On to Vietnam! -- Our First Stop, Saigon

We flew the night of November 20th to HCMC, Ho Chi Minh City, also still known by many as Saigon. It is a bustling city of about 8.5 million people with greater Saigon having over 13 million inhabitants.   It is the financial center of Vietnam and our guide Khanh said that it is  a fun, lively place to live.

After going through very strict border control, we checked into our hotel.  The next morning, our group slept in, and then seven of us walked to the Imperial Palace.  (Others went on an optional tour of the Cu Chi tunnels.)  Along the way, we were astounded to see so many motorcycles.  It was interesting to note that the motorcycles were ridden close to the curbs and the cars were to their left near the center of the street..  

Ofra, Julie, Havazelet, Nava and Haia walking on the left.

 We saw a motorcycle taxi with a helmet for the paying passenger.  We also saw a few ridden on sidewalks and many parked there.  Khanh told us when he parked his motorcycle on the sidewalk, the attendant kept the keys so he could move Khanh's motorcycle when needed, especially when Khanh was traveling for work..  

Many women rode motorcycles too, including the one below with a helmet over her sun hat.  It was hazy, maybe a bit smoggy, so many wore masks, including me.

 Motorcycles are more efficient, and more people can be on the road in less space. Tuk tuks have not been used here for at least ten years, probably because of the safety issue.

Street vendor

Along the way a very friendly man gave us some advice on how to get to our destination and walked with us and then encouraged/gently pressuring  us to get some coconut juice he was selling--but not all of us had Vietnamese dong (currency) yet.  

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We had thought we were going to the museum below but after a bit of confusion, walked through the lovely 30-acre park to the Presidential palace below. (Yes, it was warm and humid!)

 This site was first the home of the French Colonial Governors General, completed in 1871.
It was renamed Independence Palace in 1954 when it became the residence of the first President (Diem) of the Sai Gon Republic following the 1954 Geneva Accords.  It also is called Reunification Palace.

After a bomb attack in 1962, President Diem commissioned a new structure to be built on the site.  It took four years to complete, including a 6-month suspension  when the president was assassinated in 1963. 

The palace has 95 rooms and is over 200,000 square feet in total area.  It has modern touches but also ancient Vietnamese.architectural design.

 The president who replaced him in 1967 lived in the palace until his abdication on April 21, 1975.  Nine days later the liberation forces entered the building and the war officially ended.

The building was declared a national site in 1976 and was opened to the public in 1990.

Below is the heliport on the 2nd or third floor  in the palace.

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In addition to the furnished rooms used for many official purposes,many photos of historic moments hung on the walls.    Below  is one of  a Vietnamese general receiving the future US president on April 15, 1967.

 Thanks to Haia for some of these pictures.

On our way back to our hotel, we passed a huge banyan tree.  These pictures were panoramic views so you can only imagine how tall it actually was.

The streets were clean and well-decorated.

Entrepreneurs working on the street!  Shoe repair I think.

Window shopping

After walking, Uma and I went to a small  local food court next to our hotel and shared a special Vietnamese coffee.   It was delicious.  The base of the tables were made of old sewing machine stands and the old sewing machines were behind a case at the entrance.

 

It was the week before Thanksgiving, and many stores advertised Black Friday sales.  Outside one was a beautiful "Merry Christmas" art work of sorts too.  Saigon is definitely a hopping, commercial city.

We stopped in a 7-11 (yep!), and perused the local snacks.  I wish we had some of those choices here--all kinds of dried fruit, and veggies with seasonings.




In the afternoon, our group went on a city tour with our guide, Khanh.

Our first stop was the Saigon central post office, built from 1886 to 1891 during the French  rule.  The Cathedral of Notre Dame was across the street, built by the French in 1877.   The Chinese, French and Vietnamese each wanted the site for their own religion.  They drew sticks and the shortest one won so the French built The cathedral , which was made of marble from Europe..

The Cathedral

Below is the Post office:

 A beautiful ceiling with a picture of Ho Chi Minh on the far wall

An old map of  the region (Indochina)  from 1936.  There was also a map of Saigon on the opposite wall from !897.

We met an 89-year-old man who worked for the post office for many years.  He continues as a volunteer, writing letters for family members overseas  of locals residents.  He never asks for money and is happy helping.   Some people give him "gifts."  After the Vietnamese civil war when schooling had been disrupted, many people could not read,  or write in the new alphabet.  Now 87% are literate. 

The mail system works well but is a bit different from ours.  When mail goes to villages, it goes to the town leader who then delivers it to the local citizens on motorbike. 

Our next stop was the Manh Phuong Lacquer Workshops.  We saw amazing work with lacquer, mother of pearl, duck egg shells, and much more.    I read just now on Trip Advisor that it is a tourist trap and to  bargain at least  35% down.  But that there is a free tour and it is definitely worth it.

These bowls were stunning. The picture does not do it justice.

Truly awesome

This took my breath away

Furniture was super-expensive but gorgeous.

After the stop, we went to the Ben Thanh Central Market.  It was huge and fascinating.

Lots of aisles like this

Uma looked all over for a special coffee maker and finally found one.  She is wearing a new skirt from our travels.

 These pop up cards were gorgeous and some quite ornate. They were sold on the streets too for between $1-$2.  I first saw them at the Amtrak station in Boston for $10 each!

At 6:30 we had a welcome meeting and learned unique things about our fellow travelers and more about the next eight days together. Then we went out to a group dinner with a fixed menu  at Viet Village Restaurant.   Most people on Trip Advisor rated it very clean with average food.

Later several  of our group of 8 walked to see the night lights and then went back to the  nearby mall and bought these cute hats!

Julie and Haia

Ho Chi Minh statue

At the welcome meeting, we learned more about Khanh.  He was born in 1985 and has a son age 8 and a daughter age 4.  He studied for 5 years at a university for tourism (WOW) and has worked for Gate 1 for five years.  Prior to that, he worked for a Dutch company and took trips for 27 days.  He changed companies so that he could be home more.  He lives in a village near the Hanoi airport, very close to his parents and in-laws.  They help with the children, especially when he is away for work like now.

We asked about schools.  He told us education is compulsory in Vietnam from ages six to fifteen.  92% go to high school too though it is not compulsory.  Primary is for ages 6-11 and is free.  School starts at 7:30 a.m.

Secondary is for ages 12-15 and costs $40 per month to go to a government school with 45-50 in a class.

The private international school is very expensive, at least $500 a month.At that school, English is taught from age 3 and all classes are in English.

55% of children  go to university.  There are lots of universities, especially in Saigon.  University is free for low income students.  The village leader knows who is poor and helps them.  Classes in universities for teacher training, doctors and the army are all free.  What a novel idea!

Children now have a much better life than when he was in school  He started English in high school but just studied via the grammar/translation method.  He improved his English when he had a Canadian teacher in university and also by working as a waiter and volunteering at a museum with lots of international visitors.  

Rich families often send their children overseas for an education.  Now there are 75,000 in the U.S. but visas are hard to get for there.  As a result, other study in Australia, Singapore, and Switzerland.   The average income in big cities is $1,000 a month and in the countryside about $300 a month.

We headed to bed as our morning wake up call would be at 6:30 for our flight to Da Nang in  the center of the country.

More to come eventually!





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