Vietnam 1 - Ho Chi Minh City

Saturday - Flew in via Beijing, Guangzhou and then into HCMC.  We flew China Southern Airlines (5 flights, all at least 30min late).  The introduction video on the plane for Ho Chi Minh city had a vietnamese instrumental version of the X-Files theme tune.  Got an expensive ride to the hotel (cab drivers will screw you over, insist on a meter) in the backpackers district in Phurong Pham Ngu Lao.  There are a bunch of hotels around there - a mix up with our booking meant we had to look around for another place.  There are loads of hotels there so easily done.

Typical City Centre Night Time Traffic Jam

Cho Ben Thanh Market

Sunday - booked our tickets to Phu Quoc- if you wander around and barter you can sometimes get about half off.  We then went to the Chợ Bến Thành market.  It was big and crowded - "Whatchu looking for?" or "You wan tshirt man?". They sold a bunch of t-shirts, tourist junk, chopsticks, weaselpoopcoffee, fruits, food and decorated plates.  Liked the plates so much I went back later for this one =>
Came across a parade ground where there were a few performers.  We tried walking along the riverside but it was nasty and industrial (not a recommended evening activity when it's 30C outside).  

Traditional Vietnamese Band
(Playing La Cucaracha)

First stop in the afternoon was the War Remnants Museum - previously known by the catchier name of "Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes" and located in the old United States Information Agency (read:propaganda) building.  There is the usual tanks and other vehicles outside.  The ground floor had a bunch of articles about support that Vietnam had during the war as well as the protests at the time.  There was also an outdoor recreation of the prisons with the "Tiger Cages".  The museum was full of propaganda but powerful and emotional nonetheless.  Exhibits ranged from collections by photojournalists, guillotine, unexploded bombs and ammunition, rebuilding photos and information about the massacres (there were almost a dozen) and Agent Orange.

The My Lai massacre was perhaps the worst - a platoon of American soldiers went into a village and murdered about 504 vietnamese villagers.  As this was during the war it was mostly the elderly, children and women (who were gang-raped and mutilated).  As for the Agent Orange, which was used to destroy the forest where the Viet Congs where based, the effects of it are still being felt.  As well as causing terrible skins diseases and often death to those actually exposed, it also mutates DNA and so the second and third generations were developmentally abnormal.  A bit like punching someone so hard their kids are born bruised.  I'd feel better if these sorts of things no longer happened but enough of the depressing museum so off on a walking tour of the town and temples.































Next we passed by the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica.  Around 10% of Vietnamese people are christian (and interestingly over 80% are atheists).  As this was the last Sunday before Christmas the evening service was packed with people standing outside all the doors trying to see in.  We even saw what could be the local Santacon team (although they had fliers so I think were trying to sell something).


Last up for the evening was the Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  It had a bunch of kids stuff set up for Christmas and was open extra late.  There was a small theme park, small cages and we honestly didn't have time to see the botanics bit.  It was strange seeing a stage and fairground rides in a zoo (and also to be going around in the pitch black at night surrounded by animals).  After the zoo we got dinner at a night market, were recommended a suit store by a lesbian couple and then got onto the night bus to Rach Gia.