Raining in HCMC

We've finally made it to Vietnam's largest city - Ho Chi Minh City - the former capital of South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City, more commonly referred to by its former name, Saigon, is a huge, modern city. We've been here for a week now, but unfortunately, I haven't had much of a chance to explore the city yet.

a street in Saigon

Arriving at 4:00am after another long night bus journey from Nha Trang, I noticed that I was starting to get sick. Weeks of traveling, hard work, and non-stop sightseeing, walking several miles every day, moving from hostel to hostel, and eating cheaply finally caught up to me, and I ended up with a bad cold. The first full week in Saigon was spent resting and recovering, barely leaving our new neighborhood - the banh mi stall down the street, the Family Mart convenience store, and sometimes venturing down the road to Saigon Centre shopping mall.

Saigon Centre

The mall is really, really nice! It's like something you might see in Bangkok. There's a (too expensive) super market, an English bookstore, and lots of nice restaurants and fancy clothes stores. We had gone to the mall to buy some cough drops at the pharmacy, when an announcement came on over the loudspeakers: "Attention please. As it is raining outside, please put on your raincoat before leaving the parking area. Thank you."

Then, the mall began playing a "rainy day" playlist: Rhythm of the Rain, Singing in the Rain, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, and more!

sudden monsoons

And it sure was no joke! The rain here in Saigon comes down fast, and it comes down hard! It can be a hot, sunny day one minute, then suddenly you feel a cold blast of wind that nearly knocks you off your feet, and the next second you are completely soaked by the strongest monsoon rains you've ever seen.

super heavy rain

It is the rainy season here in Southeast Asia. I'm sort of used to it after five years in Thailand, but I think the rain in Saigon actually seems much crazier! It doesn't seem to last too long each time, but it's left us scrambling for a nearby restaurant or cafe each time it happens!