We arrived in HCMC at 5 am on the night bus. There had been drama on the bus as a local was caught stealing money from a Brits handbag while she was sleeping. Understandably she was feeling a bit on edge so the three of us went and parked up in McDonalds to wait until we could check into our homestays.
We stayed at “Next Home” homestay. The room wasn’t well ventilated and the TV didn’t work, but the room was comfortable and there was a handy kitchen area downstairs with a water tank which was handy.
For breakfast most mornings we had beef pho from a street food stall only 5 minutes walk from the homestay. It was tasty and only $2 so we kept going back! The second morning we grabbed breakfast on the way to an apartment viewing at French bakery “Tous Les Jours”. The food was a little pricey compared to other bakeries in the area but tasted devine!
Over three days in HCMC most of our time was spent viewing apartments. We looked at a dozen apartments in several different buildings including Vinhomes Central Park, Vinhomes Golden River, the Tresor, Goldview and Riva Park. Each place offered different positives and negatives so it was hard to choose a favourite, although the Tresor and Aqua 2 (at Golden River) were definitely our favourite buildings.
While walking the streets of HCMC we came across some interesting things. Most notable were a couple of giant eagle looking birds perched out on the street. They were both on leashes but had sharp beaks and looked like they could do some serious damage if you got too close. One thing that kept Kyle on edge was the amount of rats around. They were everywhere.
We had a couple of dinners on the Bui Vien walking street which houses loads of restaurants and bars. On our first night in HCMC we had Indian at Bollywood Indian Restaurant & Bar, and on the third night we had Mexican at Nonla Guys. Both had great service and decent food for an ok price. On our second night we went to a Vietnamese spot close to our homestay for the classic tofu, morning glory and noodle combo.
Next door to our homestay was a spaghetti restaurant that was always busy. Every time we went outside there were a heap of Grab delivery drivers waiting to pick up orders. We went there for lunch one day and it was great! The spaghetti was yum and only $2.
By the time we left HCMC, Kyle had opened a Vietnamese bank account and we had found an apartment to rent on our return. Our quick visit did not feel much like a holiday, but it set us up for our permanent move in June!
Kyley on Tour 