Ho Chi Minh City ---or Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, to give its full Vietnamese title- is Vietnam's center of commerce and the country's biggest city, though not its administrative capital- an ho our that rests with Hanoi. As a result of the sweeping economic changes wrought by doi moi in 1986, this effervescent city, perched on the banks of the Saigon River and still known as Saigon to its 8 million or so inhabitants, has changed its image from that of a war-torn city to one of a thriving metropolis, challenging Singapore, Bangkok and the other traditional Southeast Asia powerhouses. All the accoutrements of economic success- fine restaurants, flashy hotels, glitzy bars and clubs, and shops selling imported luxury goods-- are here, adding a glossy veneer to the hodgepodge landscape of French stones of empire, vernable pagodas and austere, Soviet-style housing blocks. If Hanoi is a city of romance and mellow charms, then Ho Chi Minh City is its antithesis, a fury of sights and sounds, and the crucible in which Vietnam's rallying fortunes are boiling. Few corners of the city afford respite from the cacophony of construction work casting up new office blocks and hotels with logic-defying speed. An increasing number of cars and minibuses jostle with an organic mass of state of the art Honda SUVs, choking the tree lined streets and boulevards. Amid the Melendez, local people go about their daily life: smartly dressed school kids wander past street side baguette sellers; women shoppers ride motorbikes clad in gangster-style bandanas to protect their skin from the sun and dust; while teenagers in designer jeans chirrup into mobile phones. Much of the fun of being in Ho Chi Minh City derives from the simple pleasure of absorbing its flurry of activity- something best done from the seat of a cyclo or a roadside cafè. To blink is to muss some new and singular sight, be it a motorbike stacked high with piglets bound for the market, or a boy on a bicycle rapping out a staccato tattoo on pieces of bamboo to advertise noodles for sale.
For some of us, the war is their primary frame of reference and such historical hit spots as the Reunification Palace rank highly on their itineraries. Yet the city predates American involvement by several centuries, and not all of its sights revolve around planes, tanks,and rusting ordnance. Look around and you can see the French rule abound, among them such memorable buildings as Notre Dame Cathedral and the grandiose Hotel de Ville- but even these look spanking new when compared to the glorious musty edifice like Quan Am Pagoda and the Jade Emeror Pagoda, just a couple of the many captivating places of worship across the city.
It's one of Ho Chi Minh City's many charms that once you've exhausted, or been exhausted by, all it has to offer, paddy fields, beaches, and wide-open countryside are not far away. For some on the ship the most popular trip will be out of the city to the Cu Chi tunnels, where villagers dug themselves out of range of American shelling. The tunnels are often twined with a tour around the fanciful Great Temple of the indigenous Cao Dai region at Tay Nith.
Some pictures of our incredible day. We walk 8 miles all around the city. We also saw all the sights that you would want to see in town. All the old building
This is the opera house
The Post Office and they still use it as a Working P.O.
Coming out of the phone booths
The traffic lots of motor cycles. Try crossing the street. You can't hesitate at all.
Selling his baskets
Lots of hats here
It's a balancing act.
Will post more pictures tomorrow. We are beat. Party on deck tonight. Full moon.
Tomorrow we have a Mekong Delta River Cruise. Up early again for a 7 hour tour.
Thanks for coming along with us......Leslee & Bob
Cherish The Moments, Love Deeply, Dream Big
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