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Uncle Ho's City
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I flew from Bangkok to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) on Bangkok Airways. After arrival in the city I made my way to the tourist part of town and found a decent hotel. It was $18 for a small air/con room with satellite TV and a fridge.
The city is full of young people and my guidebook said that 65% of the population is under 30. The city reflects the frenetic energy of the young populace quite well. Even on weekdays cafes and bars were packed until the wee hours....fashionable little clothing shops are numerous....and the traffic on the streets never seems to let up. The streets of Saigon are overrun with motorbikes. I have never seen so many scooters and mopeds. The scooters outnumber cars on the order of 20 to 1 I'd estimate. There are only a handful of high-rise buildings, but new construction was underway all over the city. Vietnam is a former French colony and a bit of their legacy is evidenced in the many traffic circles and city parks. In general, Saigon was a much hipper place than I expected Vietnam to offer. Although Vietnam is Communist, it has got a lot more spunk than fellow commie China.
Pho could be considered the national dish in Vietnam. Traditionally it's a hearty soup of noodles, vegetables and beef. Pho can be had for 60 cents USD from street vendors or around $1.50 for a bowl served in the air conditioned comfort of a small restaurant. I ate at the Pho 24 chain and at Pho 2000, where photos showed Bill Clinton eating when he visited the country several years back. Perfectly baked French baguettes are available seemingly everywhere including street vendors. The bread is great and it's only about 30 cents for a fresh baguette. I was surprised to learn that Vietnam is the second leading exporter of coffee in the world (after Columbia). The Vietnamese serve their coffee incredibly strong. I enjoyed the ice milk coffee which is about 40% condensed milk. Nice cafes were all over central Saigon and good restaurants were plentiful as well. My favorite restaurant was Quan An Ngon, where I ate twice. It looks reminiscent of an open-air French villa and sits across from Reunification Palace. They serve delicious food at rock bottom prices.
On the sight-seeing front there is plenty to do in and around Saigon. An interesting aspect of the country for me so far is that unlike many of the countries I visited where the tourism is focused on ancient history (e.g. Egypt, India, etc), the focal point in Vietnam is the last 30 years - namely the Vietnam War. That being said the majority of the population is too young to remember the war and I detected no animosity towards Americans from anyone (we'll see if that holds true in the North). I visited the Reunification Place, which was stormed by Viet Cong near the end of the war and power was surrendered by the South. The palace has been preserved since the 60s and it looks like something out an Austin Powers movie (the place even had a casino room with velour couches). The tunnels underneath the palace were something of a command center and it was interesting to see the battle planning maps still hanging, the old school radio rooms, and a few holding cells as well. The War Remnants Museum was very interesting, although it contained plenty of anti-American propaganda. Lots of US military equipment is on display including a tank, a UH-1H "Huey" helicopter, A-1 Skyraider and A-37 planes and an enormous 175 mm artillery cannon. The museum also featured many dramatic war photos from journalists of the era. Although its presentation was one-sided, it's a sobering place and definitely worth a visit.
I also took a daytrip to the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels which are about 30 km outside Saigon. It's a vast network of underground tunnels, storage rooms, living areas, and command centers used by Viet Cong during the war. Visitors are allowed to duck walk through a slightly enlarged section of tunnel - I found the dark, humid tunnel slightly claustrophobic and was glad to exit! The original tunnels required the inhabitants to crawl. Ideological difference aside, anyone who was willing to spend large amounts of time living and fighting in the narrow, dank tunnels was unbelievably determined. The tunnel site also houses a firing range (above ground), which added a bizarre automatic weapons fire soundtrack to the visit. At the firing range you can shoot weapons such as an AK-47, M-60 or a .45. It costs $1 per bullet and the Europeans were lining up pop off some rounds since they have such strict gun laws in their home countries. Word on the street is that the firing ranges in Cambodia are much better.
The nightlife in Saigon is solid. Bars, cafes, and clubs abound in every form. I spent one night in a country western saloon complete with a Vietnamese band singing Johnny Cash. Another evening I was in a packed café/lounge blaring Avril Lavigne's latest single. The beer was always cheaper than a buck even in the nice places. Saigon was plenty of fun and an interesting city. Next I'm taking a bus to Dalat in the central highlands. More thumbnails ...
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