Family travel to Vietnam 2025

 

June 16 – light dinner at Café Mary Grace at NAIA before proceeding to Immigration, then to the Boarding Gate for our 7:20 pm flight.

June 16 – arrived at Ho Chi Minh at 9:45 pm (10:45 pm in Manila).  Jed had to wait outside for a long time because of the long queue at Immigration.  We boarded a big van (they call it Limousine, hehehe) that Jed booked,  and proceeded to the Aspacio condo.

 

 

First meal (breakfast at the Aspacio condo) 

June 17 – visited several malls:  Vivo City Mall (Coop Xtra), ate lunch at Bun Cha Hanoi restaurant, proceeded to Crescent Mall, then to Takashimaya Mall.  It was in Saigon Square that we bought some items for pasalubong and for ourselves.  The photo below is at Crescent Mall.

June 18 – My second time to visit the War Remnants Museum.  (The first time was when we traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2012.)  Later, we had lunch at Pho Vietnam.

 

 

June 19 – Despite the rains, we proceeded with our plan for the day.  Left for New Koi Coffee for lunch, then proceeded to Caphe Trung.  Ana and her friend Tonie were waiting for us for the Saigon River Cruise which was just across Caphe Trung, so despite the heavy rains, we crossed the street, running and laughing.  When we reached them, we were drenched that we had to buy t-shirts and changed our clothes.  Sadly, the Saigon River Cruise was eventually cancelled because we would not be able to enjoy it due to the heavy rains.  Together, we proceeded to Ngon Restaurant, then went back to the Aspacio condo.

 Clockwise from left:  Ted. Sam, Rose, Gilbert, Jeff, Bay, Lynn, Jen, Ana, Tonie, Jed

 

Since Vietnam is an agricultural country, fruits and vegetables are in abundance everywhere, and they're cheap!   Although I'm not a fan of Vietnamese food, I must admit, they are healthy food.  So, if you want to be healthy and stay healthy, eat Vietnamese food!

 

 luscious fruits

 

Typical food spread of a Vietnamese meal

 

June 20 – We left the Aspacio condo at 6:05 am and headed to Le Méridien Hotel, where a van awaited to take us on a 3-hour journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau. Our main destination: the towering Jesus Christ the King statue, a prominent landmark overlooking the coast.

Upon arrival, we were met with the challenge of climbing 811 steps to reach the base of the statue. Ted, Jed, and Tonie decided to take on the ascent. It was a tough climb — physically demanding and steep. Despite the effort, Ted and Tonie successfully made it all the way up to the shoulders of the statue, the highest accessible point. Ted described it as "hard, a very challenging climb." Jed, feeling exhausted, stopped approximately 50 steps short of where Ted reached.

After the climb, Ted and Sam enjoyed some time wading and swimming at the beach, soaking in the refreshing waters of Vung Tau.

For lunch, we dined at Ganh Hao Seafood Restaurant, known for its fresh seafood and coastal views. Later in the afternoon, we visited the White Palace Historical Cultural Relic, an elegant reminder of colonial history with scenic views over the bay.

By 8:30 pm, we arrived back at the Aspacio condo, tired but filled with memorable experiences from a full day of adventure and exploration.

 

 

 

 

June 21 – Provincial Table Vietnamese Cooking Class is supposed to be the itinerary for today.  However, since the Amper family including Gilbert, were down because of exhaustion from the activities during the past days, especially the day before, it was Jen and Bay who went instead, together with Ana and Tonie.  They bought ingredients at Ben Thanh market.  They had fun learning to cook Vietnamese food.

 

Later, Jen and I went to Vivo City Mall to shop for clothes at Uniqlo. It's actually cheaper to buy them here than in the Philippines, probably because they are made locally.

In the afternoon, we visited Landmark 81, a hotel with 81 floors. We went up to the 76th floor and were treated to an amazing view of the city—buildings, cars, and trains all laid out below us. It was just a bit of a shame that the Amper family couldn’t join us, as they were feeling unwell.

 

Would you believe that's me in the photo?  I'm so tall!

June 22 – Lunch at Bun Bo Hue Anh Sen.  3:30 pm, worship service at Father’s House Commission Fellowship where Ted on the lead guitar, led the praise and worship, accompanied by Jeff on the bass guitar and Jed on the drums.  Head Pastor Jeff preached on Daniel 12:13 – Future Projections.  After the service, we had a photo taken with the members of FHCF.

 

 

We are complete here!  Seated: Gilbert, Lynn, Bay.  Standing from left: Jeff, Jen.  Center at the back: Jed, Rose, Sam, Ted. (the rest are FHCF members)

June 23 – Last day in Vietnam.  Vivo City Mall, lunch at the Aspacios, where for the first time since we arrived, we were able to eat Filipino dish – pork sinigang.  Later, we went to Café # Life Shot, where Jed, Ted, Rose had egg coffee.  Jen ordered for me milk tea, and the rest, other kinds of coffee.  Then, we all headed for the airport for our 10:05 flight back home, and arrived in Manila at 1:40 am (12:40 am in Vietnam) the following day.

All our bags are packed, we're ready to go.

 

 

I’ve traveled quite a bit in the past—visiting Pakistan with a layover in Hong Kong, flying to the USA four times with stopovers in Japan and South Korea, and going to Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore.  I never really felt tired during those trips. But this time, perhaps due to my age, I caught a cold after returning to Manila. 

 

I remain strong and able to travel. And for that I am happy and grateful.  I was even able to walk briskly throughout our Vietnam itinerary and at the airport without any issues.

 

I'm truly grateful to my dear God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the strength to travel and for the blessing of being together—three generations of our family. We had so much fun and joy simply being with one another.