Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho

From the sweltering beaches of Nha Trang we travelled by train to Ho Chi Min City aka Saigon.

Like Hanoi the streets thronged with motorbikes and scooters but the city had a more cosmopolitan feel to that of the capital.

We visited the War Remnants Museum where we learnt about the horrors of war and the atrocities perpetrated by the USA during the American War. We strolled around the Reunification Palace where time has stood still since April 30, 1975 (then called Independence Palace) when North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the palace gates to seize power. We haggled for bargains at the Ben Thanh Market before watching the sunset from the rooftop bar at the Sheritan Hotel.

We took a tour to the tunnels of Cu Chi and discovered how the Viet Cong lived, mounted surprise attacks on the Americans and evaded capture. Visitors to the site also have the chance (for a small fee) to fire a selection of weapons used during the American War. I decided on the AK-47 rifle which to be honest was pretty terrifying but thrilling at the same time.

Stephie hiding out at Cu Chi.

Bin Laden never stood a chance!

From Ho Chi Minh City we travelled by bus to the water world of the Mekong Delta aka the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam. Our destination was Can Tho, the largest city in the region and from where we would take a tour of the nearby floating markets.

Floating market near Can Tho.

The boats advertise the goods they sell by hanging them from a pole.

From Can Tho we had planned to visit Phu Quoc Island, described by the Lonely Planet as a tropical getaway; a forested island gem with white-sand beaches. However, with time against us we decided it was time to leave Vietnam and after an eight hour bus journey we crossed the border into Cambodia and arrived in the country’s capital of Phnom Penh.