Day One - 21/11/25

Touchdown in Ho Chi Minh City

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh City started bright and early with a 5:30 a.m. landing. Clearing customs took almost two hours. Long enough for the kids to get bored and for us to wonder if our airport transfer had vanished. Thankfully, when we finally stepped outside, our driver was still waiting with our name on a sign, which instantly eased the stress of the morning.

Kia and I travelled to Ho Chi Minh City 12 years ago, so we knew how busy the streets were with cars, buses and scooters. We had pre-warned the kids that its pretty crazy. At the airport it was fairly calm, we got into our transport easily and all seemed as it is back home. However, once we left the airport, the kids were in disbelief as it was peak hour morning travel. The look on their faces was pure shock.

Because we arrived well before check-in, we left our bags at the hotel and cautiously set out for a walk. With no phone data yet, we stayed close and found a cosy coffee shop serving ham and cheese croissants, iced fruit teas for the kids, a black iced coffee for Kia, and a surprisingly delicious salted coffee for me.

We returned to the hotel to change into lighter clothes and wandered some more before stopping at a street vendor for bánh mì and spring rolls, simple but unforgettable.

Once our room was ready, Maddie headed up in the lift while the rest of us tackled ten flights of stairs with our backpacks, workout done for the day. After showers and a quick nap, we ventured out again for the evening. We explored Bến Thành Market, where Emmett proudly bought himself a handheld fan, and then stumbled upon the Ho Chi Minh International Martial Arts Festival. A staff member invited us to sit inside, so we stayed for over an hour watching performers from around the world. The atmosphere was electric, and we even spotted ourselves on the festival’s broadcast screens.

By the time we left, we were tired but happy. We grabbed more fruit teas for the walk back to the hotel and ended the night with the best sleep we’d had in weeks.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed us with heat, surprises, and a little chaos! Exactly the kind of start we were hoping for.