October 12, 2025
The concept of an Uno tournament has really reignited the boy’s interest in the game. Len continues to be sly whenever possible and has taken to taking multiple cards when he has to pick up and then puts back the least desirable card. We’ve implemented the “cheating penalty” more than a few times where he has to get an extra card each time he is caught. We snuck in a round after breakfast and, despite a few penalties, Len and Kyle remain neck and neck for the lead.
While Kyle and I packed, the kids did some iPad home school modules. We were shocked that we fit nearly all of our newly acquired souvenirs and clothes into our suitcases save for the fabric lanterns we made. We’re feeling torn on what to do with all our extra stuff as shipping a box home will surely cost a ton but we’ve already assigned some sentimental value to our new goodies.
Before we got picked up to go to the airport, we went back to our favorite lunch spot for a round of hummus toast and one last Hoi An coconut coffee. After a few more rounds of Uno, Kyle was barely in the lead ahead of Len. We told the kids we’d play one last round once we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City and then declare a winner. Ollie and I are firmly out of the running and he doesn’t understand why he has to keep playing if, “there’s nothing in it for me.” We’re trying to teach him about not quitting and finishing strong but as a fellow player out of the running, I admit I’ve lost interest in the tournament too.
At the airport, we ran into our British friends from the Hanoi to Hoi An flight. They were on the flight right after ours but the long Viet Jet counter queue gave us some time to catch up and compare our Hoi An agendas. Sounds like they made it to a lot more of the cultural sites than we did but we were quite pleased with the kid-friendly itinerary we kept to.
It was a short drive from the Ho Chi Minh City airport to our hotel but we arrived close to 6pm. We’ve been confused about whether to call the city HCMC or Saigon and learned the below but will likely use both names interchangeably.
Use Ho Chi Minh City for official and formal situations, and use Saigon in more casual or informal settings, especially with locals who may prefer it. Locals in the southern part of the country often use "Saigon," while those in the north may prefer the official name. In many daily conversations and for hotel or business branding, "Saigon" is still very common.
Kyle and I both felt like the day just flew by despite the flight being only 1 hour long. When we got to our serviced apartment room, Ollie saw the kitchen and goes, “Oooh mom look, you can cook here!” We’re only here for two nights so I don’t foresee any grocery shopping or cooking happening but it was sweet to hear that maybe he remembered my list of things that I miss about home with one thing being home cooked meals.
Before going to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner, we played the final round of Uno. Lenny was SO jacked up to win the game and therefore the Hoi An Uno tournament. He sweetly told Ollie that he’d split up the day and let him plan half of it. Len said he’d pick “arcade and watching TV!” for his day’s activities and Ollie is still mulling over his options.
