Saigon Love it or Hate it

After the crazy rush of Christmas and New Year holidays, what better way to start a new year than a break from the hustle and bustle of work?! Little did we know what we were in for...

We decided to try Tiger Airways which departed from the Budget Terminal (BT) in Changi. It was very convenient by MRT and the free shuttle bus from T2 - if only it wasn't raining! (see my umbrella in Kakatua's post) The airport is nice and clean and frankly it's in a much better condition than some of the other airports we've been to! Not too shoddy at all for a BT.



When we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as the locals like to call it), we changed some USD to VND (Vietnamese Dong). Outside, we had to weave our way through the many touts all the way to a legit taxi stand.

After checking in, the first thing on the agenda was FOOD!! It was close to 3pm and with no food on board (didn't feel like buying their dry sandwiches or instant noodles), we headed for the first Pho restaurant we came across - Pho 24. It wasn't too bad but the beef had lots of fat and the soup was a tad too oily. Wonder if Pho 2000 is any better - the one that Bill Clinton went to.



With the nice warm soup in our bellies, we felt re-energized and began our tour by wondering down Nguyen Hui and Le Loi streets, getting our first taste of the Saigon traffic and dust!! It's no wonder the motorcyclists wore this sanitary-pad-like thingies over their faces. We took the advise of many travel books and just stepped out into the traffic and walked slowly and steadily. Even when it looked like there was no way in hell you could make it across, somehow a path would open up!

Check out the little traffic video I made, edited with photos and a short movie clip. It's called "The amazing drivers in Saigon, Vietnam"...