Hot and steamy

Two days in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Hot and steamy, but vibrant and laid back. Lots of construction which means our favourite old 'French' cafe is gone, replaced by swanky designer shops, and soon the city will have an underground train system! High rise buildings are transforming the city but Ho Chi Minh City retains some beautiful colonial buildings and its parks are well used by the local citizens.

An early morning ritual as men arrive on motorbikes with their birds in bamboo cages. The park is full of birdsong, as the men drink coffee and talk.

A speedboat tour is a great way see the Cu Chi Tunnels - a massive system of underground tunnels where the North Vietnamese were able to hide from the US soldiers and launch surprise attacks. The Americans unknowingly built some of their largest army bases right on top of the tunnels.

Our tour included a one hour ride up the Saigon River, a guided tour of the tunnels, a delicious traditional Vietnamese lunch on the pontoon on the riverside, and a ride back to the city.

There were a huge amount of water hyacinth plants floating on the river. Our boat had to stop a few times to reverse the propeller to remove plants that had become caught in it.

We crawled through some of the tunnels which have been enlarged for us westerners. You have to admire the determination and tenacity of the North Vietnamese. 

Joel finally got to shoot an AK47 and a M60 machine gun. He was too young when I took him there at age 9. He was happy but a bit underwhelmed as it was rather rushed due to the large numbers of mostly men wanting to shoot the Vietnam War era weapons.

As our guide said, "All wars are rubbish, and for some, they are business." They continue to bring tourism business to Vietnam.

War Remnants Musuem -  It was a bit noisy!!! as we arrived just as six large bus loads of school children were entering to learn the North Vietnamese side of the war they call the American War. This says is all really:


More Vietnam War era tourism - The Unification Palace is a stunning example of mid-sixties architecture, designed for the South Vietnamese president. (There was a large stage across the front of the building and rehearsals under way for some sort of official celebration)

The rooms are huge, grand, extravagant and well preserved.

The repaired bomb holes (marked by the red circles) in the roof top were caused by a South Vietnamese plane flown by one of their own pilots, or so they thought - he was actually a North Vietnamese spy who joined the South Vietnamese air force. 

This is where the city was surrendered to the the North in April, 1975 following the famous footage of the tank smashing through the gates.

A lovely way to end a hot day of wandering - cold drinks and dinner sitting outside The Continental, one of the grand French colonial era hotels.

A beautiful tree lined street with some 'interesting', and quite common, electrical wiring.