Saigon

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Tet
We left the hotel Saigon Dalat at about 1 and took an amazing journey to the airport, why amazing? Because there was hardly any traffic, we went mainly on a duel carriageway and it was such a good road with flowers in the central reservation and lights above so different to anything else we have been on in Vietnam. Arriving at the airport it seemed shut, upon enquiry we were told that all check-ins were closed until 2.00pm. Ok so it is holiday time. We left on time and arrived in Saigon after a thirty minute flight. A short taxi journey to our hotel and the total journey to Saigon including taxis was 90minutes. Not bad compared to a bus journey that we would have taken that lasted 8hours. Our hotel was 5 star Mariott, very swanky even had hot and cold running water. After a quick shower we made our way through hundreds of bikes, a brilliant light display, streets packed with young and old enjoying the momentto the Barbeque Garden, what a brilliant place! In the middle of this beautiful modern city with loads of other customers cooking/burning their own grub. Pauline felt a lot better after the numbing effects of alcohol and after a lively meal we made our way back to the hotel. The finale of the evening was the firework display celebrating the New Year at midnight over the Saigon river. I was the only pensioner prepared to brave the crowds from our motley crew and it was well worth it. A brilliant display lasting over 20minutes, watched by a huge crowd sitting on their motorbikes.The next day February 10th, we had an early start motoring out towards the outskirts of Saigon to the Cu Chi area which was full of communist sympathisers during the American war; this is the terminology used by the Vietnamese, so its not called the Vietnam war, makes sense. This was New Year's Day and plenty of bikers out on the roads visiting their families. Most of them had their family on the motor bikes, we counted the max of two adults and three kids on one bike, the water buffalo was left at home. The journey took 90 minutes and when we arrived it was really busy. The site was the scene of a major conflict during the war, the local villagers had dug over 200 kilometres of tunnels housing over 2000 fighters hidden below ground. Stacks of booby traps designed to maim and kill the South Vietnamese and American troops which were very effective. I decided to venture down one of the tunnels , these were designed for skinny Viet Minh, only 800cm high and the width of a moped so not too pleasant an experience. Making our way back to Saigon we called into the Unification Palace in the middle of the city which was the scene of the end of the war in 1975 with North Vietnamese tanks bulldozing their way into the Palace and taking ultimate control. After this we visited the War Museum which gave a graphic pictorial account of the build up to the war, the war itself and the aftermath. Revealing but also depressing. We walked back to the hotel after visiting briefly the Notre Damme cathedral, and the post office, both very impressive pieces of French architecture. The atmosphere was like a carnival with plenty of people about enjoying the Spring sun shine and festivities taking place. Finally we visited another hospital for a second opinion on Pauline's shoulder, not good news, a fracture to the shoulder and humerus and another medical diagnosis required in two days before we decide what to do. She has been in considerable pain and has not complained, I am proud of her.

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Photos

Tunnel
This is a reconstruction

Tank from war
Not nice to have one of these outside your home