Saigon

After a smooth flight from Da Nang, we arrived in the hot hustle and bustle of Saigon. While we felt that Hanoi was busy, it felt somewhat restrained but Saigon is just full on. There are more motor bikes and scooters than cars here (10 million people live in Saigon and 8 million of them have motorbikes/scooters) and they just ride them in any direction; whether it’s on the road or the sidewalk. In terms of crossing the road, there is no point in waiting till the road is clear because it never is clear. You just have to step off the curb and proceed across the road at a steady pace. No-one will stop for you, but they will drive around you. If you rush or you stop, then chaos ensues. It takes nerve to do it the first time but after that you believe that you will get to the other side unscathed and it works.

We are on a VIP floor at the Caravelle hotel for some reason and they indicated that canapés were available in the late afternoon. When we showed up there was a full feast available complete with free wine! There was lots of Sushi, rice dishes, French fries, baguettes and cheese, etc etc. Unfortunately we had made dinner reservations so we were not able to take full advantage. Tonight we expect to eat our dinner there! In our hotel there is a famous rooftop bar where all the generals and war correspondents used to drink. It’s very nice and open to the breezes. From there we can see across to another famous rooftop bar at the Rex hotel, where the American press briefings were held during the war.

For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant close to the hotel that was highly recommended. We both had pasta and I thought that my ravioli was the best pasta I have ever eaten- outstanding!

Today we did a walking tour of the city. We started in the downtown area, visiting the city hall and the Notre Dame church. We also passed the spot where the famous photo of the helicopters evacuating the last of the Americans was taken. We then drove to the old national palace which is now a museum but shows the old meeting rooms etc as they were. Our next stop was rather depressing. It was a museum called the war remnants museum. It used to be called the American war crimes museum and that is still the major thrust of the place. The Americans certainly have a lot to answer for including their use of Agent Orange to defoliate the country. However, it was of course one sided ( the victors always get to write the history) with the communists apparently blameless. Nice collection of American planes, helicopters, tanks and guns which they left behind. Anyway rather depressing all told.

We next visited a pagoda that was built in the early 1800’s to honour Buddha, before being dropped off at the local market. The market was enormous and sold everything from meat, fish, fruit, vegetables to clothes and souvenirs. The very first clothing stall we came to, Brian was captured ( physically) and was persuaded to buy some golf shirts etc. Very aggressive stall holders but fun bargaining anyway. We then wandered back to our hotel and on the way visited an indoor plaza that was full of very high-end shops; Coach, Prada, Chanel etc etc. Clearly someone has money to spare in this city. As it’s very close to the lunar new year, there are signs and preparations everywhere. This year it’s the year of the dog and there are many statues of dogs of different colours and sizes on display and also lots of yellow(chrysanthemums ) and red flowers being placed into arrangements. This is the biggest festival of the year, so most people take a week off to celebrate the event - somewhat like Thanksgiving, when people try to go home for the holiday to be with family.Read more