Discover the Hidden Gems of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – A Traveler’s Guide 🇻🇳

Landed beautifully in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 🇻🇳
I had already processed the e-visa on the official website and printed out a paper copy. I was under the impression that with the e-visa, I could simply get the loose-leaf visa upon arrival. But to my surprise, I still needed to provide a passport photo!

!!!
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Vietnamese customs: “Photo?”
Me: “What photo?”
Vietnamese customs: “100k” (in Chinese)
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Being a bit of a penny-pincher,
I handed over 500,000 VND, and he returned 200,000 VND. The Chinese girl in front of me mentioned she paid 500,000 VND, and they didn’t even plan to give her any change.
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It was my oversight for not checking the guide carefully.

However, this kind of behavior from customs, using various tactics to ask for money, left a sour taste. I found it hard to show any good face to any Vietnamese person after that.
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1️⃣ Passport
2️⃣ Paper version of the visa
3️⃣ Passport photo
⬆️ All three items must be submitted together to get the loose-leaf visa.

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The next day, I explored the vibrant streets of Ho Chi Minh City. I visited the Pink Church, which was absolutely charming and quite beautiful 🌟🌟🌟. I tried some Vietnamese pho, which, while I love noodles, was a bit too sweet for my taste 🌟🌟. I also savored a cup of coffee from one of Asia’s top 50 cafes, and it lived up to its reputation—truly delicious!

🌟🌟🌟🌟. Later, I encountered a heartwarming scene: a Vietnamese uncle on the street advocating for the love and care of puppies and kittens, which was incredibly touching and brought a tear to my eye ♥️.