Saigon

We arrived late in Saigon, around dinner time and headed out for some south Vietnamese food. Saigon is very different from Hanoi; wider streets, more lights, larger stores - all in all it felt much more like a western city than anywhere we had been in awhile. The traffic is ridiculous! Motorbikes fly all over the road and treat traffic signals as suggestions. To cross the street you just go, and assume they won't hit you! It was terrifying!!

The next morning we headed out for our tour of Saigon (according to the locals, Saigon and Ho Chi Minh city are OK to use). We started at the History museum where we traced Vietnamese history from ancient civilization to the 20th century. There was definite mention of defeating the "US invaders" and unifying the country in the last room which picqued our interest for the remainder of the day. Next, we visited the Reunification Palace, named after N and S Vietnam reunified. Before that is was the royal palace and the main base of operation in Saigon during the Vietnam war (called the American war in Vietnam). It was amazing to see the underground bunkers, rooms with huge maps pinpointing the locations of all the Viet Cong strong holds and rows of old fashion telephones that were the "hotlines" for top officials to call Washington D.C. Everything was slightly more fascinating since it involved our history, as well as Vietnams.

Next, we headed to lunch at a delicious local restaurant, Quan An Ngon, where our guide ordered us excellent Saigon fare. After lunch we relaxed with a massage at L'Apothequaire spa. It was Eddie's first massage and the entire spa was pink!!

After lunch we went to the War Remnants museum. This museum is focused on the Vietnam war, from the North Vietnamese side. It was interesting to learn a little more history about the war although sad to see the atrocities that were a part of it. After the museum we saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, fashioned after the one in Paris when Vietnam was part of France. We also visited the Old Post office, which still functions and is beautifully designed in French architecture. Finally, we ended at the Ben Thanh market were we practiced our bargining skills!

That night we met with Eddie's friend and former JET teacher, Holly, and the 4 of us headed out for dinner at a local bbq restaurant recommended by our guide. Later we tried out "Lush" the nightclub recommended by our guide. It was quite trendy and we enjoyed the Saigon nightlife until the early morning hours when we rushed home to grab a few hours of sleep before our 8am flight to Siem Reap Cambodia the next morning!