This city is still widely referred to as Saigon by the majority of locals. It buzzes with energy and is the place to observe the effect of a free-market in this communist country. Along with rapid growth, the city has an unusually high number of scooters which outnumber cars by at least 8:1. At certain times of the day, the streets are choked full of scooters.

WEATHER : FAIR

GETTING THERE : I flew Tigerairways from Singapore. It was surprising that some tourists paid more for their airfare from Bangkok than from Singapore! If you intend to buy high end new optics or electronic equipment at low prices, it will make sense to use Singapore as a stopover to explore Indochina. Another budget airlines, Jetstar, now plies the Singapore-HCMC route too. These budget airlines usually have very good promotional deals if you book your tickets 1-3 months in advance. Visit their websites regularly to scout for tickets that can sometimes go for as low as USD 1!

ACCOMMODATION : I stayed at Mimi Hotel (address : 40/5 Bui Vien St, email: [email protected]) in the backpacker district near De Tham street. The room, which costs US$8 /night, was clean and comfortable. Guests get to surf for an hour for free each day. Being at the heart of the backpacker district, the environs were very lively at night.

Just 200m from Mimi Hotel is Sinh Café’s office. You can buy the US$28 Open Tour Bus Ticket to Hanoi from there.

BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS : The most promising place to bird watch in HCMC was at the Reunification Palace. There were lots mature trees at the garden surrounding the Palace and it was a welcome change to be able to hear some birds in the city. It was a pity that I did not bring along my binoculars during that guided city tour. There were very few birds seen the rest of HCMC.

LEECHES : None

MAP/SKETCH : NA

SCOPE: Not needed

LESSONS LEARNT :

 1. The money changers near the hotel offered significantly better rates than the one at the airport. So upon arrival at the airport, just change a little US dollars (ie between 20-50) to Vietnamese Dong to pay for your taxi ride to the hotel. US$ is widely accepted in Vietnam so one should not have any difficulty changing it at better rates beyond the airport. The largest Dong denomination is 100,000 VND. So to carry around even US$200 equivalent of Dong, your wallet would be bulging over with a thick wad of notes. Carrying US$ is much more convenient. No wonder few locals would be interested to change their precious US$ for your Dong.

The going exchange rate at that time was 1S$ = 9500 VND and 1S$ = US$ 0.618

 2. Your optics and other valuables can be left in the safe at each guesthouse. The standard practice is that the receptionist will wrap them up with newspapers and seal it with sticky tape. You will need to sign along the tape so that you will know if anyone has opened your valuables. I did not encounter any problem by leaving my scope and binoculars in the guesthouses’ safes during my entire 50 day trip.

 3. Road users in HCMC have a different paradigm when it comes to driving. There were several occasions when the traffic there came to a complete stop as road users there either refuse to abide by traffic rules or to give way. Once, our bus had to jam for more than half an hour just to clear a particular traffic junction. No one wanted to give way and everyone just ignored the traffic lights. The entire junction box was jammed with at least 100 scooters and 10 cars or buses! So leave early and give a lot of allowance when planning your schedule.