The third and last country in our 7 day Indochina trip was Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam or formerly known as Saigon.
Siem Reap ➡️ Phnom Penh ➡️ Ho Chi Minh
How to get to Ho Chi Minh from Siem Reap?
By Plane
You can book through any local airline (Airasia). Travel time is 1hr.
By Bus
Book at any travel agencies anywhere in Siem Reap, along Pubstreet, Night Market or from your hotel. You can also book it online through www.cambodiaticket.com (Giant Ibis and Mekong Express are two of the trusted bus companies)
I recommend taking the sleeper bus at night to maximize your travel time and for a more convinient ride. Travel time is approximately 12 hours and costs around $4-26 depending on the bus company and type of transpo(bus, van, minibus). From Siem Reap, the bus drops you off in Phnom Penh and then take another bus to Ho Chi Minh. There are bus companies that offers direct transfer from Sieam Reap to HCM. (check out www.catmekongexpress.com) There's no central bus station both in Sieam Reap and Phnom Penh so the bus companies operate on their own office. They will pick you up at your hotel or the travel agency where you booked your ticket.
We took the night transfer but unfortunately all the sleeper bus are fullybooked and we didnt wanna be chance passengers so we took the ordinary bus instead. The Sleeper bus has builtin beds and toilet. It looks compact and comfortable whereas the regular bus is just the same old sitting position. The travel time is the same except that most locals take this bus. There was only 1 expat inside the bus and the rest were monks, Kmers(locals) and then us. We look like Kmers anyway so we were easy to blend in. I suggest you book ahead of time if you want the sleeper bus because the price can be really hefty during the last minute.
Kaye and I just slept the entire trip and although I had a scare at first, the travel was nothing different from when taking a night bus in Manila. I was being paranoid because we were in a foreign land and we are travelling night time and there wasn't much tourist inside the bus like we were used to.
We arrived in Phnom Penh around 2am but we didnt have any transfer booked to Ho Chi Minh so we just asked around and we were brought to 2 ticketing office. The first was fullybooked but the second office we went contacted a bus company who have a few seats left. So we took that and left the city around 4:00am.
This was another bus company that most locals use so there were no expats inside the bus. No eye candy. Boo. When we got near the border the bus conductor took our passports(no fee involved) got off the bus twice, first at the Cambodia exit jand then next at the entry point to Vietnam. There was no contact to any immigration officer. It was a weird and fast process but I'm not complaining.
Since we took a local bus, we were dropped off at the companies office which was around 3 miles away from Pham Ngu Lao. If you're taking the tourist night bus from Phnom Penh you will be dropped off directly in Pham Ngu Lao. #loosers We exchanged our remaining dollars at a nearby bank and then took a cab to our hostel in Pham Ngu Lao.
Saigon Backpacker.
Millionaires. After our check-in and a quick bath, Kaye and I went outside to look for a place to eat and then some. After filling up our stomach, we walked our way to see the famous landmarks in Ho Chi Minh.
Pham Ngu Lao is the busiest street in Ho Chi Minh. This is the backpackers area so we were not surpised when we saw expats almost everywhere. Every street has restaurants, clubs, hostels travel agencies and spas and shops. You will never run out of things to do here.
Flower Park
Ben Thanh Market
Chu Tich Ho Chi Minh
Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral
Saigon Central Post OfficeOn our second day, we booked a half day tour in Cu Chi Tunnel that you can book from your hotel or at any travel agency in Pham Ngu Lao.
First Stop
The artists.
Stories about the Vietnam War
Paying attention
#touristshot
After our tour we went back to the city to check out the museum, parks and some more tourist spots.
And after a day of walking and endless picture taking we finally had a good meal at Pho 2000, the famous restaurant in Ho Chi Minh where President Bush had a meal located just beside Ben Tahn Market. After dinner we went back inside the market to buy souvenirs and a Northface bag for a friend but I ended up buying for myself too. Kaye had no plans of buying while in Vietnam but she was forced anyway. Here's the deal, I don't know if this only applies during Chinese New Year, the first customer can't walk away without a sale because it'll bring the vendors bad luck. They will force you and will really hang on to you until you buy the item. One lady did try to force me but I gave her THE look with a hard resounding NO so she let me leave, but I ended up buying the bag from her because she gave me a really good deal. Kaye wasn't able to ditch the vendor she asked but she did love the romper so it was still a good buy. She too got a good discount.
Dinner 🤗
The items sold in Ben Thanh Market are both legit and "Class A" items. The lady where I bought my bag from was honest to say that we are buying a class a bag and not the real one. I'm not sure if it applies to other stores. Its like Divisoria and Baclaran in one level complex with rows of stalls selling items from RTW, Shoes, Bags, Food, Spices and Souvenirs etc.
Night Market
At night, the streets beside Ben Thanh are turned into a street market. The people selling inside creates makeshift stalls in the street. Maybe around 6 or 7pm you will notice a group of shirtless guys running, pushing their tents, securing a good spot in the street market. The guys were aggressive and runs really fast. Its just so amazing how they managed to push their tents through a very busy street.
Club Scene
There are tons of pubs and clubs to choose from in Pham Ngu Lao. Notice the tables and red chairs set up in their tiny streets. Its the best place to make friends and new acquintances. Also make sure to try their local beer, Saigon.
Motorbikes are the It-Vehicles and they dominate the streets and sidewalkes of Ho Chi Minh. They drive through pedestrian lanes like its nobodys business so keep a wide eye when crossing the street or walking in pedestrians.
After our whole day activity we went back to our hostel to get our bags and took a quick shower. Our booking was only for 1 day so we already checked out early in the day before we started our Cu Chi Tunnel tour but the hostel was nice enough to let us leave our bags and use their toilet to take a shower. They also allowed us to stay in their living room while waiting for our airport transfer. We booked our transfer at the same agency where we booked our Cu Chi Tunnel. It was almost the same rate as when hiring a regular cab from the streets of Pham Ngu Lao.
