Saigon, Vietnam Travel Blogs

So who won the war??
Mar 2, 2005 (11 photos)

... We met some alcoholic Canadians- Jen, Charlotte and Jake- en route, who were taking full decadent capitalist advantage of Vietnam's newfound bourgeousie, and spent the rest of our time in Saigon exploring the bars and noodle houses with them. The noodles ...

Good Morning Vietnam!
Apr 13, 2007 (1 photos)

... believe in cremation. Another thing that has caught my eye is the Latin based alphabet here in Vietnam, brought over by a French missionary.  After Saigon, I went to Mui Ne, a quiet beach/fishing village known for it's incredible sand dunes. I ...

Everybody Find Your Happy Place
Jan 31, 2006 (14 photos)

... in these tunnels would have been extremely difficult. Perhaps the next SURVIVOR episode should be in Cu Chi...SURVIVOR: Vietnam. We'll see. Back in Saigon, we passed the KFC as the U.S. invades once again with its brand names. Or does it? At closer ...

Viva HCMC!
Aug 27, 2008 (9 photos)

... you find yourself in a much quieter eddy where people live and eat on the streetside. I was surprised to find myself liking Saigon. We stayed in a backpacker area which was very touristy and Ko San-like. There is lots of budget guest houses there and loads ...

Capitalist Saigon...but isn't Vietnam communist?
Mar 30, 2007 (9 photos)

He Said: I spent about three weeks in Vietnam during a summer break almost three years ago. It was one of the most naturally beautiful, logistically easy, and cheapest places I had ever visited. So of course it was high on my list of places to bring ...

Tet
Jan 29, 2006 (11 photos)

... the darkness of the new moon--the 29th of January. Tet celebrations are about happy endings and auspicious new beginnings. In Vietnam, everyone celebrates their birthday on Tet, so it's easy to remember someone's birthday: "Happy Birthday. It's your ...

Saigon Sightseeing
May 7, 2004 (2 photos)

... for a bit before heading for an open-air ice cream joint. We enjoyed our slightly over priced sundaes while watching Saigon come alive for Friday night. Music was playing and expensive Japanese scooters sped next to cheap Chinese knock-offs (the scooter ...

Ho Ho Ho
Mar 8, 2006 (1 photos)

... . Only problem now is that I am carrying round the equivalent of a library-worth of travel books. So are actually leaving Vietnam tomorrow after a great couple of weeks here. Thoroughly recommend it if you are thinking of coming is a great mix of asian ...

HCMC - Siagon
Jan 12, 2006

... the gun and shot himself in the head right infront of the rest of the tour group, so for some reason they have decided to close that part of the tour down for the time being!!! Times been great in Vietnam but we must move on, Cambodia here we come.

Hello Saigon
Apr 8, 2006 (40 photos)

... is only about 3 or 4 meters wide. As a bonus we had our own little triangle hat to wear as we moved down river. And that's just about it for my adventures in Vietnam. Tomorrow morning I get on the bus for Cambodia and country four in as many weeks.

I couldn't Miss Saigon
Aug 28, 2004 (4 photos)

... bus journey, which apart from drinking with some locals en-route (always seems to happen to me) was uneventful. I arrived in Saigon in darkness, selected a cheap comfortable room, and decided to have a quiet 1st night at a quiet bar watching a game of ...

Our friends in Saigon
May 31, 2006 (25 photos)

Our return to Saigon was uneventful. We reunited with our host Allyson, and met up with our travel agent friend from STA Travel, Tina (the one who was kind enough to rescue us from the no-mans-land of Tay Ninh.) What follows is a brief photologue of ...

Rambo Part IV
Jun 12, 2006 (6 photos)

... at times with the guide with the torch being away at the front making him about as useful as a warm jacket in Vietnam. Complementing the tunnels was a firing range to satisfy the Rambo in you complete with M16s, AK-47s and other large machine guns ...

Miss (and Mr) Saigon....
Jan 5, 2004 (1 photos)

... like 'where do we get the bus' where answered by the taxi's with 'oh, there are no buses', again we are learning about Vietnam fast... Our bus dropped us right in the centre of the cheap hotel district and we got a plush place with fridge and tv etc. ...

