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Leaving Cambodia on a good note (with memories slightly more positive than those of S-21 and the Killing Fields) we almost miss yet another coach, through no fault of our own may I add!! BUT when in S.E. Asia you can always rely on the fact that come day, night, rain or shine there will ALWAYS be a tuk tuk lurking near-by willing to take you to wherever you want to go. Thankfully for us that particular tuk tuk was lurking outside our hostel and got us to the coach station in the nick of time!
At 6am the following morning we arrived in a small village just short of the Vietnam border crossing. After a prompt briefing our passports were scruntinised, multiple photographs and sets of fingerprints taken and luggage scanned before we were free to head for Ho Chi Minh City and our hostel.
HCMC, formerly Saigon, a bustling, cosmopolitan city with a London-esque vibe where the people are rude, it is impossible to cross the road and everyone wants to rip you off, especially the taxi drivers. Myself and the city did not get off to the best of starts (bad hostel, sleep deprivation and a general bad first impression the main contributors) but after a long day of sightseeing including The Palace, Catherdral and City Museum, I most definately warmed to the place, of course the delicious homemade apple pie and ice cream I ate along the way certainly helped! Yet I still somehow fealt a little, disappointed maybe, by my first experience of Vietnam. My expectations were that I would feel and absorb more from both the city and country than what I had, taking into account its colourful and interesting history to say the least but I just did not connect with the city and as quickly as we had arrived it was time to depart. Next stop, Hoi An.
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