Saigon

Yesterday - 30 March

We made it to Saigon without any problems and were met at the airport by our new guide and driver.

We drove to the northwest of the city to visit the Cu Chi tunnels.  These tunnels were part of the hidden underground network of Viet Cong tunnels, bunkers and field hospitals.  These tunnels were dug as part of the French Indochina wars back in the early 1950's.  They were expanded during later conflicts and proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the Saigon regime.  Karel, Mike & Nina crawled through one of the tunnels - about 150 feet with only a flashlight used by the guide to light their way.

After that we were taken to the city and our hotel.  By this time it was early afternoon when we checked into our hotel.  After a quick lunch and shower, we decided to explore the city by foot.  We walked around one of the main market places, which was right down the street from our hotel.  We then walked all the way to the Saigon river.  We then walked to the Caravelle Hotel and went up to the 9th floor - outdoor bar for a drink and a view of the city at sunset.  This hotel was used by a lot of the foreign journalists during the Vietnam War.

We followed the suggestion of our guide for dinner and went to a Vietnamese BBQ restaurant mostly frequented by locals.  We were in the upstairs outdoor garden and were able to BBQ right at our table.  We ordered a selection from the Beef, Wild Boar, Fish and Shrimp menus and cooked the food right there.  It was very delicious.

Today - 31 March
Today we had a guided city tour taking in the main sites of Saigon, including the Post Office.  We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the Museum of War Remnants.

We then took a drive to Chinatown.  Interestingly enough - even the Vietnamese cannot tell the Chinese apart from themselves except for the family name which is quite different.

Walking through the marketplace was again quite interesting.  We saw a lot of imitation products from Versace, Gucci, Polo, etc.

We then walked to the Thien Hau Pagoda which honored the sea. 

We were taken back to our hotel, where we went for a typical Vietnamese lunch of Pho (pronounced fur).  We went to Pho 2000 which is a famous little restaurant because Bill Clinton ate there!  It has also been written up in some local and international food magazines.

Karel found some micro breweries in Saigon and we decided to take a walk and try to find them.  We were successful on both tries.  The first one brewed Czech-style beer and the other one brewed German-style beer.

Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant.  This is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Saigon.

Tomorrow we leave early for a 2 hour drive to the Mekong River and take a 4 hour boat ride to get to our next hotel.

Until tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel