Celebrating Lunar New Year amongst Saigon's rich History !!

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Day 152 (Wed 6^thFeb)



I got the bus to Saigon at 8am. It got me there around 2pm and dropped me 1 street from my hostel which was perfect. I walked through a little park with my gear and headed straight in, paid and got sorted. My friend Amy who I’d also travelled with in Laos had booked in yesterday so I sent her a message and we met up for a quick wander around town. We didn’t go too far then headed back to the hostel where I had a kip.

In the evening we went 2 blocks away to where the main backpacker area and drinking spots are. We got tea at a small road side cafe thing. These are very popular here and I love it. We just sat there, had some food, a beer and watched the mental traffic pass by. After this we decided it wasn’t a heavy one and both retired to our rooms for the evening. We have a good plan ready for tomorrow including the War Museum which I can’t wait for.



Day 153 (Thurs 7^th Feb)



I met Amy in the foyer around half 9 and we headed out. Museums and general tourist sites in Vietnam have random opening hours generally including 2 hours for lunch, from like 11 to 1 or half 1 so we decided the War Remnants Museum (I believe previously called American War Crimes Museum) to the afternoon. We headed east anyways towards some sights to see. We had a look at the Revolution Museum building, the Opera House, the market, Notre Dame and the Post Office. The post office sounds an odd one but it’s an impressive building both inside and out.

We then wandered towards the museum and via the Reunification Palace, named after the 1975 reunification of North and South Vietnam (that’s the lesson for this posting). It’s not that impressive a building, it looks more like a government office and isn’t as nice as I’d hoped. You could pay to head into the grounds but we were hungry so went to find food instead. Got some Pho Bo which I didn’t enjoy the first time I had but tried again and it was superb, and cheap.

We then headed into the Museum. The next 3 hours of my life had the be the most moving and saddest time so far of my travels. The museum is filled with many many exhibits from the American War.

The first floor has a tribute to the children during the war, showing how the kids lived whilst the war was on. The kids were very resilient, still attending schools in underground bunkers and playing games and having fun as often as they could. This was by far the easiest of the exhibitions. There was also one showing protests all over the world to the war.

The first floor got far deeper into it the war. There were exhibits on Agent Orange and the chemical attacks, showing what happened at the time as well as how it has affected future generations. There are lots of pictures of unfortunate people who have grown with disabilities and deformities. It really is upsetting to see. This is one of those places that will never leave the memory. Outside it there are all sorts of shot captured American planes/tanks etc. There is also a display showing Can Do prison which is an island east of Saigon. Called the tiger cages it showed how prisoners were kept. They were crammed in the smallest places. 5 people would be in a barbed wire coffin sized area for example and expected to spend most their days whilst captured. It was pretty gruesome and the prison was slightly reminiscent on Hoa Lo in Hanoi but the cages were horrendous.

There is also a section showing the war from the Media’s point of view, but with a twist. All the pictures on display are those of photographers also killed during the conflict. These are the guys who risked their lives and got closest to the action and in the case of most killed in action. 4 of them also died in a helicopter crash. It certainly made me more appreciate what I have and where I grew up.

In the evening myself and Amy met Matt, a lad I was in Ha Long Bay with. We grabbed a hot pot sea food dinner which was very nice, not as good as the one in Ha Long Bay we had but still decent. From here we headed to Bui Vien street, the backpacker area and had some street drinks on kiddies furniture. I love sitting in the street drinking and watching life. We ended up there until around 3am and it was good to see Matt again. We ended quite drunk and were certainly finished for the night. Got some street food as I was starving then headed home



Day 154 (Fri 8^th Feb)



In the morning we again met Matt as he was leaving town in the afternoon, so we got breakfast then headed to the market for a look around. I didn’t have too much of a hangover but it certainly grew on me during the afternoon. Matt headed to his guesthouse to check out, Amy stayed in the market shopping so I headed to the hostel to bed for a couple hours. After this I headed to the post office to send a tax form home.

I re-met Amy at tea time and headed to a market in the middle of the park near our hostel. I ended up with a medley of skewered beef, pork, fish balls and quail eggs. There were also a couple pastry ish things I tried which I did not like.

