DAY 15: Southeast Asia: Wonders of Cambodia, Vietnam & the Mekong
We woke this morning planning to meet Nhi for coffee around 9, but plans shifted when she messaged that she’d be running late. We lingered over breakfast and then walked over to the historic post office and plaza.
From there, we wandered to nearby Book Street, a charming stretch lined with bookshops, stationery stores, and small gift shops, dotted with a few cozy cafés. It was calm and inviting, quite the contrast to the busier streets just beyond it.
We met Nhi at Highlands Coffee (Ho Chi Minh’s version of Starbucks) and seeing her again was the highlight of the day! Hugs, smiles and easy conversation followed as we caught up and heard all about her first wedding ceremony the previous weekend in her hometown. We will be attending the second ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City. At the café, Nhi introduced us to a chocolate-and-milk coffee (delicious) and brought us fresh fruit. One of the most special moments was when she presented us with tailor-made traditional silk outfits called Áo Dài to wear to the tea ceremony before the wedding. Mine is a form fitting deep majestic purple tunic with high slits worn with loose lilac trousers. Chris’s is a white tunic with a stiff collar. Such a thoughtful, generous gift.
We returned to the hotel together, visiting a bit more and trying on the clothes. They fit perfectly. We made plans to meet Nhi again on Thursday afternoon, when she’ll drive us to her hometown of Can Tho. We’ll stay there for two nights before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for the wedding and a couple more nights ahead of our flight home.
Later, we hopped back on the red line of the hop-on, hop-off bus and visited the market, where we picked up Vietnamese cinnamon and a few other small items. After returning to the hotel to rest, we headed out for dinner at a seafood restaurant that looked promising but turned out to be a bit of a letdown - $160 for grouper, two Heinekens and a 7-Up. The food was good but spicy. A bit of a tourist trap but quite interesting to see your dinner swimming before you eat it.
We salvaged the evening with a walk to see the cathedral lit up at night. It was stunning and buzzing with people. From there, we attempted to catch the night bus for a 30-minute loop around the city lights. During the day, hopping on had been easy, but this time the line wrapped around an entire square block. We opted out and instead headed downstairs to explore the subway briefly, treating ourselves to ice cream, strawberry for Chris, mint chocolate chip for me, before returning to the hotel.