Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City

Or "Saigon" because that´s what the locals still call it!

Scott and I had a couple of days in Saigon together before I left for Paris and the boys came to meet him. It was a few weeks ago now but my impressions were of wide busy streets lined with tall trees, big parks in the middle of city blocks, and not so much chaos as Hanoi. Well the traffic and power lines were just as crazy, but the streets were easier to walk along and there wasn´t as much street food cooking (mostly just glass cabinets of baguettes, and coffee.)

The War Remnants museum (or Museum of American War Crimes) was full-on with graphic photos and replicas and even foetuses in jars showing the effects of Agent Orange on unborn babies. There was a temporary exhibit there as well showing photos of people who are still living with the dehibilitating effects of the defoliants on their children´s bodies, who are now grown up.
The other exhibits in there were great too, photos from journalists who had been killed in action, anti war propaganda from around the world (including Melbourne) etc.

I also went on a half day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels which was incredible learning about the conditions the VC lived in, the tiny claustrophobic tunnels and terrible booby traps they set up for the Americans and South Vietnamese. Our guide fought for 8 years in the South vietnamese army against the communists so had an interesting viewpoint on it all. We had a chance to squeeze into the original tiny entrance holes, and most people couldn´t even get their hips through. We could also crawl 100 metres or so through a tunnel which had been widened for tourists, but even so you had to walk with knees bent, back scraping against the roof, it was so awful I took the first exit to get out of there! He explained that in the original size tunnels, the soldiers had to shuffle in the "squat" position for hours on end, carrying guns. Try it- your knees will give out in one minute!

I found the Hotel Continental one afternoon which was fun, imagining Graham Greene living there as he wrote The Quiet American!
We ate more pho, explored the Ben Tham markets and night markets, and saw Sex & The City at the movies... the film was terrible (in my opinion the TV show is so much better :D) but the audience reactions made it worthwhile.. the Vietnamese had to read subtitles so got the jokes about 20 seconds after the Westerners, and boy did they love it! I´ve never heard so much delayed laughter, and then them all trying to repeat the jokes in English straight after.

Leaving Saigon was kinda hard; for one I´ve never gone to an airport by myself to hop on a plane to a continent where no-one is waiting for me, and for two it was realising I won´t see Scott until October! But it all went smoothly, and the Qatar flight was absolute luxury compared to Air Asia, I got so many freebies I ran out of room in the seat pocket for them all! (blankets, pillows, comfort kits, free food & drink, my own tv screen...!)