Vietnam - HCMC Blog and pics

Besides the tooth pain and all that, the trip to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) was great.  Kiddo woke super excited and we had set things up wit Nanny Beer to get us to the airport, partly to not have to worry about a Grab or Cab and fitting the luggage and all that, but also because Beer knows Kiddo and if she was squirrelly or scared or whatever, it would be easier to roll with that.  

Airports are airports, we got through all check points and then had a short wait to boarding.  Once on, flight time was announced as 1h45m and to quote Kiddo, “that’s a breeze.”  LOL. Sadly, HCMC was getting hammered by rain at our landing time, so we circled for about an hour before getting cleared.  Landing about 75 minutes late, not only was it still rainy, but later in the day and traffic was heavier.  It estimated 50-55 minutes to the AirBnB.  Cool, we’ll chill and see the city.

I’d been in Vietnam about 20 year ago and I told J on our 3rd date that if I could retire anywhere in the world, right then and there, it would be HCMC.  Hearing, seeing, and smelling it brought back all those feelings and I got a little teary eyed in the back on the Grab.  The scooters and motorbikes that just flow like water on the streets is something to behold and something you need to see in person to truly understand and enjoy.  That, and the constant horn beeping.

Kiddo loved it and was just one comment after the next.  J as well and she also got a little teary eyed.  The city was familiar in a SEA way, but totally unique and its own.  Familiar and alien at the same time.  You can see the French influence in the buildings and layout, but also in the streets and the roundabouts.  

Getting to the AirBnB, we settled in and then searched out food.  We left our apartment on the 10th floor (cool views) and walked right.  About 400m later, we found a little place that had Pho.  We popped in, hoping for the best.  Not only did one of the ladies in the shop have GREAT English, but it was (after the fact) the favorite Pho place we ate at.  Just a little, local, hole in the wall type place.  Walking back, I broke off and headed to a little mini mart to get some beers and once Kiddo crashed, J and I had a few local beers and debriefed.  I had the dentist the next day in the morning.  It was near a park and museum J wanted to take Kiddo to, so that worked well.  They also stopped for a coffee treat and break. 

I poked them after my first root canal and procedure and they were at the Fine Art Museum and Kiddo was loving it.  My face was numbish and I had a headache and all from dental work, but I wasn’t miserable.  J suggested Pho again, for ease of my eating and sent me a link to a place that was walking distance for the both of us.  I wandered over, getting there a few minutes before them.  Seeing them walk up and cross the street in Vietnam was great.  Two weeks in and they were both pros, but on day one… It was heartwarming and a bit comedic.  Again, you need to do it to know, but you kind of wait for the cars and trust the bikes to flow around you.

After lunch, we returned to the apt and did rest time and chilled.  I needed to just lay down and relax.  I was a bit anxious and bummed that I needed to go back to the dentist, but I was also excited at the prospect of no more pain.  We did a home afternoon, but during that, it started raining.  REAL Rain.  A torrent of water.  There were points we couldn’t see the street below us.

The plan was that I would do dentist and then fend for myself and J and Kiddo were going out to a local yarn shop so J could get some yarn for knitting and Kiddo could help pick out colors and the like.  They then, would get tacos.  I did the dentist and all was successful.  They got soaked to the bone just getting into the cab and out of it, plus the short alleyway to the yarn shop.  

They decided to stay near the yarn shop and get dinner, since getting Grabs were hard due to time of day and weather.  A burger place.  After that, things got… interesting.

They finished right about when I was finished and I poked J.  She was trying to get a Grab.  I had one ordered, but it was 20 minutes.  We planned on meeting at home.  About 5 minutes before I got my car, J messaged that they weren’t getting one and it was only about a 3 mile walk, not too hot with no sun, and the rain knocked a lot of the humidity out of the air; They would walk it.  Ahhh, the best laid plans.  She got turned around in her directions and crossing the canal can be tricky, so they got a little lost.  She finally gave up and tried Grab again.  The only thing available were bikes.  So, she ordered a bike.

She’s not done a scooter in SEA and Kiddo has never done one, so they were going to have an adventure.  The bike arrived and offered a helmet, J went to put it on Kiddo and the driver stopped her; Helmet on her, Kiddo in the middle, driver driving.  It was only 2-3 miles and a straight road with one real turn to it, so J got everyone settled and off they went.  Yes, I would have preferred to have a helmet on Kiddo and if we end up in HCMC, a helmet will be a day 1 purchase for all, but for a quick ride…. Trust the process.  At least in a situation like that.

I walked into an empty apt and that worried me a bit.  Reaching out to J, she informed me of the bike plan.  I paced for 5 minutes until they arrived.  Home safe, we all could breathe easier.  

The following day, we woke and found coffee just down stairs and next door.  Awesome.  After that, we got ready and headed out to Book Street.  That was amazing and we saw some cool little book shops and the energy and kids and noise and fun of the place was infectious.  Plus, my tooth didn’t hurt!  We had a ball, but we also had banh mi from some cart set up near Book Street.  OMG, good!!!!

After that we got to Maison Marou Chocolate Shoppe and had some drinks and split a pan au chocolate.  J and I loved it, the chocolate was too bitter for Kiddo, as it’s real cocoa and not overly processed, so it was a little to dark and all.  She did enjoy seeing it and talking about chocolate and the process of making it.  A bust for Kiddo, but still fun enough.

We lunched at a local brewery, Heart of Darkness, for lunch and just hung out.  J and I picked up four cans of beer to take home so we could sip that night.  The afternoon was kind of the same, chilled at home and in the neighborhood.  

The next day was our last full day and we just bumped around.  After a day of just hanging out and being local, we wanted to stretch our legs and we found a Mexican place that was close, less than half mile, so we walked it.  The video doesn’t do justice to the traffic and bikes and just life of the place.  As for the food, Tippy’s was better than average, but not noteworthy.  Good enough food, not great.  It was fun to just be out and walking and with Kiddo and being a family.  Also, to feel the city and how it moves.  We did find ice cream on the walk back, so of course we had a treat!

The next day was packing up and getting ready for our flight to Da Nang.  We headed out to grab some more Pho before leaving and then did a final sweep of the place before heading to the airport and our next adventure.  Even as we packed and readied, J and I knew that HCMC had stolen a piece of all of our hearts.  We didn’t say goodbye, instead, we bid the city au revoir and started our next misadventure…. Also called the airline check in from heck.  Not quite Hell, but heck.  More on that next time.