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VISITING VIBRANT VIETNAM:
 Vietnam, to many of us, may be sadly just a country in the southwest of Asia struggling to get back on its feet after the intense wreckage of the 1970’s American war. Indeed, it’s wrought with many war remnants that serve as a chilly reminder of its bloodied past. However, apart from the bomb shells, war museums and a monumental landmark named ‘Chu Chi tunnels’ there’re much more of cultural richness that one can immerse in and enjoy a holiday away from the busy and intoxicating metropolitan life we’ve come accustomed to.
 I had the fortune of visiting southern Ho Chi Minh, (Vietnam’s capital which used to be tagged Saigon by the Americans till the 70’s) 1 half of Vietnam’s famed duo (the other being the more rural northern Hanoi) and was amazed to find an airport that was high-tech and pristine! It’s like a smaller version of KL/HK airport. I later on learnt that this new airport had just opened on 15th August 2007. From the airport we headed to wolf down the famous Vietnamese staple dish Beef Pho (pronounced as ‘poo) which is made up of white silky rice noodles and succulent beef slices doused in clear soup. You can sample this dish at Pho24 located at food courts. Another delectable local staple is its peppermint rice paper wrap (think a smaller smoother minty flavoured popiah)
  Don’t be too surprise that you can easily find combat planes, tankers and random standalone colonial buildings housing them, just around every corner. After all, they form most of Vietnam’s history. 1 of the Monumental buildings worth visiting is the Reunification Palace, residence of the country’s past presidents till year 1975 where a blasting split the palace into two. The broken bit has since been restored to its original state for tourist viewing. Expect many retro furnishing and bits of it political history lying all around the 4 levels of the building.
   Chu Chi tunnel ranks tops on the places of interest. It was 1st dugged and expanded into a comprehensive network that spans all the way from Chu Chi to from Ho Chi Minh by the Chu Chi Rebellions to live in secrecy and safety, after almost everything on the surface was destroyed by the invader. from and their battle against the invasion of the Americans. apart from a history class before navigating the actual tunnels and its surrounding jungle, expect mannequins of the Chu Chi rebellions and their smart devices for ousting the Americans away from their land. And the surprising find you’ll get is a chance to fire real ammunition! For a price of 10USD, you’ll get 5 machine gun bullets to blast. With a torchlight in toll, my personal experience of the tunnels boils down to 3 stages: the initial excitement of crawling through and feeling the small tunnel, followed by the nagging ache on your thighs that’ll make you anticipate when the light at the end will show, and finally relief when you see the light at the end and relish the freedom of space out in the open again. Its really an experience like no other. The war museum and its grisly photos of war victims sure serves as a wakeup call to appreciate life more. For shopping delights the Ban Thieh market sure delights with it variety and deals. If time allows, do visit the Cathedral and the adjacent Post Office to soak up on rustic beauty.  
All that one needs to know is first and foremost: Apart from the country’s native currency: the Vietnam Dong (with denominations of at least 4 digits) USD is widely circulated too. However, transactions in Dong earn you a better deal most of the time, but one can never go wrong with USD in their pockets as the currency would garner a higher exchange rate than our Singapore dollar. Alas, the tricky part is you can’t find Dong anywhere else but in the country itself, so the wise thing to do is for us to exchange our USD’s and use them to change into the Dong upon arrival. Money exchangers can be easily found all over the city with the 1st to strategically greet you at the arrival airport itself.
For a short jaunt of roughly 4 days and 3 nights at a local 3stars hotel with Tiger Air return airfare, you’ll approximately part with SGD$340 and live the good ample cuisine and local delights, one can look at paying about USD$80 (SGD$120) Also if you’re planning to navigate the country, make sure you do the homework on a trusty lonely planet guide, and you’ll never go wrong.
With the usual travel spots like Thailand and Indonesia which are entwined with political issues, why not consider visiting Vietnam for a rewarding trip that’ll both enrich and pamper. I’ll wrap up here and let the rest of the pictures do the real talking.
   
      
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