HCMC, Vietnam: 15-16 April 2013

This is the first entry, for the 9-days backpacking trip to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) and Thailand (Bangkok).

Budget untuk trip kali ni tak banyak; RM2,000 je. Tu termasuk accommodations, transportations, souvenirs, shopping sket, dan tiket untuk semua aktiviti yg biasa tourist buat. Jadi setiap entry akan ada cost breakdown untuk rujukan pada masa hadapan :)

AirAsia ada promo somewhere in May 2012, so kitorg dapat RM58 one-way ticket to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) or known as Saigon. Tiket balik, from Bangkok to KL beli lambat sket, tunggu AirAsia promo and we got RM124. So total air tickets are RM182. Thanks AirAsia! ^__^

Here goes, bismillah...

Day #1

Departed from LCCT at 1200, dan sampai kat HCMC pukul 1pm waktu Vietnam (diorg lambat sejam dari Malaysia).

Kitorg amik bas je dari airport untuk ke pusat bandar. Keluar dari airport, pergi belah kanan dan naik bas nombor 152. We paid 5,000VND bersamaan 70sen je, ihiks. By the way, we didn't have small change (semua bawak kuar 100,000VND). Uncle kat depan yg pakai topi ni baik hati, dia tukarkan duit kecik pakai duit dia :). Driver bas ni, nampak kitorg je terus tanya, "Malaysia??" Kitorg sengih sambil angguk2 je.

Perjalanan amik masa dalam 30minit, dan bas akan berhenti dekat satu stesen bas yg agak besar la jugak. Ben Thanh market (yg orang Malaysia suka pergi shopping tu) dekat je dengan bus station tu, jalan kaki je.
Kitorg tak gi straight ke market, tapi jalan kaki gi guesthouse.

We stayed at My My Arthouse, quadruple room for USD58 for 2 nights. Ok la guesthouse ni, kiranya kawasan yg biasa backpackers duduk (District 1). Refreshed serba sket, pastu kuar nak cari makan. Lapar gilesssss!

Kitorg jumpa Restoran Taj Mahal, dekat je dengan guesthouse tu. We ordered 2 plates of chicken biryani (80,000VND/plate) since portion dia agak besar, so kongsi2 je. Gambar makanan tidaklah dapat dikongsi kerana masing2 kebuluq! Takde siapa snap gambar makan rasenye :p

Nak gi market (building across the road) kena cross satu jalan besar ni. Seriously, melintas jalan dekat bandar HCMC adalah sesuatu yg menakutkan >_<

Zebra crossing diorg ni sekadar hiasan je. Memang mencabar giles nak lintas, hoho.

Ni la rupa dalaman pasar Ben Thanh ni. Diorang kat sini dah tau rupa paras org Malaysia, so bila nampak je dia akan cakap "kakak, murah2". Sabo je kan, hehe.

Syiok gak la sebenarnya shopping kat sini, hehe. Tapi memang kene pandai tawar harga. I bought 2 shoulder bags, with the price of 120,000VND each (harga lepas tawar). Rasa dah murah, happy la tu konon. Sekali, bila malam (starts at 7pm) ada pasar malam kat luar building ni. The same bag, they sell it at 60,000VND. Gila! So I bought another 5, hamek kauu!! ^__^

Nak cari souvenirs pun ada, and I think it is cheaper to buy at the night market rather than inside the building.

Coffee 3-in-1 kat atas tu dijual RM9/box. Sedap kopinya!

This part of Ben Thanh, ada banyak kedai jual baju kurung siap, dan jugak jubah2. Nampak pakcik baju biru tu? Malaysian la tu, hehe. Memang ramai org Malaysia shopping kat sini, dah rasa mcm Jalan TAR pulak. Nama kedai2 diorg ni pun mcm org Melayu: Hasanah, Ramlah, dan Jamilah.

Sekitar kawasan ni, nak dapat makanan halal tak susah. Siap ada Warung 1 Malaysia lagi! Tapi kitorg tak makan kat restoran pun, cuma makan kat gerai tepi jalan. Kue tiow sup ni sedap! Harga semangkuk 50,000VND (~RM7) which is not that cheap actually. Tapi untung la peniaga ni sbb org Malaysia tak kisah pun kot :p Plus, location gerai dia sangat strategik.

