Good Night Vietnam

---

After 3 short days we're leaving the amazing city that is Saigon, leaving Vietnam for that matter. After completing our open bus tour from Hanoi to Saigon it's time to say goodbye. We're just over half way done with our trip and it's time to move on. The open bus tour was a good choice for us, it was easy to book onward trips from each city and the buses left at the same time everyday making it easy to plan ahead. The only negative thing about it was when we booked our tickets from the travel agency in Hanoi we left the city on a very nice and new sleeper bus with a bathroom and the travel agent promised us we would be on the same type of bus all the way to Saigon. This we found out soon enough was not quite true; all the buses after Hanoi were much older, rickety, the bathrooms disgusting or out of order and worst of all full of bugs. But overall it was much easier than trying to book city buses from place to place where they like to charge foreigners extra. We've also noticed the best seats are reserved for Vietnamese, but it's not as if we're in a position to raise a fuss about that.

When Joel and I got into town we were pleasantly surprised that the bus dropped us off at the same exact hotel we stayed at last year in Saigon, the Spring Hotel, which we loved. We asked for the same room we had a year before and were happy that it was available. We got the room for $8 a night just like last year too; we haven't paid more than $12 for a room since we started our trip. We even recognized the same receptionist as last year who was very pregnant last time we saw her and she was happy to see us again, she said she recognized Joel because of his tattooed wedding ring. She said her baby boy is 10 months old now and full of energy.

Saigon is truly an amazing city, it's bustling and beautiful, and we actually enjoy the chaos. It's our favorite city in Vietnam although Nha Trang runs a close second with its beautiful white sandy beaches to the east and the majestic Central Highlands to the west. We don't feel too bad spending just 3 days in Saigon since we spent 2 weeks here this time last year and saw just about everything there is to see from floating the Mekong Delta, exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels, to visiting the many museums the city has to offer. To anyone wanting to visit Saigon you need at least 5-7 days to take it all in, even more to really savor the experience. I think Joel and I just really like big cities, the bustle of Saigon appeals to us so much. Other travelers we've encountered and other friends from the states who have visited Vietnam all say Hanoi is their favorite city and we're both perplexed by this. Hanoi is old and grimy and a bit stuck in time where Saigon is on the move and really booming. But maybe that's why some people prefer Hanoi with its population of 6.5 million over Saigon with over 9 million people; Hanoi is a slice of Vietnam as it was where Saigon is rapidly booming and changing with the times.

It's interesting that the north and south still have their divide. Each has their own stereotypes about the other, such as northerners think they are more refined and cultured but southerners think they are more free and dynamic and less conservative. We've only heard one local express any type of discontent with Vietnam as it stands today, that was last year when one of our tour guides took us through the Cu Chi Tunnels and observed that after the Americans pulled out of the war the southern people knew the war was over because they couldn't stand a chance of winning without American aid and he spoke of how sad and distraught people were at that time. Most people dare not speak out about the government as it is today, and while people are very welcoming of American's and other foreigners people will never speak ill of the current political course, at least not to us. The country is littered with propaganda posters and communist symbols on every street and museums placards speak about the war in a very different light than what we learn in our history books. Of course for them it was a success and Vietnam was made whole again. Many Vietnam Vets are coming back to the country to visit the place where they once fought years ago and we can't help but wonder what goes through their minds after seeing a place that surely held a lot of fear and trauma for them. But Vietnam is really an excellent place to visit, I highly encourage anyone and everyone who has ties to the country or no ties at all to see this magnificent place of exotic beauty and charm. Just come with a sense of humor and prepare to have your plans go awry more often than not.

This time the only place we visited was the Reunification Palace which somehow we missed on our travels last year. The Palace is a very important piece of history because this is where the President of South Vietnam resided and conducted his business during the Vietnam War. The Palace was stormed by Northern army tanks on April 30th, 1975 and that day is known as the Fall of Saigon. A year later the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but nobody really calls it that except in government buildings and official documents. We took a tour of the building which looks very much like it did on that historical day. You aren't allowed to actually enter the rooms, but you can take pictures and look around from the many doors and entry points of each room. The basement is actually a bomb shelter with walls over a meter thick and the President's room had a door that led directly to the basement in case of an emergency. But it didn't do him much good since he was assassinated anyway. Downstairs the rooms are full of maps where soldiers and political leaders came up with war strategies and it's quite a sight. I can picture it 30 years ago buzzing with energy like something out of a movie. For anyone looking for a good read about Vietnam you should check out "The Lotus Eaters", this book is one of my top 5 favorite. It's a work of fiction but the author, Tatjana Soli, does an amazing job describing Vietnam's exotic scenery and way of life. It's about a photojournalist covering the war in the 60's. I came across it after I saw it on the New York Times top 100 books of 2010 and Joel mentioned he heard an interview with the author on NPR.

