5 February, Dau Giay to Ho Chi Minh City, 90km
Hotel Tu Phuong 220,000VND

Only partially by design did we take a rural road to the edge of Vietnam’s most populous city. We had planned to avoid the AH1 altogether and had plotted a back route which would bring us into Ho Chi Minh City from the east. The first 35km of our (theoretical) 70km route were a breeze, propelling us fast along an easy road through small towns and rubber plantations. Unfortunately the road we had planned to take thereafter proved to be an expressway. At the entrance a huge billboard listed vehicles not allowed access, including all two-wheelers. This immediately made our route into the city an unknown entity. Thanks to Charl’s Samsung map we found again and followed a potential alternative, made 20 unintentional kms longer by a Samaritan proffering outdated directions to the Cat Lai ferry. Back on the correct road, it literally dead-ended on the ferry which chugged us across the Saigon River. From the port it was a confusion of roads and highways and traffic that in the late-afternoon did not quite get us to District 1, our planned destination. We have booked instead into a hotel outside the usual tourist areas, dined in a rowdy fast food joint, and been startled by scooters taking to the pavement because the streets are so crowded. A long, long day, but in many ways good.  

Rubber plantation

Rubber plantation

Water coconut

Water coconut

Cat Lai ferry terminal - Ho Chi Minh City