We then wandered about and did some traffic watching. This may sound a mental thing to do but in Vietnam it’s so entertaining it’s unreal. We must have watched for a good half hour taking some good footage in the process. Where we were watching the traffic rehearsals for the Tet performance the following night. The town is heating up nicely and myself and Amy are really looking forward to tomorrow night celebrating the Lunar New Year.



Day 155 (Sat 9^th Feb)



We had an early start with a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels. This went the same way as every tour. The way there taking ages and stopping off at a shop or 2 on the way. This can get quite annoying but you have to learn to accept that after a while as it always happens.

We got to the tunnels late morning and were shown around by our guide. The place was rammed. We figured with it being Tet it might have been quiet, but it was possibly the busiest day of the year, it was mentally busy which made me miss out on a few explanations of things, but the tunnels where the VC hid themselves were impressive. They have been widened for us westerners to fit through but they are still incredibly tight and amazingly warm. I was down there for maybe 1-2 minutes and walked a mere 50 metres but I was so hot it was untrue. We all came out with red faces and sweating like crazy. Luckily a tap was nearby to cool off

The afternoon was spent relaxing after lunch before heading out in the evening to meet Tammy and Jo. I have seen these 2 girls in Chiang Mai, Pai, Luang Prabang and Hanoi before here and it’s been a pleasure every time. We grabbed some food in universal bar before heading towards the stage to see what was going on. There was a stage show as we suspected but it strangely finished at half 10. I was expecting it to carry on into the New Year but I found out it finished early so everyone could go to the river to watch the fireworks. This was not our plan as we headed back to Bui Vien street to drink some more and watch sport on the tv. We met 2 girls from our Cu Chi tunnel tour at the show and they joined us. They were Canadian and called Carli and Meghan. Between us we drank an awful lot. I made it home around half 3. I was the last survivor from what I remember. I did also get removed from a couple of places. I was going down the road, buying beer from the cheap street bars, getting a plastic glass and going back into the more lively places. This was spotted and the Vietnamese police threw me out. I knew I was in the wrong and made nothing of it therefore no issues. It finished off what was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a great way to spend Lunar New Year. Chuc Mung Nam Moi !!



Day 156 (Sun 10^th Feb)



I woke up around 1pm. I felt a little wobbly but after a drink of water and a shower felt totally fine. Not sure if it had anything to do with the beer, neat vodka, tequila or whatever else we drank but I was hangover free. I could have also been still half cut which may have explained it better. Amy had checked out but was still about so we got some lunch and then dossed about for the afternoon in the hostel.

In the evening I headed back out to meet Tammy, Jo and Carli for a pizza hut. We all felt we needed something stodgy for tea. After tea we went our separate ways. I headed back to the hostel to say bye to Amy who was headed off north. After this I went back out to the beer street, had a couple beers and headed into Universal bar to meet James, a lad cycling around the world who I met in Hoi An. I thought my trip was hard work planning and doing it but as least I am getting someone to take me from A to B, he is cycling in some mental temperatures in all sorts of countries, most impressively I think Iran. We had a couple beers whilst watching the 6 nations and the football. James headed home and I went back soon after. I have loved my time in Saigon and I am a little sad to be leaving tomorrow. If I wasn’t heading off to a Vietnamese island to scuba dive I would have stayed for another couple days for sure. It’s cheap, it’s full of history and culture. It’s simply a brilliant city, and in total contrast to Hanoi. Saigon is far taller, with better roads, cleaner but as they are so different not comparable. I have loved both Hanoi and Saigon and you could definitely just see these 2 Vietnamese places if you were short on time. I highly recommend both as they show of real Vietnam, I wouldn’t say all the places in between do.



Next – Diving Phu Quoc and moving on into Cambodia

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Comments

[Helen Dickinson]

Girls
Hi Dan, I'm really enjoying keeping up with your travels, you describe everything so well and the photos are great. Funny how there seems to be many more girls on the same route as you than fellas! Missing you but looking forward to the next installment. Helen xx

[Zico1878]

Haha, what can i say. girls are easier to get on with and are more photogenic :) xx