Last weekend Jill and I took a trip to Vietnam. The cruise Jill's parents were on was making a stop in Saigon, and I had never been to Vietnam, so we figured we'd make the trip there. We got in Friday morning (Jill's parents arrived Friday afternoon) and we had a full schedule the entire time.
Jill had arranged for us to have a private tour guide for basically the entire trip, which was great because it was just the four of us as opposed to a big tour group. Friday afternoon we got a city tour of Saigon. Our first stop on the tour was the Independence Palace (aka Reunification Palace), which was the home/workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. This is also the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 (courtesy o' Wikipedia). The structure of the building itself is not incredibly impressive (I mean it's just basically a square building with a fountain in front of it), but to visit such a historically significant place was pretty cool. We got to go inside and see some different meeting rooms and an underground bunker with situation rooms and escape tunnels.
Front of the Palace
View looking out from the front of the Palace
The next stop after the Palace was the War Remnants Museum. We heard prior to visiting that the museum displayed a very one-sided/anti-American view of the war, and I would have to agree that was the case. Knowing that ahead of time was helpful, and I would still recommend anyone to visit it, but just be aware that it does not paint a very rosy picture of the United States. There were a couple of different exhibits most of which were photos (some of which are extremely graphic) and displays of various artifacts (uniforms, bombs/weapons used, etc.). Jill and I both realized very quickly after arriving in Saigon how little we really knew/understood about the Vietnam War, and despite the bias, I still found it to be interesting to get a "Vietnamese" perspective.
Outside the museum there were planes/tanks/guns on display. I didn't
take any photos from the exhibits inside because a lot of it was
photos...and the photos weren't really anything that I would want to
share here
After the War Remnants Museum we stopped by the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica, which was built by French Colonialists between 1863-1880 (courtesy o' wikipedia). The French were in Vietnam for a long time, but it's still a little funny to see a Catholic church in Asia. A lot of the architecture in Saigon has that European influence which made the city unique as well.
Across the street from the Basilica is the Saigon Central Post Office, which was also built in a European architectural style in the early 20th century.
After dinner Friday night Rick and Karen headed back to their ship, and before heading to bed Jill and I stopped for a drink on top of the Rex Hotel, which is a famous hotel in Saigon. During the Vietnam War, the hotel hosted the American Military command's daily conference, and the rooftop bar was a well-known hangout for military officers and war correspondents (wikipedia).
Saturday morning we all made the 1.5 hour drive from Saigon out to the Cu Chi tunnels. "The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam,
and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of
the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military
campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots
during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes,
hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North
Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the
Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped to counter
the growing American military effort." (wikipedia).
Despite the fact that there were a ton of other very large tour groups, the visit to the tunnels was very interesting. Along with seeing the entrances to the tunnels, there were also displays of various types of booby traps that were used, sites were bombs were dropped, old tanks, and even a range where you could fire different weapons that were used during the war. After visiting the tunnels it's easy to see why the Viet Cong were such a difficult enemy...
This was a guide demonstrating a "hide".
Where'd he go?
My turn!
Oh shit...
That's as far as I could go...
I would have made a terrible Viet Cong...
Nightmarish booby traps...
Me going HAM, Rambo-style with an M16 Rifle
You could actually go into a section of the tunnel. I was only down there for about 3 minutes which was more than enough time to experience it. They have actually expanded the tunnels to accommodate fat Westerners, so when the war was going on the tunnels were even smaller than this. I was the only one that went down there - Jill, Rick and Karen were just fine staying above ground.
If you make it to Saigon the Cu Chi tunnels are a must-see. Just be ready to battle hordes of people from other tour groups.
On the way back to the city we passed through a grove of rubber trees, so we stopped for a few photos. JIC.
When we got back to the city we all grabbed some lunch at our hotel. After everything we had seen it was really interesting for Jill and I to talk to Rick and Karen about their perspective on the Vietnam War. After seeing things from a very "Vietnamese" perspective it was great to hear the experiences/opinions of two Americans who lived through such a significant and complicated part of history. It was also just great to catch up with them and hear more about their experiences on their cruise. This was their first trip to Asia, and they seemed to be really enjoying everything they had seen and done to this point.
