We have waited for this day to come for what seems like forever but now that we are here in Vietnam, it is just as amazing as we thought it would be.
When we landed in the Tan Son Nhat International Airport we were surprised at how empty the airport was, then again it was 5:00 am! Being early had its perks as we quickly made it through the visa check in and customs and out to the front where we were able to convert our USD to Vietnamese Dong and get a sim card. After getting the right currency and having a working phone again we hopped on the Satsco Vé Xe shuttle bus (20,000 VND each, which is .88 USD ) and made our way to our hostel in District 1. Fifteen hours of plane flights and a eight hour layover we were more than ready to R&R, but unfortunately our room was not yet cleaned since it was rented out the night prior so we had to wait a few hours. They were nice enough to hold our luggage as we went out into the city to site see and grab some local food.
Our first day in Saigon we spent a total of $10.38 USD on food for the both of us and that was even including a smoothie! Our budget per day for food is $10 so we went over just a tad but we made up the difference with how cheap the shuttle bus ended up being!
As we ventured around the city we ran into a couple visiting from Europe who were looking for the same place we were, the Ben Thanh Market. We all decided to stick together and brave crossing the roads to get to this highly talked about market. The roads here are truly amazing! I could sit on the sidewalk and watch the drivers maneuver around all day. When they say you just have to pray and walk out to cross the street, thats exactly what you do. You take a few steps SLOWLY and watch as they go around you. Lucas finds it crazy that I’m fascinated by it but it really is remarkable how they pay attention to everything going on around them and not wreck into anything or anyone!
Throughout our first day in Vietnam we were able to see the famous Ben Thanh Market, the Central Post Office which dates back to 1891, the Notre Dame Cathedral built in the 1800’s, the Bitexco Financial Tower featured in The Hangover and the Unification Palace.
Having our Hostel in such a centrally located part of the city was definitely a huge plus even if the hostel wasn’t everything we were hoping it would be. We still were blessed to have a working fan and an AC in our own private room for just $12 per night.
When we got to our room we unpacked our things, showered and decided to take a nap before dinner. Little did we know that we would sleep for 14 hours straight, waking up at 6am skipping dinner completely. I guess jet lag really is a thing!
Life's Next Adventures 