Vietnam 2010

Nov 11, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Up extra early this morning.  6 am but wanted to have some coffee!  Headed off to nice coffee shop down the street but was closed!  So went to street place next to it.

Great coffee for 3000 Dong! ($1 = 20,000 dong)  Got sugar the first time but not the second!  Quite good and the price is great!  Better than the 28,000 dong at place i was going.

Off on tour of Cu Cin tunnels.  Tunnels that started in the 1950s when French occupied but expanded very much during the Vietnam war.  Short video which was old video footage.  Came across as promotion to join and support the army and their fight against the imperialist Americans.

According to the film the Americans shot women, children, animals, pots and pans and trees!  Interesting.

The place is very well organized for many different tour groups.  And actually had a tour guide for the whole trip!  $4!

Next we were showed how the VC got in and out of tunnels!  The hole was very small and the tunnels are tiny!  Designed for people shorter than me!  But did end up getting a chance to go through some.  I kept hitting my head, good thing for the hat and my shoulders rubbed the whole way.  And I was crouched right down!

The villagers actually lived in the tunnels as well as they could not be seen above ground or would have been bombed.

Of course the tour included a workshop but this one was selling lacquered ware made by people with a disability.  Many beautiful things including inlayed egg shells and mother of pearl.

Next went to the War Remnants Museum.  They had many army tanks and guns on display outside but inside was mostly a photo display of the damage done by the bombing and the spraying of chemicals (Agent Orange the most).  Shocking is about all I can say and even more shocking is there is still an impact now!  Babies are being born with deformities!  Very difficult to look at so many.  Should not be as I am guessing that many are the ones that approach you to buy something from them.

Spent the rest of the afternoon wandering back to hotel.

Went out for dinner and tonight I had a hamburger and fries!  That is the first in a long time.  Very good!

Nov 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Slow lazy start to the day!  Had breakfast in room.  Only because I had to as the hotel does not have a restaurant.  Then off to wander around.  But first stopped to have some great coffee.

Spent a bit of time talking to the waitress, I am guessing she wanted to practice her english.  She gave me suggestions for what to see in the city.  Quite the list but will see.  Headed of to the main area and got a tour ticket for tomorrow.

Went to the Reunification Palace.  A nice building from the 1970s that has had a long history of being bombed and destroyed and rebuilt.  Also the guide said it had 3 presidents reside in the building.  Interesting as when North and South Vietnam joined they consider it the liberation of the South.  In 1975, where has the time gone!  The US 'imperialists' get much mention.

Then walked to the Ben Thanh market.  Huge, but just like all the other markets.  I had been told that it is also a very expensive market to shop.  No sooner had I got there that it started to pour rain, again as it did the same while I was in the Reunification Hall.

Spent the rest of the day walking.  Was dark so all the neon lights are on!  This city loves neon, so much so that a church is completely light up with neon as well.

Found a small restaurant and had some fried rice!  I think burgers for tomorrow!  But interesting to note that beer is 13,000 Vietnamese Dong, Coke is 14,000.  $1 Cdn = just short of 20,000 dong.  Yes beer is cheap!

 
Nov 9, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Got picked up at hotel at 8 am for bus to Ho Chi Minh.  Bus left at 8.30 am.  And it did not run out of gas.  

About 3 hours were at the border.  Exit Cambodia and enter Vietnam.  This bus was very good.  Water, snack and announcements and commentary in English and Cambodian.  Very nice.  No issues at border except maybe confusion.  The guy from bus took all of our passports for the exit.  Had them stamped and then sent us back so they could scan the passport and take our picture!  Not sure why!

At Vietnam border, again he took our passport and took into office.  Now there are about 4 other buses here and they start calling out names as they stamp the passports!  Confusing as well.  So got visa and they did not check face to passport!  Oh well.

2 hours later, in Ho Chi Minh.  

Caught a taxi to hotel, well almost.  The first one ran out of gas!  But he called his friend to pick me up.  Well the taxi ride cost me about 5 times more that it should have!  Stupid tourist!

I thought the traffic was bad in Phnom Penh.  Well this is worse.  I am now better at crossing the street, but I still wait for a little break.  Much larger than locals.  Trick is to walk slow and steady, do not stop or veer as the drivers with time their passing so they will not hit you, come very close but not hit!

here they will also drive on sidewalks if it will get them just 1 or 2 bikes ahead!  More things to watch out for while walking!  And they will even honk at you if you are in the way, on the sidewalk!  They also make the left hand turns from the right hand lane.  Yes they are going against the traffic along the sidewalk to make the turns!  I do not know how it works but seems to and there are very few traffic lights!

Tired so spent afternoon lazying and periodically going out for short walks around the block to see what is around.  Told this is the centre.  Many shops, stores, and fancy ones and many electronic stores.  But managed to find a bakery, or two!

The women seem to be wearing their pjs all the time!  Very fancy ones some of them!