As I plan for the next couple of years in Vietnam, I sometimes worry about opportunities for hiking. In San Francisco where I live now, there are many opportunities for both urban and natural-area hikes. Golden Gate Park is a very large famous park in San Francisco with lots of hiking trails.
In Ho Chi Minh City, there seems to be very few parks, and those that exist are fairly formal, such as the zoo. I would appreciate advice from anyone regarding opportunities for natural-area hikes in the Ho Chi Minh City area.
Here in my San Francisco neighborhood, there is a wonderful canyon park just four blocks away from my house. I trek though this park every other day on my way to the supermarket at the top of hill above my neighborhood, Glen Park.
This neighborhood is in the middle of the city.
Here is the primary trail through Glen Park:
A short while up the trail, I split off to the right and head up the hill:
It is always hard to remember that this trail is in the middle of a dense city. As I continue up the trail to the supermarket, I can begin to see the city at the edges of the park -- that is the city's High School of the Arts at the top of the canyon:
When I get to the top of the hill, I can see the supermarket buildings beyond past the playground.
On my way home, I take the other side of this loop trail through the valley of the canyon
and I end up at the Recreation Center in the park.
I can always drive out of the city to get to natural areas, but it sure is nice to be able to walk out my door to a park close by.
