I’m not quite sure why, but for the majority of the countries we visited in Asia over the next 4 months (Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Korea and Japan) we landed in the country’s 2nd city and flew out of its capital. In between we visited beaches, mountains, monuments, islands and other towns and cities. Of course these countries have had turbulent histories and capitals have changed throughout the years, so every city has had its time in the sun. And like Sydney and Melbourne, New York and Chicago, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, cities which are not currently the capital are often the most alluring.

Within a few hours of arriving in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) we had been hit by all the key elements of Vietnamese life we would grow to love or at least get used to over the next 3 weeks.

Immediately evident as we left the airport was the ratio of motorbikes/scooters/mopeds to cars, and the seemingly crazy way road junctions functioned, which were surprisingly efficient. Cross slowly but not too slowly and keep moving was the advice to pedestrians.

Second was the incredible food. The first place we sampled it was at Pho 2000, named after a much-photographed visit by Bill Clinton in the year 2000. ‘Pho’ (which I’m not sure we ever learnt to pronounce right) is a rice noodle soup that can be prepared with beef (the signature), chicken, tofu or vegetables. Normally a breakfast dish, we probably averaged one a day during our trip.

As well as sampling a lot of street food (the best gluten-free snack ever, Banh Trang Nuong Pho Mai, a rice pancake) and taking in all the smells and sights at Ben Thanh Market, we ate in some lovely restaurants, eating wonderful food on a low budget.

On our first night we went to Lemongrass. The architecture was French colonial, the food perfectly prepared Vietnamese staples. Located right off the central artery of the city, the pedestrian road ‘DL Nguyen Hue’, which we kept on finding ourselves gravitating to. Tempted by the lit up revolving crown, we went up to the Rex Rooftop Garden Bar for a nightcap / ice cream, the spot where international journalists reported from the war and US officers and GIs would have a tipple named ‘the five o’clock follies’.

Another evening we were caught in our first rainstorm, taking refuge close to where we were staying and indulging in some western food at The First Steakhouse.

For me the coffee hit was intense. However you took it, and I tried them all – hot, cold, black, white, sweet, sour, with coconut or egg. All delicious.

We had picked a great place to stay, the temptingly named Nguyen Shack, Tea, Coffee & Spirit Collection (we soon learnt that ‘Nguyen’ is the most common surname in Vietnam) chosen ultimately as our room had bunkbeds for the kids and was in a central cul-du-sac. It was the perfect base with great breakfasts, bamboo decoration and a vast array of herbal teas, natural medicinal fruits, spirits and coffees to sample. The same family run spaces in three other more remote parts of the country in the same style.

We always like to get high in a city as soon as possible after arriving (!) to get our bearings and suss out where we want to go. The best spot for that in HCMC is Saigon Skydeck in the Bitexco Financial tower, the tallest building in the city. One of us was of course disappointed that under 18s were not allowed into the World of Heineken experience, but the view was good and they had a cyclo you could sit in and hats and costumes to try on.

We decided to skip the War Remnants Museum and got our cultural fix with a visit to the fascinating Reunification Palace. The tour began with a temporary exhibit giving background on the city’s infrastructure and history, located in the pavilion which is the only part remaining from the original 1868 French residence.

Especially fun were the communication bunkers and the rooftop dancefloor with a helipad. Tanks are on display in the gardens, which also have great kids play areas.

The tunnels were a highlight for MoJo, terrifyingly, they were the perfect size for them. The network of multi-storey tunnels, constructed between the 1940s and 1960s, ran for more than 250km and are the main reason the VietCong were able to gain control and defeat the South Vietnamese and US forces.

Our brilliant tour guide Dana gave us just the right amount of background information, explaining the different booby traps and ways the soldiers lived for months on end. Their sandals were made from rubber, and they would wear them backwards so their footprints would be facing the other direction to confuse the enemy!

Dana has her own company, Eco Straw which makes straws from plants. We are traveling with our own 4 bamboo straws (thanks Liv Brent!) and when we remember always hand them over when we order juices / iced coffees / cocktails to make sure we don’t use plastic straws. Nice to see different alternative materials used here.

Highlights of the Mekong Delta afternoon were hand-rowing in a sampan along a canal (of course we had to have a go), learning about honey farming and sampling some honey & kumquat tea, and watching ladies make coconut candy.