Blue sky at last as I was landing in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon!
However, before I write about Saigon I might quickly mention my stop in Nha Trang. Because from time to time even the best traveller might get the planning wrong. I certainly did this time!
I always had Nha Trang in my mind for a place to visit and enjoy some beach time but that was not meant to be.
When I booked the flight from Hoi An (because I had no interest in trains or buses anymore) the weather forecast looked great. P.S. I always keep an eye on the weather for my upcoming destinations.
Well, this time the weather turned really bad. I arrived in Nha Trang to the worst rain downfall I had in Asia so far. Not fun! Fitting the scenario I read a joke not too long ago that describes it perfectly:
„A pesimist and an optimist meet at a bar. The pesimist says: ‚It can‘t get any worse!‘. The optimist replies: ‚Yes, it can‘.
I guess no one can predict the weather but let’s say I could have given Nha Trang a miss. That said I felt sorry for all the tourists (most of them from Russia) who came all the way to have a hot beach Christmas holiday here. That would be so frustrating!
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
After cutting my trip in Vietnam short, mainly due to the weather (I know, I know… I mentioned it a few times) I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City the day before NYE as my final stop in Vietnam!
The city is a big business and financial hub of Vietnam. At the peak of the Vietnam War in 1969, the city had 4.5 million inhabitants who were most evacuated when Saigon and the rest of the South fell to North Vietnam in 1975. Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, Saigon was “officially” renamed to Ho Chi Minh City (after the late North Vietnamese leader). However the old Saigon name is still used by both Vietnamese and foreigners, especially when referring to the most central part of the city to which most tourists flock.
The city seems bigger and cleaner than Hanoi (capital of Vietnam) but the crazy chaotic city vibe is the same. The sky-scrapers are definitely going up and the Landmark 81 stands high above all the others. Being 461.20m tall it is currently the tallest building in Southeast Asia.
Landmark 81
War Remnants Museum
If you are interested in history definitely go and see the War Remnants Museum. It is definitely a shocking reminder of the brutal Vietnam war. And I say shocking because the images on display can be quite disturbing and definitely aren’t for the light hearted.
New Years Eve in Ho Chi Minh City
My NYE night was pretty quiet, enjoying a great wood fired pizza and waiting for midnight in my hotel room. I was more than happy to avoid the chaos and crowds in the city itself. The fireworks however definitely came with a big BANG! Happy 2019 Vietnam!
Otherwise I spend a lot of time walking around exploring Ho Chi Minh. The city itself is nice but, as with Hanoi, there aren’t too many tourist attractions as such. That said I had a great vibe from the city and, furthermore, it wasn’t raining during my stay which was amazing after 28 days of clouds and rain. I don’t have too many photos in this blog as there was really nothing super photogenic. But at least you get to see it as I experienced it!
Saigon City 
Saigon Opera House 
Notre Dame Cathedral
And so…
Happy New Year and Goodbye Vietnam!
It was time to get my butt back to Bangkok which was my base for this whole Southeast Asian trip and definitely my favourite big city on this adventure. (I will post an overall Asia summary soon). I have a few days in BKK to enjoy some massages and do a little shopping before heading off to a new part of the world that I have definitely been getting more excited about the closer I get to arriving. Stay tuned!
