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By 10PM last December 31, 2012, we were already at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. We wanted to make sure that we were there early because we knew that the city would be congested with traffic because people are celebrating New Year’s Eve. Since Hubby and I with the kids had dinner at the Water Puppet Show already, it was only my Dad, sister and brother who had dinner at the airport.

It was our first time to be in the airport for NYE so it was a different experience for all of us. Although we’ve been out of the country for the past 3 or 4 New Year Eves already, but we still find the time to celebrate it. This time, we were just out there waiting for our flight. We realized that celebrating NYE or not, the important thing is, we were ALL together during the special event.

It was a wonderful and unforgettable trip for all of us. We went home super tired but excited for all the things that we saw, learn and experience in the wonderful Vietnam.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

After waiting for about 3 hours at the cafe, we finally went to the Water Puppet Show which was around 5 minutes away from the hotel.

We had a hard time communicating and getting our tickets at the ticket booth. Good thing I brought the hotel’s calling card so they contacted the hotel immediately. Just in time for the show to start!

The kids were so excited even if they know what to look forward. But they know that the show will be showcasing puppets! (*grin*)

I realized that the whole show was sung by a local Vietnamese. The songs were in their language too so I didn’t understand a thing! But good thing the kids enjoyed it.

For your kids, I highly recommend that you watch this water puppet show. For our trip to Vietnam, It was probably the highlight of my little girls. They’ve been talking about this show for weeks!

Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater
55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
Labour Cultural House
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

After our last minute shopping at Ben Thanh Market and a couple of shops around the hotel, we had a lot of time to wait before the Water Puppet Show so we decided to just relax for a while and try I.D. Cafe. At first I was hesitant because the stairs to the cafe was so dark!

But when we arrived at the cafe itself, I was surprised, the place was cozy and intimate. Perfect to relax and drink the best coffee in Ho Chi Minh.

There were quite a lot of options to choose from. They have flavored coffee, desserts and snacks.

The food was just ok, but the coffee was really good and we all love the ambiance…

I.D. Cafe
34D Thu Khoa Huan St.
Ben Thanh Ward, District 1
Ho Chi Minh

We are going to have our final authentic Vietnamese lunch so we decided to have it at the nearest restaurant in our hotel so we still have lots of time to shop after. Yes, still not done shopping! HA!

And check out what we have for our last lunch in Ho Chi Minh…

This is their version of their rice. Instead of the white rice we opted to get the white noodles paired with pork, beef and chicken to really taste the “real” Vietnamese lunch. It was different but good and definitely unforgettable!

Too bad I forgot the name of the resto. It was written in Vietnamese anyway so I wouldn’t really remember what it’s called. But one thing I’m sure of, the food was great!

For our last dinner in Ho Chi Minh, we decided to make it special and try Barbecue Garden.

We passed by this restaurant for quite a number of times so we were all curious. It’s also loaded with a lot of people so we assumed that they serve good food!

Everything we assumed were right. They serve good food and we love the ambiance that it offered. Although we found it hot, but we enjoyed our last dinner in Ho Chi Minh.

We had the meal set which includes seafood, beef and pork to cook in our table. On the side we had salad, noodles and rice.

Everyone left the restaurant with happy tummies! We love this restaurant and I highly recommend it.

If you are going with kids, make sure that you ask which food are spicy and which ones are not. Their mild spicy is too spicy for us!

Barbecue Garden
135A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam

We arrived on time at the HCM domestic airport. When we got our cab, we went straight to our hotel to settle down, then went shopping! Yes, we were not quite done with shopping YET.

Our hotel was just a few meters away from Ben Thanh Market, so this was our first stop.

I was able to buy a few things to bring home again. We tried the sugar cane which looks really refreshing and it was indeed! We also went around the whole market this time and I love everything there. I wish we have more time but I was surprised that it was actually time for dinner already.

Time indeed flies fast when you are having fun!

Ben Thanh Market
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Right after our Halong Bay Cruise, we were too hungry already so we went straight to the nearest restaurant for dinner. Good thing there was a restaurant that was still open! And they had meal sets so we just opted for the first set which includes this…

It was a great dinner. Too bad, I couldn’t remember what was the name of the restaurant. We were all too hungry to even mind. HA!

I’m definitely missing the food in Hanoi!

One of the highlight of our Halong Bay Cruise aside from seeing the Halong Bay itself is going inside the Sung Sot Cave.

I was truly surprised that the cave was sooo huge, almost all the tourists of Halong Bay fit inside!

I love how the locals preserved this wonderful cave and they were even able to put lights to make it more “museum-like”. It was amazing!

This tour was perfect for the curious minds of kids and adults alike. Definitely worth seeing!

Sung Sot Cave
Vuon Dao, Halong Bay +8433, Vietnam

The boat that we rode during our Halong Bay Cruise consisted only of tables and chairs. It was really meant for a cruise with a buffet lunch. That’s why we loved it so much!

Here’s our sumputuous buffet lunch that we didn’t get to finish because the servings were too much!

But it was soo good, we wanted to bring these home. Cucumber salad, freshly fried spring rolls, fried tilapia with sweet & sour sauce and a whole lot more.

Kids also loved the food. ♥♥♥

Halong Bay Cruise
Halong Bay, Hanoi
Vietnam

The main reason why we wanted to include Hanoi in our Vietnam trip last December was because we wanted to see Halong Bay in person. And I’m so glad we did, because it was one of the beautiful cruise we ever had so far!

We left the hotel around 7:30AM and we travelled the road for around 3 hours with a stopover for 30minutes at a nice souvenir shop. When we arrived the port, we went ahead with our unforgettable cruise.

It was a bit cloudy when the cruise started but it didn’t dampen our moods. We made sure that we make the most out of the cruise.

A couple of minutes after, we were called downstairs to have our sumptuous lunch! And then after lunch we went down the boat to experience Halong Bay through kayak.

It was the best experience ever, especially for the little girls.

I highly recommend it you love to see a perfect view with a relaxing atmosphere plus good food. Halong Bay Cruise was definitely worth the 6 hour travel to and from the old district!

Halong Bay Cruise
Halong Bay, Hanoi
Vietnam