Few days before our one-month visa in Vietnam expired, we decided to conclude our north-to-south journey with a unique experience: Couchsurfing in Ho Chi Minh City. This decision offered us an irresistible opportunity to spend quality time with locals, an aspect of travel we hadn’t fully explored yet.
Our adventure led us to Thao, a dynamic individual who had left her job to establish Saigon English Adventures, an English school in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. Thao’s unique proposition was to offer free accommodation in exchange for volunteering at her English classes. Despite not being native English speakers, we found the idea captivating and promptly applied. Thao approved our stay, setting the stage for an exciting time interacting with the Vietnamese people.
She told us she would be away most of our stay as she was on holiday, so her roommate Jane would really be our host. We landed in Saigon from Da Nang at midnight and hopped into a Grab heading to the provided address. Jane picked us up with a huge smile and took us home. We would be sleeping in the living room, which turned out to be also the English school classroom!
Visiting Saigon
The following day, we embarked on an eye-opening exploration of Saigon. We strolled to the city center, also known as District 1, and were met with a flurry of motorbikes, street chickens, and motorbike taxi drivers napping on their bikes. A striking pink Catholic church caught our attention, unlike anything we had seen before.
Our exploration led us to the War Memorial Museum, a sobering reminder of the devastating impacts of war. For lunch, we enjoyed some affordable Pho, a staple Vietnamese dish. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city center, enjoying some amazing coffee.
The next day we woke up early to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels on our own, which was quite an adventure! Once back from the tunnels, the most exciting part of the trip was about to start: English classes!
English classes
Upon our return, we eagerly anticipated the next phase of our journey: the English classes. Jane informed us that the English teacher couldn’t make it, leaving us to lead the class with her assistance. The class turned into a two-hour “Ask me anything” session, filled with laughter and learning. Their English was beginner level but they were so curious and cute that the time flew.
After the class, they invited us for dinner at a very Vietnamese restaurant. They ordered so much traditional food, which we obviously appreciated as sometimes can be daunting to try new food in exotic countries. We drank, laughed, ate, exchanged social media profiles, life experiences…and that was it! At the end of the night, we were so happy with the experience, and also a bit sad because we could not stay any longer with them.
On our final day, we met Thao, our Couchsurfing host and the director of the school. Her radiant happiness was inspiring. We assisted her with another English class, this time with beginners who were a bit shy but equally eager to learn.
Our weekend Couchsurfing in Ho Chi Minh City was an unforgettable experience. It embodied what we seek in our travels: discovering new places and meeting inspiring people like Thao, Jane, and their students. What about you? What do you look for when traveling?