Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam

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Good Morning Vietnam

Well after a long bus ride from Cambodia we finally arrived at Ho Chi Minh City. I had completely no idea of what to expect, a famous city deep in history and the previous captial of South Vietnam.

We arrived very late in the evening and decided to do the sensible thing, go straight out on the town and sample the local brew.... more than a couple later we stumbled into a night club with the ironic name of "Apocalypse Now" Hmmm the club wasn't the best but it was a good introduction to the way of life here. Madness. Its evident for all to see, especially on the roads with a bustling population of 8 million and 3 million mopeds it seems there's a road accident always waiting to happen! And yes we saw a fair few! No serious injuries though.

I think the city itself has little to offer for a tourist/back packer, in my humble opinion it lacks any character or major sights. Arguably the main attractions are the French Cathederal and The Reunification Building both of which were disapointing. However, there are many trips in the sourrounding areas well worth visiting like the Mekong delta and Cu Chi tunnels.

Maybe our disappointing Ho Chi Minh experiance was partly affected by our illnesses...Tony still had ear problems and I was sufferring with cold/flu/malaria (probably the first) so we could not leave the room for a couple of days. However with good air-con and 2 good movie channels, Star Movies & CineMax, it wasn't so bad. Highlights were two old De Niro films I'd never seen - 'We're No Angels' also staring 'Sean Penn' "possibly the greatest actor of his generation" and 'Mad Dog and Glory'.

Next stop - a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta...

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Photos

Ho Chi Minh City Cathedral
Prestwich was very envious!

The Reunification Building..
..in all its glory and 'no' we weren't allowed pass the gates.

Tony's Saigon Beer Advert Audition
A slight improvement I guess...