We also revisited the famous Ben Thanh Market, a hub of activity and a must see for anyone visiting the city, it's hard to miss since its smack dab in the center of town. You can buy just about anything you need and lots of things you don't need but just want to have. Last year the first time we came here it was incredibly busy with merchants literally grabbing hold of our arms and yanking us into their tiny shops and it was so overwhelming we ran out of there gasping for breath. This time we were much more prepared and it was also a much slower day and the merchants not quite as aggressive as we remember. We loaded up on lots of souvenirs, we even got an infamous panel painting decorated with egg shells that Saigon is so well known for. Before too long we'll have to buy an extra suitcase to lug around all our goodies.

But now we've scooted off to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a mere 6 hour bus ride from Saigon. We were issued our visas at the border for $25 each. Vietnam and China are the only Asian countries where you must have your visa before you enter the country. In Vietnam you have to present your passport to the hotel with valid entry and exit dates and then they fill out the necessary paperwork and submit it to the police on a daily basis. If you come to Vietnam and stay with friends or family then you must go the local police station yourself to fill out the paperwork. They don't mess around with knowing exactly who enters the country and where they stay and encountering the police is not something we're eager to do. SE Asia is well known for the corruption that runs rampant with the local police. We've seen locals get pulled over for a traffic violation and hand over a wad of cash with their ID to the police to avoid anything more serious. For foreigners in trouble with the police be prepared to depart with a lot of money or else risk going to jail. If locals need to settle a dispute calling the police is the last thing they would consider, most people choose to handle matters on their own. For the most part Vietnam is virtually crime free save for petty theft, prostitution, and illegal drugs; opium was only outlawed about 10 years ago The murder rate is incredibly low and assaults are rare compared to the US. We've felt very safe on our travels and we practice common sense when taking out money and avoiding wearing flashy jewelry for people on motorbikes to snatch off; this is much more common in Saigon than in Hanoi. (Hope this answers your question, Mary).

We're so excited to visit somewhere new, but a new country means learning a new exchange rate and a new language. We feel like we just mastered "thank you" and "excuse me" in Vietnamese! So far after half a day in Cambodia we are pleasantly surprised. A man on our same bus to Phnom Penh who is from Vancouver, Canada shared his stories and experiences of Cambodia since he's lived here for many years. The first thing he shared was that Cambodia's merchants are not nearly as aggressive as the Vietnamese which is a welcome relief because it can quickly get exhausting with people constantly asking you to buy something and when you say no they stick around until you say no 10 more times until finally moving on only to have another vendor do the same thing all over again. We also learned that Cambodia's main agriculture is rice, they get most of their fruits and vegetables from Vietnam and Thailand. We're eager to discover what Khmer food is really like, today for lunch at the border we had rice with an unidentifiable vegetable and fried shrimp which I doubt is the countries specialty.

Although we are very excited about our time in Cambodia we are also extremely cognizant that it will be an emotional time. As the American War (Vietnam War) is in recent memory in Vietnam, a mass genocide of the Cambodian people by the Khmer Rouge is fresh in everyone's mind around the country. The genocide was so great that 50% of Cambodia's population is under the age of 22. Over the next few days we will visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Museum, a school transformed into a prison that had 7 prisoners alive when it was seized by the Vietnam forces. Many of the prisoners were beaten to death to save on the cost of ammunition. Chilling, right?

As always thanks for reading, we appreciate everyone's love and support. Until next time..

---

Photos

Goodbye Vietnam!
On the Vietnam/Cambodian border.

Sleeper Bus on the Open Bus Tour
This was one with lots of bugs, not my favorite.

Saigon
Heart of the city

The Banquet Room
Where the South Vietnamese President met with other important heads of state.

Inside the Ben Thanh Market
The vendors are close enough to each other to make you feel claustrophobic.

Phnom Penh
The view from our hotel room.

Green Mango Salad w/shrimp in Saigon
Our last meal in Vietnam. Very tasty! Don't ask what our second course was. Ok, it was fajitas, but I think we've learned our lesson about ordering Mexican food in Asia.

Reunification Palace
Another room in the palace, the chair at the head of the room is on a raised platform signifying importance.

Army Tank
This was the tank that drove through the gates on April 30th, 1975 effectively creating the Fall of Saigon.

Plane that dropped two bombs on the Reunification Palace
The pilot of this plane is a national hero in Vietnam.

Reunification Palace
I can't lie, we saw a lot of rooms, I don't remember what this one was exactly..

Reunfication Palace
Our tour guide boasted that this was the most beautiful room in the building because of the monstrous painting on the far wall, it was really stunning.

President's Office
At the Reunification Palace

Reunification Palace
Also called Independence Palace

Map Room
This room is full of maps of SE Asia, this different colored phones were direct lines to the US Army, Navy, and Marines.

Movie Cinema
Nothing like escaping in movies while a war is going on.

The Bar
Nothing like a cocktail or 2 while S. Vietnamese thought out their next move.

Comments

[Hotel Nikko Saigon]

You should go to Can Gio
Next year you should try go to Can Gio, it is not far from Ho Chi Minh City. The beach is also great like Vung Tau beach.