Vietnamese iced coffee (20,000VND).

*telan ayaq liuq*

Air mineral 500ml priced at 10,000VND/bottle.

Ouh, another thing is, they do accept Ringgit Malaysia! So tak yah risau kalau abis duit Vietnam :D

Sepasang baju kurung yg dijahit manik kat dada, lengan dan bawah baju, diorg jual RM55 or 370,000VND (sampai Malaysia, kedai jual RM200, phewww)

Terserah la nak bayar in which currency. Cuma kalau rajin, buatlah kira2 dulu sebelum bayar. Waktu ni, USD1 = RM3. So waktu beli2 tu, rasanya bayar dalam USD kita untung sikit la.

I bought 3 telekungs at USD37 and 2 baju kurungs at RM110.

Ben Thanh night market.

Day #2

Breakfast included: bread and omelet, served with coffee. Yummeh!

They have spiral staircase, sampai tingkat 6 oke!

Nasib baik kitorg sampai awal, dapat 2nd floor. Kalau tak, tingkat 6 tau...hoho.

"Are you ready kids?" 

"Aye aye captain!"

We bought a tour package for Cu-Chi tunnel tour, priced at 84,000VND (RM12)

Tiket masuk Cu-Chi Tunnel, driver ni akan belikan untuk semua orang. Entrance ticket: 90,000VND (~RM13). Jarak dari pusat bandar ke Cu-Chi village ~70km, but it took about almost 2 hours! Speed limit dekat Vietnam ni, sebenarnya 60km/hr je tau, pastu banyak speed trap, so diorg tak bleh bawak laju.

Bas singgah tpt membuat kraftangan dari kulit telur. Diorg semua OKU, dan sangat tekun buat keje.

Tunnel, to Cu-Chi village.

Dengar asal usul kampung ni dulu.

Ni la lubang masuk terowong kecik tu. Memang kecik!

Susah woo nak keluar, kalau tangan kuat utk push your body up, then ok la. Tapi better mintak tolong orang tarik keluar :)

Booby trap. Why booby? why??

Another hole, with different function. Bijak tau org Vietnam design tunnel ni, ada lubang air keluar, lubang keluar asap bila diorg masak, lubang udara (yg mana kalau askar US tgk, akan assume tu lubang tikus je).

We did went into the tunnel, from 1st level, 2nd level until 3rd level. In 3rd level, we took the 1st exit that we saw :D

Scary woo...gelap, sempit, dan kita xtau kita kat mana, dududu....

At the end of the tour, they served us ubi kayu :D Cicah dgn kacang tanah tumbuk dgn gula+garam.

*lagi sedap kalau dapat makan dgn sambal ikan bilis, hohoooo*

Settle Cu-Chi tour, kitorg gi War Remnants Museum, with entrance fees at 15,000VND (RM2)

Sedih, sayu, pilu je tengok gambar2 yg diorg display -_-

Rasanya, siapa2 yg gi muzium ni, mesti akan rasa mcm ni "Gile arr Amerika ni kejam!"

Around town. Jalan2 cari post office and masjid. Unfortunately, sampai ke sudah tak jumpa pun masjidnya :p

Saigon Central Post Office

Kitorg ingat nak post je barang2 yg kitorg beli, tapi caj pos mahal gile, rasenye USD12/kg. Ended up, beli backpack baru (USD8 je) dan terpaksalah kendong sampai ke Bangkok, hakhak.

Lepas habis seharian jalan around town, makan nasik sekejap, pastu balik guesthouse utk asar dan zohor. Lepas maghrib, kitorg kuar gi night market semula utk sessi akhir membeli-belah.
^__^ Best!

Next morning, we took Kumho Samco bus to Phnom Penh. Harga tiket bas: 252,000VND or 12USD
How do we cross Vietnam-Cambodia border? Sambung la nanti :p


KIRA-KIRA
Accommodation: 305,000VND = RM43
Shopping: 960,000VND + RM55 + USD37 + RM9 = RM335
Transportation: RM37
Activities: 84,000VND + 90,000VND + 15,000VND = RM27
Makan: ~RM50
Total expenses~ RM492


 PS: HCMC ni, kira overspent jugak sbb shopping terlebih, but still within budget.