After a wonderful first day in Vietnam I was ready to discover a completely different part of the city and planned to head off to Vung Tau, a city on the southern peninsula of the country.  I took another walk along the Saigon River to get to the port where I would be boarding a hydrofoil to get to the city.

The hydrofoil ride  was an experience in and of itself. It was a sort of speedy ferry ride that is the most common way to get from HCMC to Vung Tau. I wasn’t expecting much, but I judging from the interior, I have to imagine that the ship was at least a few years older that I was. None the less, there we were on our way to the coastal city.

The hour or so journey there was actually pretty cool. As we traveled along we passed by small houses and tons of fishing boats. It was interesting to see the rural side of the country even if it was just for a brief moment. I found myself wondering what it would be like to live in one of the tiny riverside homes we passed.

Once we arrived in Vung Tau I caught a cab to a beach side resort that I’d read about in my research and decided to camp out there for the afternoon. While the day was a little cloudy and perhaps not the most ideal for beachside relaxation, I was prepared to enjoy it nonetheless. I snagged a  beach chair with a thatched umbrella, treated myself to a mango mojito, and spent the afternoon reading and people watching.

As the day was coming to an end, I caught a bus back to Ho Chi Minh and spent the evening wandering back to the hotel. Another successful solo adventure day in the books.