Ho Chi Minh City Day 1 … my arrival

I have been planning this trip for 6 months so I am very excited to actually be here.

After a few long and tedious flights and stop overs I have finally made it. My ankles are swelled to a very ugly state.

I flew Scoot Airline from Sydney with a stopover in Singapore. Scoot would not really have been my airline of choice but I had a credit that I wanted to use. There was very little leg room and I was crammed in between two other people … My fault as I should have booked and paid for a seat of choice.

Getting through immigration was fine though I felt the official looked at my visa for way too long … I suppose he was just checking everything. Customs was a breeze … nothing to declare … just walk on out - no bag scanning … easy arrival into Ho Chi Min City.

So many taxi drivers approached me once I was outside the terminal. I looked around for the bus but then realised that I had missed all the opportunities to get any VND cash. I was exhausted anyway so ordered a Grab cab and at about $6 AUD it was totally worth it.

I will add here that I had set up my Grab account before leaving Australia. I also added my Wise debit card to it. This meant that I did not have to worry about cash payments or haggling. Also meant that I knew what the price was before I booked it … great system.

The trip into the city was good. The driver dropped me off but as I was unfamiliar with the alley systems in Ho Chi Minh City I was still lost. Found it with help from locals ❤️

Well evidently I am staying down this alleyway … initially I was scared to even go down it.

Last night I was on a cruise ship in the Australian Great Barrier Reef and tonight I am staying here … quite a contrast but also one of the things that I love about travelling.

Son Thinh Guesthouse is actually a family home that lets out rooms … not what I expected. Three flights of stairs was a bit gruelling for my knees but the host helped me with my bag. My way too heavy luggage … I will definately do better next time.

Clean and plenty of room for just me 😀

The balcony was very small … could hardly fit my bum 😆 The ridiculousness of this balcony caused me much humour … like who would even believe this story. How could any accommodation even advertise and charge more for this balcony room. The advertised city views were also a bit of a joke. Not that I minded … I love seeing how people live and this definately gives me this opportunity. I could see straight into peoples living and bedrooms.

I stayed here three nights … very comfortable and a good position to explore from … very close to Bui Vein Street.

This room, including balcony, cost AUD$21 per night. Accommodation prices in District 1 can be more expensive than other places so I am happy with this price.

There was a travel agent come gold shop just next door to the alley where I was staying. I initially went in there looking for directions to my accommodation and went back to change money later … lovely helpful lady and no problems changing AUD to VND.

This is a good location to be in as there are some Seven Eleven stores and many restaurants with so much to choose from.

Crossing the road was one of my biggest issues so initially I tried to walk around with limited road crossing. This does get easier with time. The more time I spent in Vietnam the more relaxed I became.

Please leave a comment or just say hi 😀