On Thursday, December 2nd, Mel and I set out for a 19 hour overnight flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - via San Francisco and Hong Kong. After clearing customs in Saigon's airport, we were met by at least 1000 well wishers and our tour guide Nguyen Long Le. We could not believe the throngs of family and friends who waited patiently at 10:30 PM in the heat and humidity for loved ones to arrive. Pushing our luggage cart through the crowd, we were grateful to see the bus and finally our hotel. We lost a day enroute so our first day in Vietnam was Saturday, December 3rd. Long, our guide, informed us that he was born in the year of the Dragon (1976) and his name means just that - Dragon. He is college ... read more