The City with two names

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Ho Chi Minh City, aka. Saigon. South Vietnam's capital, renamed in 1975 after a tank crashed into the government palace ending the North South War.

We have only had two days and one very late night, but for a city allegedly notorious for crime, prostitution and hassle, we have found it quite the opposite. Our flight left Danang over 1 hour late. We arrived in Saigon somewhere around 1.15 in the morning. Our taxi driver looked delighted to finally have his fare, and took us through the deserted streets, running red lights, weaving the streets to our guesthouse.

After a minimal nights sleep we walked to Reunification Palace, now a tourist attraction. It was here that the S.Vietnamese government resided and the war finally ended after a tank breached the front gates. The building was fairly spartan, apparently an homage to Ho Chi Minh himself, being an idealist and leading the country to reunite as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. On our tour, the guide was a little one-sided and there was a bit of yankee-bashing! Interesting and also alarming to hear someone embrace communism.

The only other thing we had time to see was the War Remnants Museum. I would suggest this is a must for anyone in Saigon, although the horrific brutality documented here in graphic black and white photos is immensely striking and not for the frail minded. Again, this museum made all capitalists, Americans and anyone against Northern Vietnam's regime to be wrong and subjected the viewer only to the crimes committed on the American behalf.

The city is slightly busier than Hanoi, however the streets are wider, and handle the 5million motorcycles slightly better than in the Northern capital Old Quarter. Not far from our guesthouse is a street lined with cafes and tour operators. We have got our bus tickets to Cambodia and leave for Phnom Penh tomorrow morning.

Today we took a tour of the Mekong Delta. The filthy water has already run through China, Thailand and Cambodia before finally meeting the sea in Vietnam. The rain interrupted the day briefly, but luckily we were undercover for the most of it. The guide's English and enthusiasm made the trip easy going, and unlike other trips we have done, all inclusive means everything you do is paid for!

We motored around the water among houses, debris and rubbish and visited two islands. Held a snake, sampled local honey and listened to live music over fruit platters. Someone has to do it!

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