A bit of history and art in HCMC

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After a hard couple of weeks back at work (!) we decided to head back into Saigon for a cultural weekend. Traffic was bad again on Friday evening but this time it was because of new toll booths which are less in number than the old ones. Great planning, that!

Anyway, not too much to report but some very nice pictures for you to see. We went to the Revolutionary Museum which is not far from the Reunification Palace. In the gardens there are vintage cars, some old aircraft, a tank and a helicopter. Inside we found alot of interesting exhibits about Vietnamese life, its money and stamps, plus Ho Chi Minh's camera! It is worth a visit once you've done the major museums. The gardens are nice too, and often used for wedding photography.

We also finally made it to the Fine Arts Museum. There are some terrific commnunist-era statues in the garden and a lot of very nice artwork inside this beautiful French colonial building. Round the back are a few independent art studios/galleries with some great stuff to browse and buy.

Aside from that, we had a Valentine's dinner a few days early in Warda restaurant which is a little hard to find as it is in a small alleyway tucked away in the city centre. Their Moroccan/Middle-Eastern food was wonderful and it's the first time we had eaten couscous since we left Tunisia. The Argentine Malbec was fantastic and very cheap compared to other central restaurants. We finished off the evening with a good smoke of sheesha, something we miss from our times in the Arabic world.

So, hope you enjoy the photos. Not much to report but we had a good time!

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