Ho Chi Minh City - Da Lat - Mui Ne (Don't fool me)

PART 2

28 - 31 October 2023
Budget: 6,320,860 VND / 10,000 B

Continued from Part 1

Let's go back for a moment.

Eager to see the Saigon River, his hometown, we decided, "Okay, since we're already here and the river is nearby, let's go see it."

How much more special is it than our Chao Phraya River...

Along the way, we admired the birds, the trees, and the men, didn't we?


We have reached the point where we need to cross the road. This is something that requires a lot of preparation. Why? Well, it's a 6-lane road...

Let's get this party started! After a long day of part-time work, imagine the traffic on Vibhavadi Road. It's just as crazy here.

I didn't think it would be this chaotic and messy....

We have arrived at the Saigon River.

Peak... what peak? The peak is that I risked my life crossing a 6-lane road to come see what?

This riverside location serves as a gathering spot for Pokémon. It's unclear why so many people are congregating here.

The feeling is like driving a motorcycle past and stopping, then stopping while running and exercising.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as they saw their phones, everyone, from young children to grandparents, started catching Pokémon.

Walking back to the accommodation, the sky began to darken, and the colored lights started to come on. The wind was blowing constantly, and the air was really nice.

Walk, walk, walk back to the accommodation.

Let's go take a shower and get ready to go to Dalat. Seriously.


We love this place for another reason: they really get into the spirit of any festival. Since we visited close to Halloween, we encountered stores that were decorated accordingly.

This style is very popular.

Around 4 pm, we checked out of the love hotel where we had left our luggage.

The speaker speculates that this place must be a love hotel.

Pham Ngu Lao is a popular nightlife district in Ho Chi Minh City, offering a similar atmosphere to Nana or Khao San Road in Bangkok.



We lugged our bags to the FUTA bus stop, where we found a large group of Thai people waiting. We waited and waited, until around 11:30 pm when an employee shouted at us, more like yelled, to get into a van. A van...oh no...I thought to myself, am I really going to Dalat in a van for 7 hours? Thankfully, no. This was just a shuttle to take us to the sleeper bus, as many reviews on Pantip had mentioned.

Ta-da! Ta-da!

The long orange bus pulled up to the curb, its doors opening. Relief washed over me.

Exactly as reviewed.

**Please take care of the foot odor before going. Luckily, I'm wearing sandals. Haha.


Before boarding the vehicle, the driver will ask everyone to remove their shoes and provide plastic bags for them to store their footwear.

Sleep soundly for 6-7 hours.

HEADING TO Da Lat, let's go...

We finally arrived in Dalat around 5:30 AM.

Just woke up, feeling very sleepy.

Stepping off the bus, burdened with bags and belongings, I took my first right step out the door.

Oh, you! You!

Shake it! Come on, shake it again! Step forward! Oh, why won't you go?

16 degrees Celsius. Wow, I'm wearing shorts, sandals, and a thin T-shirt.

The logic of packing light for a comfortable journey is highly questionable.

Feel free to do whatever you feel comfortable with. What's next?

Before I could even rub the sleep from my eyes, an uncle came very close to me and asked, "What is the name of your hotel?"

At that point, I looked at my friend's face and thought, "Here we go again. Uncle must have another plan for me."

We then showed the hotel reservation paper, which stated the name as Hồng Môn Villa.

She took 150,000 go go out of her purse.

Okay, 15,000 is 15,000. Let's go to the hotel... She took us to her trusty motorcycle... Motorcycle, motorcycle, 16 degrees!!!

What do you think of a little girl who has lived at 31 degrees all her life?

Goosebumps… guess what… facing the wind with a sip of tea.

Less than 5 minutes to reach the hotel. 5 minutes for 150,000 / approximately 250 baht / 2 people.

Struck again //// But in the midst of misfortune, there is still good luck .. Another uncle who sent our friend accidentally transferred the wrong amount, exceeding 100,000.

Let's go, you think I'll be nice tonight? Hehe, I'm tired. Hurry up and go back to the hotel to check in. 555555+

Map

Oh, so soon I have to pay again. The staff said I need to pay an additional 400 Thai baht for early check-in.


The unique feature of this hotel is that the entrance and reception desk for check-in are located on the 5th floor, the top floor.

Descending levels: 4, 3 (guest rooms), 2 (dining area), 1 (housekeeping area).

