Good morning Vietnam!

Layover…

We began our trip with Ho Chi Minh City as our point of entry, arriving a little over midnight. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to going around Vietnam. As planned, we would take the earliest bus ride to Cambodia straight from the airport. But it turned out that there’s no trip until 8:00AM. There’s really nothing we can do but to wait.  So we decided not to get a hotel and go around the streets of District 1 instead. As a tourist, going around can be a little difficult as very few Vietnamese people speak English. If you’re lucky to spot one, the accent is also difficult to pick up. (Or maybe the fluent ones are still asleep!) I had to rely on my sense of direction and excellent mapping skills.

I came to Vietnam with one agenda; eat an authentic Vietnamese Pho (Noodle Soup).

Authentic Vietnamese Pho

Pansit.

Trying to keep awake.

After getting my fill, we headed to the nearest public park along Pham Ngu Lao Street. Vietnamese are early risers. We were sitting on a park bench at around 3:00AM and local people would slowly get thicker to walk their dogs, go for a bike ride, do group Tai Chi, or jog. As the sun slowly crept back in the sky, the real action begins. I was told about the sea of motorbikes in major streets of Vietnam, but you will have to see it for yourself to get this feeling of sudden fear and excitement at the same time.

8AM. Woah! Motorcycle capital of the world!

Another shot. Look! There’s Jollibee!

Some bars have this signage. National drink?

The best thing about the Vietnamese people is they are punctual. They may not be as hospitable as Filipinos, but they do value time. We took a bus from Pham Ngu Lao to Phnom Penh at 8:00am as published, for $12. The bus was comfortable with free wet wipes and a bottle of water. The guys from the bus company would take care of your passports at the immigration so there’s less hassle.

(What I also like about Viet establishments, they serve iced tea for free. Even if you just ordered coffee. It’s like their water here.   Real brew, no sugar, floral scent…LIKE! )

TIP: Along the border, the bus would stop for lunch at this carinderia. Do try their Iced Coffee with Milk. Its rich, pungent taste would have you energized for the remaining hours of the journey. The cold drink can also relieve you –for at least some time- of the heat, which is another story.