Saigon, Vietnam … Day 2

Hoping that it would be slightly cooler than it was when we arrived in Saigon yesterday at 10:30a, on our second day here, Mui and I left the ship around 7:30a. It wasn’t. Any cooler, that is. In fact, it felt more humid and sticky than yesterday.

Oh well. We persevered with our plans to explore the city on foot.

This time, we used a pedestrian bridge to cross the Bến Nghé Channel (known during the French Colonial times as Arroyo Chinois) to begin our stroll … taking our lives in our hands to cross several streets where Vietnam’s infamous motorbike traffic was at its height. The key, we had read, was to walk out into the traffic and continue at a steady pace, letting the bikes move around us. It worked!

Our meandering route took us first to the 23 September Park, located in what is referred to as the city’s Backpacker District. Long and skinny, the park sits on the former site of the train station, which was demolished after the last war. We passed the children’s park and the duck pond to walk on paved paths shaded by trees. Everywhere we looked, locals were doing some form of exercise.

From the park, we retraced our path back into the areas popular with visitors, stopping to take a few photos along the way and detouring to Highlands Cafe for a cup of Vietnamese coffee to keep Mui going. Our eventual destination was the Notre Dame Cathedral. We’d stopped there in 2017, but it was noon and not open to visitors. This time, we were hoping to go inside. Well, as it turns out, the church is covered in scaffolding and a sign indicated no visitors were allowed inside. Strike two. So, we made a quick stop at the colonial era post office and moved on.

It was only 9:30a by this time and our energy was fast waning. The constant hubbub in every direction was also starting to get to me. Enough touring. But too early to return to the ship. So, we decided to find a place so I could get a manicure and pedicure — preferably with air conditioning. We lucked out with a place not far away that was open. Mui decided to join me in getting a pedicure … all told about $30 for three treatments … and a happy hour discount, to boot! Can’t even compare with the excessive charges for similar treatments in the ship’s spa.

Having breakfasted quite early, lunch was next on our minds. We checked out a bunch of places. Some didn’t appeal. Others were closed. I don’t have a gall bladder, which means I have to be careful with what I eat … making street food a no-no. Since we had enjoyed the food last night, we decided to return to Hoa Túc. This time, we sat in the courtyard where a shade arbor and giant fans kept us comfy as we ate another tasty meal.

A quick stop at a nearby supermarket where Mui picked up a bag of Vietnamese coffee beans and we were done. Neither one of us had the energy to walk back to the ship. So we used the Grab app to order a car. By 1:00p, we were back on the ship … more than looking forward to a cool shower and rest.

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For those who like to know more about what we ate: beef stir fry with book choy and carrots, and crispy flat noodles; fried prawns and squid topped with shaved fried ginger, served with caramelized fish sauce; banana spring rolls with vanilla ice cream on a bed of Marou chocolate; Saigon Special beer; apple, carrot, and ginger juice.Read more