That’s exactly what Aus said in the early hours of Sunday morning as we stepped off our plane from Manila in Philippines, arriving in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam. We were happy to be in a new country and feel as though it is a fresh start after having my sickness taint some of our time in the Philippines.
We were met at the airport by Ann, a guide from the company we hired for our time in Vietnam. We hummed and hawed about whether or not to take the ultra cheap/backpacking route to explore this country, or to spend a little bit more and hire a company to plan our route for us. After getting a decent quote that included private van, driver, English-speaking guide, some meals, hotel, and domestic flights, we decided to take the easy route v.s. the ultra affordable one. If our next 8 days are anything like our first two days, we definitely made the right decision!
Ann and our driver brought us from the airport to our central downtown hotel, the Kimdo Royal City Hotel. It’s a beautiful hotel right smack dab in the middle of Saigon’s core downtown. We are only steps away from Ho Chi Minh’s City Hall and Presidential Palace. Before I go any further, I want to clear up the name confusion for this city. The largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh was formerly known as Saigon, and is still commonly referred to as such. However, in 1976 just after the war with the US, Saigon city area was merged with the surrounding province and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh, after a Marxist revolutionary leader. Ho Chi Minh, the man, was the former prime minister of North Vietnam and led the Viet Con again the US during the Vietnam War until his death in 1969 (the war did not end until 1975).
After a very comfortable night’s sleep, Austin and I met bright and early with Ann to head the Cu Chi tunnels. We had an hours drive through the countryside and saw many thatched hut villages and people working in the rice paddies. When we arrived to Cu Chi we had the opportunity to see the intricate system of tunnels and learn tactics of the Vietnamese revolutionary forces. The strategies used by the Vietnamese were impressive. With only basic resources, they always had a to stay one step ahead of the US, whose artillery and equipment were more modern and technically advanced. something else I found interesting is that the Vietnamese refer to the recent war here as the America War, where North Americans always refer to the war here as the Vietnam War. Just a fun fact. Anyways, as always, pictures speak louder than words, so here are a few to provide a visual…
The trap door…
Yikes!
The hidden tunnel entrances were made small on purpose because of the obvious – Vietnamese could fit, Americans likely could not.
How it was done…
As you can see, the tunnels we’re quite small…
We each got the chance to shoot an M16… we had an entire menu of choice. Also on the menu were AK47’s
After our time at Cu Chi we headed back to Saigon for the afternoon. First on the afternoon agenda was a tour of the Presidential Palace, which is only a tourist site now, as it has not had any official use since Vietnam’s unification. Interestingly, the Presidential Palace was one of the main sites of evacuation during the Fall of Saigon. Helicopters landed on the rooftop to vacate American civilian and military personnel, as well as ‘at risk’ south Vietnamese. The Fall of Saigon marked the end to the recent war in Vietnam.
Statues of Ho Chi Minh can be found at many locations in the city. This one was in the Presidential Palace…
A picture of the landing pad on the top of the Presidential Palace where the evacuation happened during the Fall of Saigon…
Next we headed to the War Remnants Museum. The inside of the museum consisted mostly of pictures donated by American photographers. The images are graphic and heart wrenching. The brutality of war is unreal! There are no words. Outside the museum are a number of different American military craft.
After our visit to the museum we had a nice lunch with our guide, Ann, at a traditional noodle place before heading to the Ben Thanh market to do some bargaining and exploring.
A candy stall in the foreground and a look down one of the market’s isles… busy place!
It was a long, but full and interesting day! This was my first full day of action since falling ill. Though it is still necessary to have a barf-bag nearby at all times, as the medication I am on makes me extremely nauseous, I am definitely on the mend and really look forward to feeling more myself. I was happy to head back to the comforts of our hotel by the end of the day and to settle in for the evening. Austin however was looking forward to exploring some of the city by night and headed out for an evening adventure. To my surprise and delight, he returned to the hotel room a proud owner of a new compact camera! Austin had already spent time researching what he wanted as a replacement for the one we destroyed while in the Gilis, and he was able to find the exact model at a nearby electronics store and was able to bargain down to a price both parties were happy with. The Sony TX5 is waterproof to 3m (great for snorkelling!), is shock proof (can be dropped from standing height & survive), and has an intelligent sweep panorama feature we’re very excited about!
Today, day two of our adventure in Vietnam, started bright and early at 7:30am as we had a long drive south to the Mekong Delta region. When we arrived we boarded a traditional junk boat. We started off by visiting the Cai Be floating market and proceeded to visit small local factories. The first factory made rice paper, rice pop corn and other candies. We both really enjoyed this stop as we got to do a little taste testing. Boy, was I glad my tummy held up because some of them were scrumptious! Next we visited a brick factory and got to see the process of making bricks, which here is done by hand and very simple machinery. We were discouraged to here that the people who worked at this factory, primarily young mothers, made only about $4/day. Such hard work for so little pay.
