Mar. 9: Saigon, Vietnam

We spent the day in the city of Saigon. From our ship, the drive took us 1 1/2 hours to travel 12 miles! The traffic is CRAZY! Luckily, most of the vehicles are scooters. We can't imagine what the traffic would be like if the scooters were replaced by cars!

Our first visit was to an old Buddhist Temple. This was very crowded, but everyone was respectful and patient. Our tour also included stopping at a small lacquer workshop. We visited the historic Saigon Central Post Office, whose building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the late 19th century, between 1886 and 1891, and is now a tourist attraction.

We drove past the Pittman Apartments. The rooftop of the Pittman Building is the subject of one of the 20th century’s most famous photographs. War photographer Hugh Van Es took a picture of a US helicopter precariously perched on the roof of the Pittman complex to evacuate US officials and Vietnamese.

Like Indonesia, the traffic in Saigon is a great example of organized chaos! We've never witnessed road rage. In fact, folks yield to others on the road peacefully and seamlessly. It all just seems to work.Read more