30 July 2018, Monday
After spending the past two days in Nha Trang, I would be continuing my journey to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) today, which would be my last stop in Vietnam. I opted for a day bus this time round, having learned my lesson after enduring an uncomfortable ride on the overnight sleeper bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang.
I booked the day bus through My Homestay accommodation and paid VND 210,000 (S$12.60) for a seat. At 7:45am, a minibus came to My Homestay to pick me up. We then picked up several other travellers along the way before arriving at the bus park at 8:08am. We boarded the bus soon after and departed Nha Trang at 8:20am.
The distance from Nha Trang to HCMC is about 435km and the journey would eventually take over 11 hours. It was going to be a loooong day on the road. At 10:19am, we made our first stop for a brief toilet break, and resumed the journey after 10 minutes. At 11:45am, we stopped again for lunch at a small town. I ordered a plate of dry Maggi Mee noodles with beef and a bottle of green tea, amounting to VND 65,000 (S$3.90). We moved off again at 12:26pm.
We made a further two more short stops en route before finally arriving at HCMC at 7:33pm. The sky was already dark and I was getting really hungry by then. I was just so happy to get off the bus. Even though I managed to pass the time by reading and listening to music, my bum was sore and I longed to stretch my legs properly after 11 hours on the bus.
The bus dropped us outside the office of Tâm Hạnh Travel at 161 Nguyễn Cư Trinh. I fired up my Google Maps and saw that my accommodation at Vy Da Backpackers Hostel 2 was located about a kilometre away at 48 Co Bac, Cau Ong Lanh Ward, District 1. Despite my hunger, I decided to save some money by walking instead of taking a taxi. It wasn’t a long walk and I arrived at the hostel’s doorstep at 7:48pm.
My last visit to HCMC was in September 2017, less than a year ago, so I decided to spend only one night here. Since it was just for one night (actually, only a few hours just to sleep), I figured that I should book the cheapest accommodation possible. I found Vy Da Backpackers Hostel 2 on booking.com and paid US$5.85 (S$7.68) for a mixed dormitory room. The dorm room was quite tiny but it was newer and nicer than My Homestay in Nha Trang. The bed was big and the sheets were very clean.
Shortly upon my arrival, I got a rude shock when I received several SMS messages in quick succession concerning four unauthorised charges on my Citibank credit card. They amounted to over S$5,700, and I had no idea how these transactions occurred. I quickly called my mum via WhatsApp and asked her to help me call the Citibank hotline in Singapore to report the transactions, as I was trying to avoid incurring hefty overseas call charges.
Almost immediately, Citibank called me back on my mobile phone and I explained to them what happened. They blocked my card to stop any further transactions, and said they would send me a replacement card. After getting off the call with me, the Citibank representative called my mum back to confirm that they have reported my case and will investigate the matter. I was very impressed with their swift response and follow up actions.
After heaving a huge sigh of relief, I finally headed out of my hostel at 8:30pm to look for dinner. I was really famished by then. I saw a small eatery across my hostel and it was full of locals, so I decided it must be good.
I didn’t know what to order so I just told the lady that I wanted a bowl of whatever. I paid VND 40,000 (S$2.40) and waited to see what I would get. It turned out to be a bowl of soup noodles with a mix of pig’s liver and kidney, chicken strips, one big prawn and a quail’s egg. It was very tasty and I slurped it all up! Perhaps I was just very hungry.
After finishing my food, I didn’t have much time left to explore HCMC so I headed over to the Bến Thành Night Market for a look. I found my bearings easily as the memories of my last visit were still fresh in my head.
The night market starts from 6:00pm daily. The two small streets flanking the Bến Thành Market building are closed to vehicular traffic and transformed into an open-air street market. However, you have to watch out as the occasional stray motorbike will still pass through the street and weave among the pedestrians.
When I arrived at 9:05pm, the market was very lively with a good mix of locals and tourists. Stalls were lined up on both sides of the road, hawking souvenirs, food, clothes, bags, shoes and accessories. You know, the typical street market stuff.
I wasn’t intending to do any more shopping but it was just so hard to resist when I walked past stall after stall selling replica bags from The North Face. I had already bought one in Hanoi but one is never enough. I simply love their bags.
When I say they are replica bags, it means they are non-original. However, the quality of the replica bags here are as good as the authentic versions sold in stores. This is because most of the authentic The North Face bags are produced in Vietnam anyway.
I saw a black 55-litre backpack that I liked and approached the stall holder. She quoted me VND 1.5 million (S$90) but it was way above what I was prepared to pay. I acted coy and left the stall, making a few rounds before coming back again. I really liked the bag and I was determined to get it.
I bargained hard and finally managed to bring the price down to VND 700,000 + US$5 (about S$49), close to half of the initially quoted figure. You really have to bargain or you’ll end up paying much more than what it’s worth! By the way, the reason for the additional US$5 is because I had run out of Vietnamese Dong. It was my last night in Vietnam and I didn’t want to exchange any more currency, so it was a convenient way to use up my remaining Dong.
I was really satisfied with my purchase and I walked back to the hostel happily. I took my shower, reorganised my stuff and headed to bed. In a few hours’ time, I would wake up and take a morning bus to Phnom Penh. And this wraps up my very brief stay in HCMC as well as the Vietnamese leg of my trip!