Day 11 - Saigon, Vietnam

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the early afternoon (most of the locals still call the city Saigon). We welcomed the 90+ degree heat, as it had been fairly chilly in the central and northern parts of Vietnam.

We walked around the city for a little bit and stopped for lunch at a good local restaurant (it's always a good sign when you see actual locals eating there, and not just tourists).

Note: If we haven't mentioned this yet, the cost for food on the trip has been extremely inexpensive. This meal was a grand total of $4 for both of our meals, which included a few courses (this has been the average lunch price the last few days). You can't get a McDonald's Happy Meal for that price. Even our 'extravagant' dinner in Hoi An a few nights ago with multiple courses and four beers cost a whopping $18.

In the evening we stopped at the famous Rex Hotel for drinks on the roof. Historically, the Rex was the focus for American social and military activities during the Vietnam War. On the roof, we had a great vantage point of the city and the horrible Saigon traffic below (this is typical for Saigon). Try driving on this road (Click here for video):

For dinner, we ate at a well-known Vietnamese barbecue place, Quan Nuong. We got to cook our own veggies and meat in the middle of the table. It was delish!