Hello Vietnam! A First-Timer’s Journey Through Beauty and History

Hi beautiful fam of @worldmappin! Everyday is a new day! Today I am taking you all to my another international trip - Vietnam! This is my first time to visit this country full of culture, tradition and history.

This international trip was my second one. As you may have seen and read, my first international travel was to Thailand — you can check out my post entitled My First Stamp. Now, this is another adventure I’d love to share with you! Once again, every experience here was a first. It was in September 2023 when I first visited Vietnam. I traveled with my friend, and we stayed in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon. The hotel we booked had a great location, right in the center of the city. There were so many things to see around — coffee shops, restaurants, spas, hotels, and more!

I first enjoyed observing the surroundings — it’s actually a busy city. Most people use motorbikes as their main mode of transportation. When you go out for a walk and need to cross the street, the first thing you’ll notice is the number of motorbikes passing by, there are a lot of them!

Then we sat down in a small hotel café across our hotel because they are offering a group tour for the tourist attractions in Ho Chi Min. We had our refreshing drinks while browsing the brochure and deciding where to go.

Our first stop was called Bao Tang Chung Tich Chien Tranh, which translates to the War Remnants Museum. I really enjoyed this historic place because there were so many things to see inside. Outside, we saw different war equipment used during the old times. We had a great time here. After that, we walked to visit the famous church - Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, this is the most iconic landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City but it was closed for renovation, so we weren’t able to go inside. By the time we finished, it was already nighttime, and while we were still walking along the street, we passed by a beautiful mansion called Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace - symbol of Vietnam's history. We head back to our hotel for rest after a long tiring day.

On the next day, before we started our tour, we had our first Vietnamese coffee at Trung Nguyen Coffee, just near our hotel. It was the real taste of Vietnam — I absolutely loved their coffee! ☕

After that, we waited for the bus that would pick us up for our group tour that day. As soon as it arrived, we hopped on and found our seats. The ride was fun because our tour guide was very entertaining while explaining the places we were going to visit and sharing the rules and stories along the way.

Our first stop was the Cu Chi Tunnels — an underground network used by soldiers during the Vietnam War. It’s a popular tourist spot where you can explore the tunnels and see traps and weapons used during wartime.

On our third day, we visited the Mekong Delta. We took a scenic boat ride along the Mekong River, passing through local communities. We got to visit bee farms, coconut candy workshops, and local markets, which gave us a glimpse of traditional Vietnamese river life.

We also visited several beautiful Temples and Pagodas that are popular among tourists, including the Jade Emperor Pagoda, Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda, and Giác Lâm Pagoda. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to visit the others, as we had to head back to our hotel. However, the boat ride was peaceful and relaxing, and we enjoyed it together with the other tourists on board.

We also visited a traditional Vietnamese show called The Water Puppet Show. The performance takes place on a water stage which is very interesting to watch. The story is about the Vietnamese village life, legends and history.

During the night, we strolled around the area to experience the nightlife. The city was full of bright lights and different kinds of people everywhere. It was three days filled with joy, laughter, and adventure!

There's always something new in every trip! Let’s enjoy life and travel the world while we can. 🌍✈️ Cheers Everyone!!!

All photos taken are mine.
Edited using Canva.
Camera used: IPhone