The traffic in Vietnam was congested with motorbikes - exactly what you see in pictures and on TV, but we felt quite safe crossing the road. There seems to be an unspoken understanding among road users. It felt more unnerving crossing the roads in KL!
Not many people on the streets speak English but people in the tourist areas can understand basic English. The hotel staff were particularly helpful. They would help us to get a taxi and tell the taxi driver our destination. When we returned, they would make sure we were charged the amount on the meter and not cheated. The hotel staff also helped to negotiate our taxi fare to the airport. We paid the fare before leaving the hotel and were issued a receipt so we didn't have to worry about being cheated at the airport. Our experiences with the taxis were quite pleasant. Tip: We always took taxis run by companies deemed reputable, e.g. Vinasun, Mailinh, and Saigon Air.
Here are more pictures of some of the foodstuff we bought:
[Candied ginger and lotus seeds from My Tho]
[Coconut candy from Ben Tre: with peanuts and durian]
[Smoked bananas from the streets of Ho Chi Minh City: the stubby-type we can find in Malaysia, but this is the first time we tried the rolled flat-type]
[Vietnamese coffee maker: consists of a bottom seive, small cup, an inner seive, and a lid]
[Vietnamese lotus tea: smells like the lotus pod]
[Vietnamese shrimp chilli salt: famous in Tay Ninh but we bought this from the city... good as a dip for fruits like pineapple, starfruit and guava]
Overall it was a pleasant holiday. Would we recommend HCMC as a holiday destination? YES :o).
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