This morning, I was feeling a bit shy and accidentally pressed the button for the 1st floor instead of the 5th floor. When the elevator doors opened, I was surprised to find myself in the laundry room. The staff member told me that the laundry room is on the 5th floor.

Embarrassed.

Let's wake up and have breakfast.


The school offers a comprehensive dining experience, catering to all dietary needs.

Examples include noodles, rice, curry, spring rolls, soup, bread, salad, milk, water, orange juice, desserts, and yogurt.

At that moment, I couldn't tell if I was hungry or simply greedy.

-- This photo is for aesthetic purposes and to maintain the family's reputation. --


In the morning, we rented a motorbike from our hotel to explore Dalat for the entire day. The rental price was approximately 250 baht, excluding fuel costs.

We filled up the tank with 50,000 VND and were able to drive all day.


The heart of Dalat


The first place we visited was…

Datanla Waterfall

I headed straight for the Rollercoaster, my first ride of the day.

The weather is fantastic today, cool all day long. It's just perfect, I can't even describe it.

- Rollercoaster: 70,000 VND

  • Motorcycle parking fee: 5,000 VND (It is unclear whether this is an additional charge or if the price has increased, as a sign was seen with the number 2,000 VND).

Map

Note: This location is far from the city center, but it is easy to find and not confusing.

I never thought I would be so embarrassed and ashamed abroad. My friend and I were driving around looking for a gas station to fill up the tank. It was a motorcycle, similar to the ones we have at home, but I had never used this model before. My family uses a FINO, and this motorcycle required turning the key in the opposite direction to open the seat and fuel tank. I searched and searched for the seat release, but I couldn't find it. Finally, I asked an employee for help. The employee smiled faintly and filled the tank with 50,000.
But the embarrassment didn't end there. The motorcycle wouldn't start. I thought the engine was broken, so I asked a nearby shop to help me put it on a stand and start it. It still wouldn't start. The shop owner pointed to a motorcycle repair shop across the street. I thought to myself, "Finally, some luck." The mechanic checked everything and found that the motorcycle wouldn't start because I hadn't put down the kickstand. The mechanic then proceeded to give me a loud and embarrassing lesson on the motorcycle's controls, pointing out the brake, horn, lights, and turn signals.
I was so embarrassed that I wanted to disappear and reappear in Bangkok.

After the most embarrassing moment of my life, we drove on to the Crazy House.

The entrance fee is 40,000 baht per person, I think. I can't remember exactly.

The interior boasts an unusual, yet aesthetically pleasing, curved architectural design. It also features a variety of goods for sale.

This location offers stunning views of Da Lat city and also serves as a hotel. Check it out!

The viewpoint offers a 360-degree panorama.

Map

Passing by Dalat Cathedral, I stopped to take a picture.

Then we decided to cut our losses and head back to school, as it looked like it was going to rain. However, it didn't rain until around 3 pm!

Oh my god!

Let's continue our ride to...

ROBIN HILL CABLE CAR

** The location is very close to the accommodation. **

The view is beautiful, and the air is very fresh.

  • Cable car fare: 70,000 VND per person / round trip.

- Motorcycle parking fee 5000 VND

There is also a temple on top.

Chuk Lam Monastery

Map


As dusk falls, head to the heart of the city for dinner at the bustling DALAT NIGHT MARKET, a food market offering a wide variety of culinary delights.


We agreed to have hotpot for dinner. We went to a restaurant and the waiter spoke Thai. They had hotpot, grilled pork, and grilled beef. We sat down.

555+ Excellent! Perfect accent.



The menu opens, revealing...

THAI-STYLE TOM YUM HOT POT

Don't hesitate, order now....this

The food in Vietnam is not spicy at all, so I'm feeling a bit peckish for something spicy. I'm really enjoying my meal today.


- Hot pot price: 250,000 VND

- Grilled pork 150,000 VND

  • Park motorbike 5000 VND

After we've had our fill, let's take a quick spin around the city and enjoy the breeze. In the heart of the city, there's a BIG C, which is a central shopping mall.

After a short stroll, we returned to the hotel, as we had to continue our journey to the city of Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, the next morning.

Personally, I adore this city. Its architecture is truly unique, with most houses boasting a distinctly European style. The weather is fantastic, with temperatures ranging from a low of 15 degrees Celsius to a high of 20 degrees Celsius (during our visit). The people here are amazing, and riding a motorbike in Dalat was a novel experience. Notably, the city lacks traffic lights and has numerous roundabouts. Surprisingly, we witnessed virtually no accidents.

NEXT

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