Because Vietnam is such a dynamic mix of colour, energy, vibrancy, quirkiness, and style, and because it’s always a fascinating country to travel, I thought this time I would let the pictures paint the words to tell you about the five destinations we recently travelled in Central Vietnam. **Although Some words have been included to add context**
Part Two:
I cover a revisit to Saigon and a remote few days enjoying the uniqueness of the Mekong Delta
Whether you’ve been to Vietnam before or not, I hope you enjoy “getting to know” this special country a little better through my visual and written narrative.
Three years ago, we visited Vietnam and spent 5 days in the capital – Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon, aka HCMC. We enjoyed the many varied offerings then. In August this year, we loved being back in this now-familiar city to enjoy them again.
What HCMC – Saigon Offers
Saigon is an eclectic city, more “westernised” than, say, Hanoi, and very cosmopolitan.
Because of this, the variety of eateries and cuisine can’t be emphasised enough. Visitors are spoiled for choice. Click here for more info on some of the eateries we would call our favourites.
It is a city that seems to enjoy its place in the world and is proud the role its culture has played in the country’s varied, tragic, yet phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes attitude to life.
For instance, there is the romance of the renowned French colonial hub, now an upmarket shopping precinct, which also houses several old-world glam hotels such as Hotel Intercontinental and the Rex Hotel, the spot Western journalists parked when reporting on the Vietnam War back in the 50s and 60s. There’s also the Grand Opera House, along with loads of smart shops. This pocket of the city is soaked in character.
And while perching in a funky loft cafe, sitting by pulled-open sash windows overlooking what used to be Rue Catinat (the tree-lined street on which Graham Greene’s renowned novel “The Quiet American” is based), we were lucky to spend a special hour chatting with a 1950s-glam (local) couple.
They described the history of each building to us and proudly talked about their part in the annals of days gone by. She wore a beautifully cut, high-end white cotton dress, cinched at the waist and covered in bright red hearts. Her elegant legs crossed, feet flawlessly shod in glamorous red leather stiletto heels that shouted style. Her glossy black hair was coiffed in a perfect bob. The only thing missing was a cigarette in a long, slim holder, held at an angle, with her perfectly painted fingernails. He was distinguished and effortlessly clad in a casual jacket and pants, possessing an air of gentle sophistication.
And then, in contrast, is the deeply proud celebration of Ho Chi Minh.
His magnificent, grey, and sombre mausoleum is definitely worth a visit, and don’t miss the1960s-modern Museum of Reunification. (Take a tissue or two – this place is profoundly moving). I can’t recommend it enough. The curation is sensitive, balanced, and atmospheric, and it presents the tragic Vietnam War in a visceral way that makes it impossible not to be touched.
The images below evoke a sense of some of what this great city has to offer. Click here to see & read more
A light in a cafe
MTR stayed at the Silverland Jolie Hotel
MTR travelled via Vietnam Air from Tuy Hoa to HCMC
“Take Me To The River” is a famous 1974 Al Green song. And ever since we travelled up the Mekong, by ferry from Vietnam to Cambodia in 2024 and then sat on its banks in different parts of Laos, this river has fascinated me, and I would start to hum his song.
The Mekong is one of the world’s largest and longest rivers; it meanders its wide, slow way through Southeast Asia, providing food, shelter, and transport and has held historical significance for millions of people throughout the ages. Its scenic beauty and sheer size are awe-inspiring and somehow humbling.
So, as we neared the end of our time in Central Vietnam, we chose to spend our final 5 days in Ca Bei District on the Mekong Delta.
It is a very large stretch of the river, where its signature muddy-brown waters spread across low-lying land, forming many smaller tributaries and remote, rural islands that provide safe places for life to unfold – timelessly.
The photos describe the delta better than I can in words. It’s a dramatic beauty: the wetness, the lushness, the astounding beauty of the subtropical plants and blooms, the calm, the serenity, the industriousness of the working river that never interrupts the endless tranquillity.
And it’s where we ate some of the most authentic Vietnamese food ever.
I will forever carry memories of the soft “put-put” of boat engines, the occasional squawk of lily pad birds, and the (if I listened really carefully) rippling of the river water. All these sounds deepening my sense of peace.
To read more about Vietnam please click the links below:
MTR flew return to/from Vietnam via Sydney on Vietnam Airlines. Highly recommended – service, comfort, and food all AAA+
If you would like to know more about this story or any other story published on Mytravelroom, please get in touch with me at janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz
