Cambodia to Vietnam:

Its always fun crossing two countries by road as culture, people and whole environment changes in matter of no time.  I got a bus from Phnom Penh,Cambodia to Ho chi Minh City (Saigon),Vietnam. Bus journey itself was an experience, as almost everyone were locals and nobody spoke English. People were eating all sort of insect snacks (like cricket, dragonfly, etc). But the journey had few surprises installed. Bus stopped for a while, we saw the beautiful Mekong river in front us.  Now our bus got onto a huge boat and this boat helped bus cross the river. We were safely dropped off on the other side. We are closer to the Vietnam border by now.

 

Crossing into Vietnam :

We stopped for Lunch just at the border, saw a couple from NZ in the same bus.  I was happy that will have someone to speak to until i reach Saigon. While crossing the border we unloaded all our baggages from bus then went through security check and got our passports stamped. Now, we are officially in Vietnam. And the couple informed me to go to  Bui Vien Street and Pham Ngu Lao where I can get cheap accommodation. Vietnam has lot to offer from history, beaches, mountains, forests, sand dunes and many more. This country is considered a paradise for backpackers as it lets you experience everything one wants. Not to mention the Vietnamese cuisine is something to die for. 

Hi chi Minh City:

Ho Chi Min city is also called as Saigon. It was part of Republic of Vietnam(South Vietnam) and Hanoi which is the current capital was ruled by North Vietnam ruler. In 1975 Vietnam became united after North Vietnam took over South Vietnam and now the entire country is united as one. The name Ho Chi Minh City was given to Saigon after Ho Chi Minh who is considered father of Vietnam.

Cu chi Tunnel:

One thing I didn’t want to miss in south Vietnam is cu chi tunnel.Vietnam has a long war history and has gone through some tough wars. 1968 war against US, the Viet Cong (Vietnamese fighters) used these tunnels and it became a huge challenge for US troops. The tunnel is 250km long and 15 feet deep this served as a huge network for the fighters. Tremendous effort was put in to build this tunnel by Vietnamese.  I also crawled some distance through the tunnel to experience it. One can still see many landmines, bullets, granades lying around the tunnel. Also some holes were dug and filled with sharp objects underneath to trap the American troop. Due to these strategies many American fighters lost their lives.

Local life in Ho Chi Minh city:

Final day of my stay in Ho chi min city i ran into few travelers whom i met in Siem Riep! We went around the city covering local Markets, temples, malls, gardens, etc.. One thing that surprised me was lot of people were doing aerobics in the garden and were taking it up seriously. And of course traffic was crazy, although I’m an Indian and back home heavy traffic is a regular scene. But here it seemed crazier and decided against hiring a two wheeler…… Street food in Vietnam is a delight.  We walked around Pham Ngu Lao and gave our taste buds a treat…. Vietnamese people who i came across were friendly and helpful. Although language was a barrier, it didn’t really matter. Right from the person who prepared my breakfast, one who took me around the city, street vendors and others their hospitality was very warm.