Saigon

Leaving Da Nang airport, we embarked upon the last two days with our group in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.  

Immediately upon arriving, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels, about 90 minutes bus ride away.  The tunnels were used by Viet Cong rebels to defend themselves against US troops in the Vietnam war.  The VC dug an intricate system of gopher-like holes, with many chambers and secret entrances to protect themselves.  The tunnels were deep enough to withstand bomb strikes, and so small that only rice-eating VC could fit inside them. Some chambers were decoys and booby trapped as well. We got to try crawling through one of the original tunnels, and I barely made it half way. It was not for the claustrophobic.

laurel descending into a hiding hole

Kids love tanks

The Cu Chi tunnels also had a display of the various booby traps employed by the VC. Different styles of trap doors would maim the unfortunate soldier who stepped on them, faling into a pit with  variety of metal or bamboo spike formations. Quite clever.

Also as a part of the tour was the opportunity to shoot Vietnam era weaponry.  I chose an AK47, and squeezed off 10 shots.  One of the teens in our group got to shoot a machine gun.  Being able to do this added to the overall atmosphere of re-enacting the wartime feeling, and  when not shooting, just hearing gunfire in the background was an eerie reminder of the area’s past.

That night, after a seemingly endless bus ride back into Saigon, we were prepared to go out and explore.  Saigon is the other large city in Vietnam besides Hanoi, yet it is more modern and congested.  Motorbikes still rule, and there are so many of them they literally take over everything.  Most irritating is the frequent rogue biker who insists on using the sidewalk as an extension of the roadway. We literally had to walk single file so as not to get hit on the sidewalk.  Crossing the street may be a little easier than Hanoi since there were numerous traffic lights, but it felt more dangerous since you had to be on the lookout for motorbikes every moment.

Motorbike armies everywhere

Bryce had a severe skin itching attack on the bus, so Sue stayed with him and Laurel and I went out with a group for our first dinner.  Didi chose Pizza 4P’s, not what one would pick for true authentic Vietnamese food, but it was an awesome foodie event nonetheless.  4P’s makes their own cheese, and creates Japanese inspired flavorings in many of their dishes.  We ordered several pizzas, including Prosciutto and Burrata, Duck with Gorgonzola and Apple, Camenbert with Ham and truffle oil, and a few more.  These were the most amazing pizzas ever, as the toppings and crusts were perfect and flavorful.  I don’t think having eaten a steady diet of Vietnamese food the few days before had anything to do with it - these were truly extraordinary pizzas.  We even had dessert pizzas, with fruit and Camembert ice cream on top. Awesome.

The next day was our only full day in Saigon, so we started with a tour of the War Remnant Museum. This had artifacts and photos from the Vietnam war, and retold the history with no holds barred.  In addition to the weaponry, a lot of photos showed the gruesome side of war, including the effects of Agent Orange.  What was remarkable is the amount of money and resources the USA plowed into this war. It was powerful, and moving.  

After the museum, we ventured to the Ben Thanh market, Saigon’s central market, where they have anything and everything.  Bargaining is expected, and we bought some clothes to extend our laundry for a couple of days.  We also experimented with some of the weird gelatinous smoothies.  The vibe was similar to a Mexican market, with equally odd, different stuff.  The only different was that the vendors were extremely aggressive, especially around the food stalls.  I probably would have eaten more, but didn’t want to deal with the pushy people.

Trying to decide

Laurel enjoying a weird milkshake

That night was our last group meal together, and I found the Barbeque Garden restaurant two blocks from our hotel.  It is a large outdoor patio, with gas grills in the middle of each table for you to cook your own food.  We ordered several plates of meat to try, as well as three “tiger towers” of beer.  All but three of our group were there, and it was a great celebratory way to end our trip together.

The kids table at BBQ Garden

Tiger tower

Finally, the teenagers went to see a late movie at the cinema in the hotel complex, and the adults ventured up to the hotel’s rooftop bar, where we had a few more beers and danced to the DJ.  We had the whole place to ourselves with the exception of a group of 20-something Australian girls. Charles was able to get them up to join us and we danced for a long time, high above the city, with a beautiful view and a DJ mostly to ourselves.  

Rocking the rooftop disco

It was a great last day together.