Garrett and Megan sitting on a ledge dangling their legs above the water of Turtle Lake in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

I met Megan and Garrett on a street corner across from a Jollibee on a comfortable afternoon in January. Our plan for the afternoon was to get some photos around Turtle Lake and the surrounding streets for their travel blog, The Bounding Backpackers.

As they approached, Megan remarked that she didn’t think there would be a lake in this part of Ho Chi Minh City. To be fair, it’s a fountain, not a lake. And there are no turtles. The name came from a bronze tortoise statue that used to be positioned next to the fountain. The statue was destroyed in the 1970s but the name stuck around. The fountain has several pathways levitating above the water and a very tall lotus flower that floats up at tree height. (If you want to know more about the history of Turtle Lake, take a look at this article from Saigoneer.)

Megan, Garrett, and I walked across a few streets, using the colors, chaos, and greenery as the backdrop for our photoshoot.

When we got to the lake, they were both surprised they hadn’t heard much about this particular spot even though it’s pretty unique. The first time I saw it, I happened to be riding past on a Grab and marked it on my map to return to. While we didn’t know a lot about it, it’s a hugely popular spot for photos, especially around Lunar New Year, or Tet. You’ll see people out in Ao Dai with flowers and fans, taking pictures on the pathways that snake above the water.

Megan, Garrett, and their backpacks walked across the pathways, sat along the edges, and then we were crossing the roundabout that encircles the lake to head to our last stop—a coffee shop.

Garrett and Megan are both writers, both for their blog and for other bloggers, so they have spent a bit of time in coffee shops around Ho Chi Minh City in the last year that they’ve been here. That, and the fact that coffee shops are a significant part of the cityscape here, meant we had to get some shots with street side drinks. We found a place with chairs, tables, and a nice bit of light to cool off with some beverages.

While we sat and chatted, they commented that this photo thing was actually sort of fun, which I took as a pretty big compliment. Thank you both for an excellent afternoon of wandering and photos.

If you are looking for travel info on Vietnam, pop over to their blog right now and check it out. They’ve spent the last year living in Saigon, in addition to the time they’ve spent here in the past, and are curious individuals who are always looking for interesting things to try. Plus they are just cool people.