Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

There was a lot to take in on that first day in Ho Chi Minh. The streets were littered with plastic bottles, and the smell of the city was a combination of hot trash, sweat, spices, and car exhaust.   Families were cooking, eating, and even napping out on the sidewalks.  The weather was hot and sticky, and there were vendors approaching us at every corner asking us to buy something.  The most noticeable thing about the city was all the motor bikes and scooters that dominated the streets. It was amazing watching all the different people riding them, each one having their own unique situation. There were families of 3 or 4 all riding on 1 bike, people carrying big boxes or long poles, or other kinds of loads, passengers sleeping on the back, mothers feeding their baby a bottle while riding, little old ladies driving their own, people wearing masks and head gear, some riding side saddle, and even these ladies with fancy clothes and long gloves riding on designer scooters.  Mixed in with the scooters and motor bikes were a few cars, taxis, and people on bicycles.  Frequently, you would see tiny old men riding bikes carrying passengers who were 3 times the size of them in their front cart.  

Of all the pictures we took in Ho Chi Minh, I feel this one of chickens and barefoot toddlers roaming free on the sidewalks (with motor bikes parked in the background) really captures the beautiful chaos of this city.  

Here’s our 1.5 million Dong fortune.  We felt sort of proud of it.  The exchange rate was roughly 20,000 Vietnamese Dong to 1 US Dollar.