After lunch Rick and Karen had to board their ship again because it was heading out to their next destination (North Vietnam). After hanging at the hotel pool for a couple of hours (we stayed at the Park Hyatt Saigon and it's an amazing hotel - we were very lucky to be able to stay there. Great location, awesome building/staff. Highly recommend it, and that's not just because I work for Hyatt.) Jill and I got ready for a Vespa tour of Saigon. Essentially, you get driven around on the back of a Vespa and stop at a few different locations to try some local food/experiences. This may have been my favorite part of the trip because it gives you a completely different perspective of the city. Like...you see it how the locals see it. Everyone in Saigon gets around on a scooter. And the traffic is so chaotic - there are no rules...seriously. I was honestly a bit nervous before we started, but that went away pretty quick once we started and Jill and I both really enjoyed it.
Watch this video for an idea of how crazy the traffic can be
The first place we stopped for food had some interesting items on the menu. We had some noodles, some soup, and some frog legs. The legs were actually good. Seriously tasted like chicken, and all the other stuff we ate was good too.
There were 7 other people in out little Vespa gang. Walt and Irene (in the corner) were a nice couple from Calgary. We sat and chatted with them at most of the places we stopped.
In addition to a couple of food stands, we stopped at a very out-of-the-way coffee shop that had some very talented singers performing. We also stopped for drinks at a pretty rowdy bar with live music. Along with the Cu Chi tunnels I would say a Vespa tour is something you must do if you go to Saigon. It was just a very unique way to experience the city, and there is no way Jill and I would have done the stuff we did without going on the tour.
The hotel is in a great location, and there are a couple of cool sites nearby that I wanted to see lit up after our tour was over.
Opera house that is literally across the street from the Park Hyatt Saigon
City Hall (statue of Ho Chi Minh in front) is just a couple of blocks away
On our last day we visited the Mekong River which was a 2.5 hour drive from Saigon. This was also a very interesting experience because we got to see how people outside of the city live. We took what was essentially a very large, motorized canoe out onto the river, and made a few different stops along the river.
The first stop was through a "floating market" where people actually live right off, or on (they live on their boat), the river.
Another big church
We got off the boat at a little village. There were some shops, and at this one you could sample some snake wine. I consider myself somewhat adventurous, but I just couldn't bring myself to try this stuff...
Me being creepy with babies again...
At another stop we got a live musical performance. There was a couple of singers, but we had no idea what they were saying...
At one point we got off our original boat and were paddled down a small tributary by this little woman. We got to wear the hats as a part of the experience, and they actually did a great job of providing shade.
The last stop of the day was a "floating restaurant" type place. We were running a little behind (we were being dropped off at the airport straight from the river), so we got our food to-go....which was a really bad idea because we didn't even want to eat it, but Jill felt bad because we skipped our lunch (which had been included as a part of the tour) the day before. So on our way back to our van, we had to pretend like we were enjoying some kind of fish (which was completely whole - head, bones, tail-everything), rice, and what I think was pork. Oh, and it all came in plastic bags, and all we had for utensils was chopsticks, so it was an interesting ride back. Throw into the mix the refreshing spray of brown Mekong river mist that was being kicked up by the wind, and Jill and I had had enough of the river tour.
We made it back to the airport with plenty of time, and our trip to Vietnam had concluded. It was a busy few days, but probably one of my favorite trips overall just because we got to see/experience a lot of different stuff. I feel like I say this about everywhere we go, but definitely check out Saigon if you have a chance. Again, if you can arrange a private tour guide I would do that too - much better than doing it with a bus full of people.
Jill's parents are here in Hong Kong now, and will be here for the next couple of days before heading back to the US. They survived their first trip to Asia, and I think are much more confident in their abilities to travel to other parts of the world.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Til' Next Time,
Luke & Jill
P.S.
I realize that in my blogs I complain a lot about big groups of tourists, and I realize that in doing so I am being a complete hypocrite. Jill and I are the biggest tourists of all. Like I should probably start wearing a fanny pack on our trips. So, I know there is no getting around annoying tourists (of which we are guilty of being), and I know we are extremely lucky to be able to do what we do. So, I just need to take a deep breath, enjoy myself, and remember...