After our factory tours it was time for lunch. On our way to lunch, Ann treated us to a quick snack of some local fruits. My favourites were Rambutan and Longan… super yummy! Before the restaurant stop we switched boats and were rowed in a traditional Vietnamese row boat for a time and wore traditional hats as the sun was HOT! Our lunch was had at a local orchard where we also had a quick tour and were treated to traditional song. Here are some pictures morning in the Mekong region…
Our guide, Ann, welcoming us aboard the junk boat…
Enjoying the cruise…
One of the houses along the Mekong River
Some of the sights around Mekong’s floating market….
Some men selling longan fruit…
At one of the home factories, the candy was made and wrapped by hand…
A picture of a lady making the rice paper used to make spring rolls…
A look at the hard working brick factory workers…
Ann sharing information with us about the local fruits. She’s holding a Rambutan, my favourite! Apparently they are a cousin to the lychee.
Enjoying our paddle boat ride…
More longen fruit being transferred by the farmers out to the market…
Ann and I sheltering from the sun in traditional Vietnamese hats…
Our lunch time entertainment…
A picture of an adorable little girl… the restaurant owner’s daughter…
Walking through the orchard Ann picks some longen to keep as a snack for later…
Our cruise ended at Vinh Long pier and we had the luck of being able to explore the nearby local market. This market was different from the Ben Thanh market we had checked out in Saigon, because this one is visited primarily by Vietnamese. I was not brave enough to breath through my nose due to my permanent state of nausea, but Austin tells me the smells were an experience in itself! Highlights of the market were many. You name it, it was being sold. From fruits to fake watches… live chickens to dried fish… octopus to eel… even turtles and snakes… yes… SNAKES! Check out the pictures to see for yourself…
Live chicken anyone?
Pretty flowers…
Market fresh fruit….
Dried fish of every sort.
Chicken prepared and ready to go…
Catfish… any takers?
Eels… lots of them!
Snakes… ahh!
He was selling, she was buying. As they were going through the sack filled with snakes, one got loose. Austin and I both jumped and ran. Some of them are venomous... not to mention they’re all super creepy!
They were even selling services to help relieve pain…
A panoramic view of the street outside the market using our new little camera!
While taking in all the sights and sounds of Saigon, our tour guide pointed out some very interesting facts. First of all, just like the other areas we’ve visited in southeast Asia thus far, Saigon has a TON of motorbikes on the roads. However, unlike the other places we’ve been, the riders here don’t follow the driving laws. For example, red light does not mean stop if you’re a motorbike driver. Therefore you can imagine the difficulty for pedestrians when crossing the street. We’d watch in awe as people stepped off the curb and into the mayhem. All who took the plunge were successful and it’s as if Vietnamese can communicate telepathically. We have no idea how they avoid being bruised, beaten or trampled by the thousands of motorbikes… but they do! On Aus’ evening explorations around the city, he too found the necessity to cross the street… as you do when exploring a city. He said the best tactic is to just close your eyes and go. Somehow the skilled drivers have mastered timing and Aus too managed to cross the street and escape the fury of motorbikes injury-free. Nice one, baby!
Another interesting fact that our guide pointed out to us are the masks worn by most motorbike drivers, sort of like surgical masks worn by nurses and doctors. She asked why we thought they wore them. We answered with the most obvious answer – to avoid breathing in all the exhaust and pollution. That is what I’ve always believed. However, that is not the case. She informed us that Vietnamese people wear them to shield their faces from the sun because they prefer to have whiter skin. To Vietnamese, they feel that whiter skin makes them look younger. She pointed out that many of the ladies don’t just wear the masks, but also wear full cover to get further sun protection. You can see the ladies wearing long gloves so that even their hands and arms are not exposed to the sun. We even saw some wearing towels, or pale tights to cover their legs if they’re not wearing long pants. How interesting! I’ve spent many winters stocking up on tinted body creams to keep a sun-like glow because I’ve always preferred a brown glow so that I don’t like so pale and sick all winter. Austin and I were also astounded to find that in pharmacies here they sell skin whitening lotion. It seems SO bizarre to us. But hey, that’s part of the fun of learning about other cultures. Here’s a look to illustrate what we’re talking about…
None of these ladies are taking chances with exposure to the sun…
Found in stores…
See the gloves & stockings? Did I mention the temperature was +35 without humidity…
Another variation…
Tomorrow morning we fly north to Da Nang, which is in more central Vietnam, on our way to Hoi An. Our first couple days in Vietnam have been fantastic and action packed. We very much look forward to what’s next. Bring it on, Vietnam!
Until next time,
The Knotty Travellers
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