5 Things to do in Vietnam w/ a Limited Time

5 Things to Do
Limited Time does not mean Limited Destinations ;)

Since we are finished with the walking tour of Ho Chi Minh in my previous post, here is another post about things to do in Vietnam. We only stayed for a few days so this post will be about things you can do with a limited time. Hope that this blog post will somehow be helpful to you.

1. Be a Millionaire for a few days!

Do not be surprised when you exchange your dollars and then become an instant millionaire. o_O The currency is really high in Vietnam so you will be eating food worth 20,000 and your taxi fare will be worth 15,000. Don't worry. These rates are all in Vietnamese Dong. :D

♫ I wanna be a millionaire, so freakin' bad ♫

2. Stay in the Backpacker's District of Pham Ngu Lao

Are you looking for cheap accommodation? Then just go to Pham Ngu Lao area and have your pick from the abundance of hotels. Another advantage of staying in this area is that there are lots of tour companies. Tour group pick up is usually in Pham Ngu Lao so you would not need to go far.

We stayed in Nguyen Khang Hotel and the place is very clean for only 20 dollars/night. Here are some pictures of the twin room that we booked:

Comfy Twin Room

Very clean bathroom! ;)

If you are arriving from a red eye Cebu Pacific flight, do not be surprised to find your hotel closed.  It is usually the norm there. This is there reason why it is advisable to book accommodations in advance so that the hotel owner would be aware that a guest will be coming that night. Also, there are some accommodations like Nguyen Khang Hotel where you need to take off your shoes before entering. If you do not feel comfortable with walking barefoot, you can prepare socks in advance. :)

3. Watch the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Show
A good way to spend the afternoon or early evening is to watch the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Show. The show is held everyday with two time schedules: 5:00pm & 6:30 pm. It will last for 50 minutes with no intermission.

Cute statue ^__^

Mom in front of the theatre.

The show is in Vietnamese language but no need to worry. There is a pamphlet given out where you can see the program acts. There are 17 scenes beginning with the Raising the Festival Flag and ending with the Dance of the Four Holy Animals. You can book tickets at the hotel you will be staying at.

4. Try Vietnamese Coffee.

One of the specialties in Vietnam is coffee. You can see iced coffee being sold in a sidewalk stall or in cafes like Highlands Coffee. My mom & I tried the iced coffee in Highlands and it was pretty strong! If you are a coffee lover, do not leave Vietnam without trying out the coffee. ;)

Mommy

If you want to bring home coffee, you can buy some at Ben Thanh Market. You can choose from different brands and type. If you buy coffee beans, you can have them grind it. You can also buy a box of Trung Nguyen Coffee with sachets inside. To make your coffee experience richer, you can buy coffee filters like in these images.

5. Go on a Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Do you want to experience going inside a tunnel? If you are looking for a simple thrill, the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour is for you. Step back to the past and experience going inside the underground tunnel which Viet Cong guerillas  used as not just hiding spots but living quarters as well.

Tired and sweaty from the duck walk inside the tunnel, hehe :D

The tunnel was enlarged to accommodate visitors.

Apart from going inside the tunnel, there are also other activities like the film showing before the tour and checking out the traps. If you want to try a hand at shooting, you can try shooting real guns at the firing range. The cost of the activity depends on the gun that you will choose.

We were lucky that we had Mr. Binh, our half Filipino and half Vietnamese tour guide. He had interesting stories to tell being a war veteran. We learned a lot even while we were still inside the tour bus on the way to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Just a tip though. Try to book your Cu Chi Tunnel tour in advance if you plan to do it on your first day. We wanted to go on the tour on our first day but then it was already fully booked. We had to change it to our last day.

If you have more time to spend in Vietnam, you can try other interesting activities. First, you can  immerse yourself in the village with the Mekong 2 days tour. Also, you can spend time in Mui Ne where you can visit the red and white sand dunes. Going to Hanoi is a good option to try walking down the old quarters and book a Halong Bay tour or Perfume Pagoda tour. :)

EDIT as of August 23, 2011:  
More suggestions from Ian = hunting girls in Ao Dai as a pic with them will complete your Vietnam experience... They are quite fascinating! You also try Saigon River Cruise. I would love to try it on a future visit to HCMC.

I also forgot to put this activity. Try Xin Chao,  a circus and acrobatics show that runs every Saturday and Sunday at 6:00-7:00 pm. My mom and I found out about it through a woman and teenager giving out flyers. Unfortunately, our puppet show schedule was conflict with the circus. :( Still, I hope you could catch the show especially if you are just staying in Pham Ngu Lao area since it is held at the park.