the suburbs to the center - crazy!
I checked in at my hotel and was just looking for my bed. Good Night!

My hotel is located in the north-west of District 1.

5.1. After a lovely night in the 9th floor of a hotel I enjoyed a small breakfast before rushing through the streets and somehow trying to survive traffic. I started my tour at the War Remnants Museum, located at the north end of district 1. It took me around 10 minutes to walk to get there.
Was kind of depressing to see pictures of the Vietnam War and its remunifications. Check out below:

Phan Thi Kim Phúc - The picture of the Vietnames girl that tried to escape US napalm attacks (8th June 1972) is one of the most famous ones of the Vietnam War. The photographer Nick Út was rewarded with the Pulitzer Prize for it.

Afterwards I took the direct way down to the riverside. Passing the Opera of Saigon on the left I reached the Me Linh Square with the big statue of Tran Hung Dao. Tran Hung Dao was the successor of Ho Chi Minh as president of Vietnam.

Front View of the Opera

Me Linh Square and Tran Hung Dao

Now - it was time for lunch. After checking out Ben Tanh market (one of the most famous markets in entire Vietnam, offering almost whatever you want!) I found a tiny little, fancy restaurant mainly visited by natives. For around 30,000 Dong (around $ 1,50) I got that tasty meal.

Vietnamese Springrolls, rice and peanuts in a tasty sauce

Next, but final step for today was the Reunification Palace in the middle of district one. Entrance fee was quite high (30,000 Dong / 1,50 $) and not really worth it - to be completely honest. Of course, that place offers a huge amount of history but the exhibition was a bit boring. I therefore did not spend too much time in there.

Reunification Palace

Those two tanks were the first ones crashing through the gates of the Palace when the communist North arrived in Saigon at 30th April 1975. Afterwards the Palace was also known as Independence Palace or Presidential Palace.

Got cellphone?

The President´s Chair

Replica of the Presidents former aircraft

 After my 6-hours-sightseeing trip I returned to my hotel for a short rest. Then I was trying to walk down the streets in order to find something to eat. Quite impossible. I mean to walk. When traffic peaks in the evening cyclos and bikes easily take the sidewalk to drive. One really has to be careful. Now I guess I really know why HCMC´s government tries to abolish cyclos...

Recreative Days in Nha Trang

1.1.2012 People play late in this town. Nha Trang offers an incredible night-life with sophisticated clubs, tasty food or lovely bars at the beach. After a good sleep I got up to enjoy the complimentary breakfast of my hotel. Afterwards I decided to take a rest and enjoy the beach for a while. Weather is just great. Not too hot but perfect to walk around in shorts and t-shirt. To be honest, I did not do that much at my first day as I had to pay tribute to the long trip and New Years Eve ;)
In the evening many bars and restaurants on the strip offered not only free local beer but shows as well:

2.1.2012 Today I checked out my "Lonely Planet" travel guide to see what sights Nha Trang has to offer. I decided to walk to the north-west of the city to take a look at the Long Son Pagoda and its huge Buddha statues. It took me around 30 minutes to walk before I reached it. No entrance fee - nice! One has to be careful with "students", offering "tours or postcards" as they overcharge. Even more, a guide was not necessary at all as the temple, the statues and the stunning view spoke for themselves.
The Long Son Pagoda was bulit in the 19th century and rebuilt several times. Entrance gate and the temple itself is decorated by mosaic dragons and constructed with glass and ceramic.

Pagoda with Big "Kim Than Phat To" in the background

After taking some stairs I reached the reclining buddha:

Finally, after a few more stairs, I reached the top with the amazing view of Nha Trang and the huge buddha.

"Entrance to the big buddha"

Inside the big buddha

It´s been a long road to 2012...

31.12. Deciding to take the train from Hoi An to Nha Trang made me getting up early. I got to Danang train station by car and then booked a berth for the 11-hour trip to the Beach Capital of Vietnam (30$, pretty expensive but cheaper than the 1-hour flight).

Da Nang Train Station

Exploring the beautiful landscape of the Central Highlands and the Coast was an amazing experience. Taking the train instead of a plane was definitely a wise decision. I finally arrived in Nha Trang at around 9pm and got to my hotel by car again.

My (a bit crappy) berth on the bottom left

(My neighbour´s stuff on the table - mixture of tiger balm and Vietnamese cigarettes seems to be their elixir)

Having a tasty dinner and buying a bottle of Vietnamese whiskey (2,5 $ - haha) I headed to the beach (5 minutes) to see a stunning firework.

To all my family and friends all over the world - HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wish you all the best for 2012!

Captivating Hoi An

29.12. In order to get most of Vietnamese way of life the first adaption was to switch my sleeping rhythm to "go- to bed-early-get up-early". I therefore headed to that tiny little ancient town by only a 5-10 minutes walk at around 8.30am. So many sights and lovley places located within a small square makes Hoi An pretty walkable.

Starting my tour in the west of Hoi An I passed another Vietnam War Memorial. Turning left lovely little streets with vendors invited me to have a deeper look. It was almost impossible to walk more than 100 meters without stumbling into a Pagoda, Church, Temple or another sight.

As you can see the weather is awesome. I read before that if the weather in Danang & Hué is bad it should be good in Hoi An - I can just agree.
 
After buying flipflops for around 2,5 $ and a cold drink I just sat down at the riverside and watched the people go by. Hoi An offers two little islands ("An Hoi Islet" & "Cam Nam Island") in the south, which are walkable as well.

Here are some pictures of the sights I have visited on my walking tour:

North-East of Hoi An

Vietnam War Memorial

Welcome to Ancient Hoi An

Streetview of Hoi An

Japanese Covered Bridge

Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese

Phac Hat Pagoda

Phac Hat Pagoda

Boat on Thu Bon River

Thu Bon River

Riverside View from An Hoi Islet

Fancy Chinese Restaurant on the Islet

"Animal life" on the Islet

View from the East side of the Islet

In the early afternoon I returned to my hotel for a place to hide from the burning sun and for a short nap.

Later, in the evening I had a short run to greater Hoi An. Humidity almost killed me - of course not literally. One really has to enjoy the smaller, non-tourist parts of the city with natives hanging out together and having a cup of tea or a cold beer.

By checking out Hoi An´s "nightlife" I first had dinner in the ancient town and enjoyed a drink at the promenade. Stunning place to be -it really makes you smile and forget about everything...