Mekong Delta and the Reunification Palace

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We decided to splurge a bit and booked a private one-day tour of the Mekong Delta. Ooh, what an incredible journey! Our guide and driver took us about two hours away to the town of Cai Be where we boarded a small boat for our tour. The Mekong is the major waterway that connects the country and where all of the commerce is conducted between farmers who bring their produce to the floating market (you will have seen plenty of footage of the Mekong if you've seen Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now"). It also extends into Cambodia and Laos. The Vietnamese population of the Mekong is about 17 million and people live and breathe all along the water in everything from rickety leantos, to brand new homes. We had perfect weather as we cruised along and our tour guide Lam (who speaks perfect English) told us stories of the Mekong. We stopped at a coconut candy-making facility where we were treated to tea and candy. Nathan bravely took up Lam's offer of a shot of rice wine which had been marinating in a large jar of snakes, birds and various other creatures. I politely declined but caught it all on video. We had lunch at a beautiful little restored home where we had quite the feast: spring rolls, fresh elephant fish, shrimp, fruit and drinks. We even got to relax a bit in the hammocks thoughtfully provided at the restaurant! But the real draw for me was just being on the water. We cruised for hours through several canals which were nearly covered overhead with the lush green foliage that borders the water. It was so peaceful and calm, such a contrast from the major cities and yet just as important to the economic functioning and well-being of Vietnam. I really wish we had more time to do a 2 or 3 day trip on the Mekong which necessitates staying overnight in small towns or on islands. Alas, my days in Vietnam are coming to an end and sadly, there just isn't time to devote more to exploring the Mekong.

Reunification Palace
It's hard to believe, looking at this grand structure in the middle of the city, that on April 30, 1975 two north Vietnamese tanks crashed through the iron gates claiming victory in what has been called (depending on your point of view, naturally), the fall of Saigon. The tanks are still there. The palace, then the president's residence, is gorgeous in its 1960s architecture and still preserved as it was on that day 30 years ago. We took a guided tour of the palace which included all of the delegate receiving rooms, the living quarters, the ballrooms and dining rooms, the helicopter launch pad, etc. But the best part, without a doubt, is the basement. The basement housed the war rooms where the original wartime maps are still on the walls, still with their markings and pins. The original telephones and radio facilities are still in place and there are hidden bomb shelters around every corner. Wandering through the basement's hollow halls was exceptionally eerie and very still. You could *feel* the history, if that makes sense. It was really fun to explore and we had dinner afterwards at a local Vietnamese restaurant where Nathan got his first introduction to the glory of pho. We called it an early night, as we had to be up at 6:00am for our trip to the Cu Chi tunnels.

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Photos

One of the basement war rooms
All original and preserved from that day in 1975

Comments

[Jen A]

My office doesn't have a hammock... :(