We knew that after we left Thailand we wanted to connect with a group in Vietnam. The only problem was that they couldn’t take us for two weeks and our visas were about to expire. So, we booked the cheapest flight out of Thailand into Vietnam and ended up staying in Ho Chi Minh for two weeks. During that time, we rested up and spent our days exploring the local area we stayed in. Most of our days revolved around where we would eat or drink next. One major highlight was seeing our friends, Sam and Maggie from Melbourne.

We also managed to catch up with the amazing Freddi from The Shelter Collection over a coffee and heard about the amazing work they do. The Shelter Collection are a Danish NGO that work to free disadvantaged children from exploitation. They do this by partnering with local organisations and providing them with training and fundraising support. There was one thing in particular that Freddi said that really stood out to us,

“Just because people are disadvantaged, doesn’t mean they’re undeserving. The donations people give speak volumes about peoples’ value.”

 We had a great time getting to know Freddi and even hope to catch up with her when we go to Da Nang.

We’re heading up to Da Nang on Saturday and will be there for a month-ish with AOG World Relief Vietnam. Before that though, here are a few pics from the last few days. It’s safe to say, that we have fallen in love with Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and are so glad that we got to spend two weeks in this beautiful city.

The lane where we stayed and some local snap shots

A couple of major tourist attractions

Reunification Palace outside, upstairs and in the bunker…

A trip to the Bitexco Financial Tower isn’t complete without a two-year-old having a meltdown.

At $2.50AUD for the whole family to go to the Zoo, we went twice.

Food and Coffee coffee coffee!
Saigon has a massive coffee culture, although
drinks cost about the same as meals.
Our daily food budget was $30 AUD for all three of us.
A coffee ranged from $0.62 AUD to $3.39 AUD

So, that was our last two weeks. It only took us two days to feel bad about not ‘doing anything’, but good friends told us to rest up and enjoy yourselves. I think we did alright 😉

Love Jess xxoo