Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Day 2

What a bustling, vibrant city! Saigon is home to 14M people and 10M motor scooters. It took 1.5 hrs. to get from our dock into the city because of the crazy traffic. Glad we decided to spend two nights off the ship and in the city at the 5-Star Sheraton hotel.

Today's tour included a city drive and stops at Central Post Office, Saigon National History Museum, and the Reunification Palace.

After lunch at Hoa Tuc Restaurant, we visited Phuong Nam Lacquer factory (purchased a one-of-a-kind lacquer plate), and Binh Tay Market. We ended the afternoon with a visit to Thien Hau Buddhist temple, which was beautiful.

We checked into the Sheraton hotel. Our excursion took us by ped-cab to dinner at Hoi An Senses Restaurant - a gorgeous place featuring live, lovely traditional Vietnamese music. They served Cathy a wonderful vegetarian Vietnamese meal, which was one of her favorites on the trip.

After dinner, we went to Golden Dragon Theater to see the puppet water show. {Mua Roi Nuaoc). Strong references to Vietnamese folklore and life on the river.Read more