The heat is on in Saigon

Another day of 32 degrees here in Saigon. The humidity is around 90% but there is often some wind that tempers both so it is bearable. 

Went for another walk today and found a lovely park with lots of trees and gardens a playground and seats. But there were lots of young people there all engrossed with their smartphones. There were also lots of motor cycles pulled up on the side of the road with people on phones. Aha! I thought - Pokemon Go has reached Vietnam. But then when I checked my phone, there was a strong free wifi signal, so that was probably the reason! There was an international school right next to the park and on the street beside the school was a row of sports shops.

One of the funny things about the shops here is that you often find a lot of shops in the same area selling the same things. We passed through an area with stationery and art supplies this morning too.

We found a Starbucks just over the road from the Independence Palace so stopped there for a cool drink and a cool place to sit. It seems that there are more Starbucks here than McDonalds, and we have only seen one Burger King, which was at the airport.

We then wandered back towards the market along from the hotel and bought a couple of cute wee outfits for Max and a couple of tshirts for Roger at the market. Pretty good quality and very cheap. 

We seem to have got used to the erratic traffic here in HCMC. We actually saw someone getting a ticket from local police this morning, not sure what it was for though. There are literally thousands of motor cycles, much fewer cars and nobody seems to obey the road rules, that is assuming there are some! Saw a t-shirt this morning that highlighted the Saigon road rules - green light means I can go, Amber light means I can still go, Red light means I will go anyway! That is pretty much how it is. Pedestrian crossing mean nothing and cars will not stop if you are in front of them. Amazing that there are not more people killed or seriously injured. 

There does not seem to be many western tourists around in HCMC. Quite a few group tours with Asian people on them. A few French speakers around also, but it does not feel like a tourist Mecca.

Getting packed up later to head out to Hanoi in the morning. The flight is not until mid day, but we are being picked up early because of the traffic going to the airport and the check in time. Looking forward to visiting that city again. 

A Long Walk

Just back from a long walk down to the Saigon River via a lot of very busy streets!

It was 32 degrees when we left the hotel about 8.30am and I am sure it got hotter.

We walked over to the park across the road from the hotel and saw people using the free gym equipment placed there. Then found our way along a small street where shops mainly sold antiques - I am sure that few were genuine!

Eventually we got onto a street which had more upmarket shops and found Starbucks so we stopped for a drink. Able to get free WiFi there and picked up a message from Suzanne so were able to have a conversation with her.

Walked further down a very wide street towards the river and found we could cross the road very carefully!  People here do not seem to recognise red lights and pedestrian crossings! Walked along the riverbank some way then found our way to the Opera House which is a lovely building in the midst of a wealthy area which includes top shops and expensive hotels.

Eventually found our way back to the hotel for a rest.

Heritage Saigon

This morning we were collected by our lovely guide for a four hour tour of heritage sites in Saigon.

Started out at the Museum of Traditional Medicines which was established by one of the modern pharmaceutical companies to recognize the place of traditional eastern medicines in the history of Vietnam. It is a beautifully built building designed to replicate traditional houses with a large amount of carved doors and walls. First we watched a video telling about the history of traditional medicines and how they evolved along with a blend of herbal remedies from China as well as other neighbouring  countries. Most of the exhibits on each of the three top floors were of the tools used in making and giving the medicines - kettles, storage jars, scales, etc, while the ground floor was a small shop with many different types of tea and herbs as remedies for various ailments. 

From here, we went on to the War Remnants Museum, which houses many exhibits relating to the American War, including an interesting photographic exhibition called Requiem. It is a series of photos taken by war correspondents many of whom died in the conflict. There were also displays of armaments and photos of the damage caused by the defoliants used by the Americans during the war.

Outside the museum is a replica of one of the prisons used to house dissidents during the period after WW2 and during the American War. There is even a guillotine, last used in 1960 to behead a local who was accused of being against the communist regime. We also saw a number of US tanks, aircraft and helicopters left after the Americans left Vietnam.

The next stop was the Reunification Palace, built originally for the President of South Vietnam, but now a museum and used for conferences and meetings. We just looked at it from the outside. Then back into the card for a short trip to see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office designed by G. Eiffel - the same person who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is a beautiful building, well kept and still in use as a post office today. From here you can also see the US embassy from the time of the American War- now a fairly old and tatty looking government building - where the famous scene of helicopter landing on the roof to evacuate personnel from the compound took place. We did not get a chance to go into the cathedral as it was closed when we were there. 

Back to the hotel after the tour and a brief rest before heading out for an ice cream. After a delicious treat, we went back to have a look at the market again, then braved the busy road to cross over to Saigon Square - a shopping center and another big shopping center built by a Japanese company. Big department store as well as other smaller stores.

Bought a couple of things there, then back to the hotel.

Went to a local restaurant close by the hotel for a meal which cost 168,000 dong - about $10 NZ!

Food is very cheap here and the restaurant was very nice. Had an interesting art form on the wall which was supposed to represent the country of Vietnam.

Good Morning Vietnam!

After a long night of traveling via Auckland and Singapore, we finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon around 11 am yesterday. 

The flight on Air NZ was ok but the service was a bit slack - one of the main courses was gone by the time they got to us and the entree was pretty average. Then at breakfast, they didn't even offer any cereal to us! 

Arrived in Singapore a bit earlier than scheduled and managed to transfer to Terminal 2 without too much hassle. Changi Airport is huge and it took 20 minutes to walk to the gate from which our flight to Vietnam was to leave. The plane left on time and we had a meal which was quite tasty and served very efficiently by the staff on Singapore Airlines. 

When we got to HCMC, we were quickly through immigration and customs and met by the guide from the travel company. We then drove through the city to the center where the hotel -Silverland Central Hotel andSpa is located. The thing hat struck us quickly was the huge number of people riding motor bikes or scooters. Not a huge number of cars because there is an 80% tax on cars in Vietnam. Everyone toots their horns and people don't seem to obey the traffic lights much either.

After we checked in at the hotel, we were able to have a rest before venturing out to have a wander around the neighborhood of the hotel. 

There is a big market over the road from the hotel and we had a Horst wander through it to see what was on offer. Lots of T shirts and ladies clothing, children's gear and shoes. Quite a few tourist shops with typical tourist products. The food stalls are well stocked and look interesting with lots of different types of fruits and vegetables. 

Around the hotel are a lot of different types of shops. Close by are shops just selling luggage. Shoe shops abound in the street behind the hotel, and a couple of blocks along from the hotel are stationery and art shops. Cafes are hidden in between other shops or on the first or second floor of a building.

For dinner, we found a pizza place = Buzza's Pizzas which was reasonably. Inexpensive and quite tasty. 

We were very tired by this time so headed back to the hotel for a very early night and a long sleep!

The view from our hotel window! The tall building is one of the newest in Saigon, but the helipad on the side of it is just for decoration as it is not strong enough to take a helicopter!