Unlike most locations, when you leave the Ho Chi Minh airport, you're smack in the middle of the city. I boarded a bus at baggage claim and within minutes was in the neon lights and busy streets. I thought this would be a good thing. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Not for me. 

As an introvert, Ho Chi Minh City was A LOT!!!! You've gotta prepare yourself - I've visited my share of big bustling cities before, but none have worn me out the way HCMC did.

Important facts to note about my experience:

Weather — It was HOT and HUMID. All caps, because it made a significant difference in my trip. The weather, on its own, made getting around pretty draining.

I'm Black (in case you missed that before) - Some people in HCMC are still at the "point and laugh" stage with black people. This is another thing that I find exhausting. I don't mind the point from anyone shorter than my hips. It's kind of amusing to see a child experience darker skin for the first time. As long as they aren't acting a fool and their parents rein them in a bit, I'm good. When it comes from older people, it just seems rude. Yes, there may be cultures where it is acceptable to point at someone and laugh in their face, if you identify a physical difference, but... I'm not buying it here.

Vietnam has a long, sordid history with America. The Vietnam War ended 44 years ago. So I call bullshit on the 60+ crew acting like brown skin is a new thing they have never experienced before. Black soldiers were in their towns and villages. If they can be polite to white tourists, they can be respectful to Black tourists too.

HCMC isn't as bustling with tourists as other southeast Asian cities, so I understand that they might not encounter as many "different" people daily. Still, there are enough moving through the city that every encounter with a black person shouldn't seem like meeting an alien.

Oh, before we leave this topic - I should also address the anti-blackness. I was told that I could not enter a museum because it was closed (five minutes before closing time) while letting white tourists in literally 4 seconds before and 5 minutes after me…. I got in because I let the guard know that I saw him let in the white man in front of me. I also knew that guy was waiting for a straggler, and I was interested in seeing what the guard would say if he continued to refuse to let me in, the guy's friend showed up.

This isn't what a vacation should feel like.

Related: Hanoi Headaches

Traffic - Now, I'm gonna get to the beautiful things about the city, but I want to cover all the bullshit first, to get that out of the way. The moped situation is a mess. Traffic in general. This city was the worst for pedestrians that I have ever been to. Ride-sharing is cheap, so you don't have to walk if you don't want to, and if I returned, I wouldn't. But I like to walk; I like to learn a city by walking through its avenues and alleys. This felt exceedingly dangerous in HCMC

Because I wanted to walk, and the heat was mad oppressive, I tried to go out right at sunrise, walk for a few hours, take a nap at my hotel, then go back out just before sunset to see the city at night. I've gotta say, HCMC is at its best at night.

Street Food: This is the first city in which I have not eaten street food. Since I have a lot of food allergies, I'm careful with eating street food, but that's not why I skipped it. The majority of street food vendors that I saw were cooking and selling their food on the ground, or no more than 6 inches off of it. The germaphobe in me could not hang with that. Not at all.

Crime: And just when I thought I couldn't take any more of the city, some man tried to ride off with my phone. Yep, he grabbed at my phone when he rode his moped by on the sidewalk and thought he had a good enough grasp to keep going with it. He didn't. I was shocked, and I had a hand full of stuff, but not shocked enough not to firmly grab my phone. So Thief 0 - Roshida 1. It blew my mind, because I was in Thailand (a neighboring country to Vietnam) for weeks, and I could leave my phone on the ground in Chiang Mai, come back twenty minutes later and it would probably still be there. I had let my guard down in Thailand, but the minute I got to Vietnam, I felt a difference. I knew the vibe wasn't as legit, but I didn't expect an attempted swipe and ride in broad daylight with people watching.

Like I said, significant parts of this experience were exhausting, but let's leave all of that ugliness behind and move on to the good stuff.

Architecture: Ho Chi Minh City has a ton of French-colonial buildings that are GORGEOUS, especially at night when they are lit up. They are beautiful reminders of Vietnam's ugly past and the French occupation that ended in 1954. The old Post Office, The Municipal Theater (Old Opera House), the People's Committee (City Hall), all old, French, and stunning.

The Ben Thanh Street Food Market was one of my favorite places. It's located right behind the Ben Thanh Market and has a bunch of vendors selling different Vietnamese foods, and tables out front and in the back where you can cool off during the hot days and nights. Popular there is the sugar cane juice.

Related: What To Do In Da Nang, Vietnam

Do not miss the pink church or the Ngọc Hoàng Pagoda. Both beautiful in their own rights. I only saw the exterior of both. I wasn't allowed in the pink church (still not sure why as other people were on the grounds taking pictures ), and I didn't attempt to go into the pagoda because I wasn't dressed appropriately. 

I visited the War Remnants museum, for the Vietnamese take on "The Vietnam War." That shit was seriously depressing. I'm glad I went, and I learned a lot, but it was very sad overall. 

I would never recommend Ho Chi Minh City for a solo trip, especially for a solo woman. Between the pungent odors, crazy traffic, unsafe streets, and overall "too much going on," HCMC is a strong "Pass" for me. If I did go back, I would want to be with a large group of people for safety's sake.

For my introverts out there: Use Grab, or other ride-sharing/taxis to get around the city. Go on planned tours, and perhaps go in groups. HCMC is seriously overwhelming, so take breaks when you need to, and take things slowly.

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