Walking and Riding the Saigon City Way

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Type: City exploration
Route: Saigon River to Airport and back, and City Centre walk
Date: 30 June 2019
Mode: Walking, bus ride, motor ride
Duration: (4:00 – 13:30)
Fare: 5,000/ bus ride (Bus station to airport, airport to the bus station)
Difficulty: Backpack getting heavy, Street signs and other public boards not in English, communication with locals, smoke from vehicles, tropical hot environment
Highlight: Grab bike is everywhere, free wifi can be found anywhere, peaceful airport, trees may be seen along the roads, empty spaces with greens can be everywhere

I woke up at 4:00 at the river bank. Having had some brief moments of sleep, I felt that I was slightly charged for the approaching day’s walk. I bought water at 10k dong at a nearby convenience store. I started walking and exploring the city with my backpack getting heavy. By aim was to see how to take a ride going to the airport so that I will know the route when I will there for my flight in the next 3 days. 

I went back to the bus station where I loitered around last night. I was able to ride a bus (#152) with 5k fare going to the airport. There is not much traffic as it is early morning. I reached the airport at 7:00. The airport is not that big as compared to Manila Airport or the one from Kuala Lumpur or any other cities that I have seen before. In the morning where flight rush is expected, I did not see any one rushing. I have seen some families sending their passengers for flight but only a handful of them.  In fact, non-passengers can stay inside the facility for long hours. I stayed at the airport for two hours while charging my phone and planning for my next adventure in HCM for the next 3 days.

After having charged my phone for two hours, I decided to go back to the city center and looked for a backpackers’ stay so that I can have a full-day rest, a much-needed bath and tranquil place for planning.

I rode the same bus number and headed to the same bus stop. After reaching the city center, I started to walk and explore the city. It rained for a while so the roads have become wet and smelly especially since I passed by an area that looked like a small wet market. Using my google map and mapsme app, I was able to see a backpackers’ inn online and followed the route until I reached the place. It looks like I have landed a typical rustic, busy, and populated urban area. But the bias would still be confirmed in the coming days.





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