If you were give an airline ticket to visit any place in the world, where would you go? Traveling to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was a big check off my bucket list and don’t think it would have ever happened without the assistance of Turkish Airlines. See, in October 2015 they ran a campaign launching new air service between Miami and Istanbul, Turkey.
I had a random encounter at the Vietnam Wall of Southwest Florida in Punta Gorda that has me wondering whether it was coincidence or something bigger.
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy culinary tours? Okay, I don’t need to be on a tour to enjoy food and beverages but, during my April trip to Vietnam, I joined Urban Adventures on a Saigon food tour at night to taste Vietnamese street food.
“Can you bring me back one of those hats?…If it’s no trouble?” a friend asked while I was in Vietnam. What he was referring to was a conical, or Vietnamese hat. Of course I said “yes,” then had no idea how I was going to bring it back.
My second full day in Vietnam, I took the Cu Chi Tunnels tour and my guide, I’ll call him “P,” was just as nice and accommodating as “Y” from the previous day’s Hoc Chi Minh Discovery Tour.
My trip to Vietnam was filled with so many wonderful moments it’s difficult to choose one highlight. As a solo traveler not feeling 100 percent confident in myself to take on Ho Chi Minh City on my own, I can say, the best thing I did was book tours to explore the city and nearby areas.
One of the things I did not expect to do in Vietnam was fire an M16 rifle, but that’s exactly what I did during a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels with Urban Adventures.
What was one of the best things about being solo in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? We’re all same same, but different.
As I write this, I’m sitting on my couch, still fighting jet lag and thinking of the fantastic time I had in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was less than a week ago I returned from my five-night stay and still can’t believe I made the trip.
More than two months ago, Hurricane Ian ripped through Florida and I’m finding my new normal. I’ve realized how much traveling to developing nations prepared me for post-hurricane living. Here’s how.