Saigon and the Mekong Delta
Jan 13, 2007 (16 photos)

... with some cool cats from Saigon. The Ancestors and local thugs - Saigon and  Vinh Long A major purpose for my visit to Vietnam was to travel to the graves of my ancestors to pay respect and thank them all they did to make it possible for me to ...

We have arrived
Jan 4, 2007 (6 photos)

... her little sixteen year old niece who looked as hip as any of my New Yorker college students. I was actually surprised how modern Vietnam is now since I last visited in '98. The Vietnamese have progressed in such a short time. I dig Saigon and could live ...

War Remnants Museum
Apr 26, 2007 (20 photos)

... only image that would not leave my mind.  I mentioned it in an earlier blog.  I had read books on Vietnam, seen gorgeous travel photos, I knew some of its ancient history, but that Pulitzer Prize winning image would always resurface.  Many ...

Keep yourself protected!!!
Jan 14, 2007 (1 photos)

... notice of this for they want to keep the city safe, especially for outsiders. Last I recall, the penalty for killing a foreigner in Saigon, was death. Watch your back if you ever go to Saigon. Don't feel too open for you never know who would want to prey ...

Saigon
Jan 23, 2006

Saigon

Musical Chairs
Jun 11, 2006 (2 photos)

... I do for you guys! The bus was one of the more comfortable one I've so far had the pleasure of travelling on in Vietnam although for some reason the conductor was insistent everyone sits as far forward as possible. What this meant was that every time ...

Overland to Vietnam
May 25, 2006 (8 photos)

... have images in my head of the USA and former USSR. It will be interesting to compare capitalist Thailand with communist Vietnam during the course of this tour - it may yield a more accurate comparison of political doctrine. On arrival in Vietnam's ...

Handi-crafts Workshop
Apr 24, 2007 (11 photos)

... ; I needed no guy in lab coat to quote any statistics to know that Agent Orange and other toxins used during the Vietnam War cause irreperable and atrocious physical and mental damage.  Whatever the specific substance, a huge number of people were ...

Flight to Saigon
Apr 21, 2007 (6 photos)

... nbsp; Such a place costs $10 a night.  Why so cheap?  Because it also provides an orchestra of every cat in Saigon fornicating in loud and reprehensible ways just outside our window.  I never had cats or have been around cats, so the sound ...

Saigon - may be disturbing
Feb 2, 2005 (63 photos)

... it's a rifle that's rare and appealing to gun enthusiasts. He was unsuccessful. Well, guess who stumbles across one in Vietnam. Yep, I shot one. 40 rounds. It's pretty startling! I had earplugs and earphones on for ear protection. The rifle was ...

VIETNAM
Oct 13, 2005 (32 photos)

... bugs keep dropping off the ceiling and in to the food (yum!). So, we head off to Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam. At Saigon we visit a table top BBQ restaurant where you cook your own food. By now we are quite used to seeing strange things on menus ...

Just don't mention the war...
Nov 30, 2005 (26 photos)

... are far more interested in making a buck, feeding their family and as Robert Templer says, in a fascinating expose of modern Vietnam called Shadows and Wind, "how they will afford their new Honda Dream scooter". Probably fair enough as the war was over 30 ...

Walkabout
Jun 12, 2006 (7 photos)

... eatery but it's always good to challenge your immune system, as long as it doesn't lose! Saw, or at least heard, another of Vietnam's peculiar traits in the form of a lorry with a "Santa Claus is coming to town" reversing jingle to add to the "So here ...

The city of peds
Feb 8, 2006 (25 photos)

... enlightened, he then showed us he's war wounds, from helicopter shots, when he was fighting for the viet kong. anyway vietnam, now encourages personal business since the 80's and it's economy is growing. damm currency conversion. even though you can ...

Cambodia - With Imaginative Traveller
May 16, 2004 (12 photos)

C... We're now in Vietnam getting ready for the third and final part of our Imaginative Travelling, having just come through Cambodia on the second leg of our trip. While half of our new group had a delightful day of travelling on bumpy dirt roads from ...

Last Stop: Saigon
Feb 7, 2005 (8 photos)

... . They're gearing up for Tet here; people are out and about preparing for and anticipating the upcoming holiday. The population of Saigon is about 8 million. Although teeming with people, it's not as daunting as Hanoi - our guidebook describes it as " ...