Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, it seems to be cool to call it Saigon) is a proper city. Much more frenetic and furtive than its Cambodian counterpart, and with almost enough neon fluorescence to rival Hong Kong (almost!). The French influence is more patent here too – pretty little art-deco apartments are stacked in narrow towers along wide boulevards, each one different from the next. Large Western-style electrical and clothes stores share shop space with Eastern-style markets, and each road is connected by networks of narrow criss-crossing alleyways.
We saw the Reunification Palace, the gates of which were smashed by the victorious North Vietnam army to signal the end of the war. We also visited the War Remnants Museum which gave us a good documentary history of the war along with horrific photographic and anecdotal evidence of the barbarities carried out by the Americans: the slaughter of innocent babies, women and children and the use of a devastating chemical called Agent Orange, the effects of which are still being felt in Vietnam today, being the main ones. Granted, they completely omitted any corresponding wrongdoings on the part of the North Vietnam army and the Viet Cong, but still inexcusable behaviour from a ‘civilised’ nation.
11 pence beer!
The number of scooters (known locally as motos) in Saigon is just phenomenal. Hordes of them buzz round the city like relentless swarms of angry wasps. The only rule they seem to follow is that they must honk their horn continuously, all others are ignored; traffic lights are optional as is which side of the road to drive on. In fact, even being on the road itself is optional – the pavements are just as dangerous!
After a few great days in this magnificent city we took the sleeper bus to Nha Trang…
