Ho Chi Minh City

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Geo: 10.7679, 106.698

Last night we went to the night market. It is much like those elsewhere with mostly touristy stuff and lots of what appear to be knockoffs.

We missed going to the Reunification Palace a couple of days ago because the President of China was visiting. It was open again today so we headed out on foot.

Along the way we were approached by some young secondary students who were in a gifted class and they were doing street interviews asking people from other countries questions about environmental attitudes. They all seemed to have iPhones and were recording the interviews for editing later. They spoke very good English and all seemed to aspire to attend University.

We passed by the Conservatory of Music before arriving at the Reunification Palace. The current Palace replaces a previous one and the overall appearance is very austere. It definitely had a 60's feel.

The Ben Thanh Market was our next stop after a quick glimpse of the interior of the Cathedral and seeing several wedding pictures being taken in the park. The market was very much like the market in Istanbul. After a short time we were glad to be outside.

The Saigon Skydeck is located in the Bitexco Financial Building. It is located on the 49th floor. Lots of great picture opportunities. One floor up is a restaurant and bar where we had a mid-day beer break.

On our way back to the hotel we did the normal sidewalk obstacle course. There are so many motorbikes and scooters parked on the sidewalk it is difficult to walk and you have to walk on the street looking out for traffic.

It is amazing how people and motorized vehicles are constantly negotiating on the streets. Here you encounter streets 3-4 lanes wide with few designated crosswalks or lights. When you want to cross you just start walking and the cars and motorbikes steer around you. The trick is not to stop once you have started because the drivers see you and calculate the rate you are walking and then they take a path to avoid hitting you. If you stop you then run the risk of being hit.

It is actually amazing how well it works but a bit scary at first. The same thing happens at intersections. It is as if there was an imaginary roundabout with the traffic coming from all directions.

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Comments

[carla waldman]

Boy is beer cheap there. Some very interesting pictures, very picturesque. Looks hot there.Carla

[crw]

There is life after almost total destruction! When you think of all that the people and land have gone thru, especially in the late 60s, your photos reflect an impressive come back. Yet the scars in people and land remain. Unfortunately, hu
mans don't seem to learn much from history as the destructive cycle continues, may be not there, but elsewhere.