Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon To The Locals)

Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochin-china and later of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955 - 1975.  Saigon fell when it was captured by the communists on April 30, 1975 (remember the famous photo of the helicopter on the roof of the American Embassy).  Below, the American Consulate, new building but located at the same spot as the famous Embassy.

The fall of Saigon ended the war with a Communist victory.  Vietnam was then turned into a communist state with the South overtaken.  In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Dinh Province and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City, although the name Saigon is still commonly used.  In the city center, the French influence is still obvious in well-preserved buildings, each having its tribute to Uncle Ho.

  The historic Post Office Building, designed by Eiffel, is still the main Post Office:

And it's common practice for newlyweds to have their photograph taken at the Post Office:

Today, the metropolitan area is populated by more than 9 million people, and is expected to grow to 13.9 million by 2025.  Our guide tells us that there's one scooter for every two people in Vietnam...that's 4.5 million or so in the city.

The city is busy, the air is polluted, and everyone has a small business selling food or souvenirs or coffee or fixing scooters.  The family business is run out of the main floor of their house and normally extends right out to the street.  Most places, you cannot walk on the sidewalk.

We visited the Reunification Palace, also called The Barracks.

In an emergency, the president could live there in the bunker.  Here's his bunker office:

The formal reception room is somewhat more plush (note Uncle Ho at the head of the room):

Water puppets are a Vietnamese tradition, so we were treated to a show:

Then we visited the Sea Goddess Temple.  Note the dragon detail on the roof!

We paid a quick visit to the market in Chinatown.  Sorry, no pix of that.  It was the most crowded market we've ever seen.  Crowded with stuff for sale more than people, though.  As well as the usual market offerings of clothing, sunglasses, pots and pans, etc., there were some really strange things for sale.  A lot of natural healing stuff and foods that no one but grandma knows how to cook.  Guess what?  They really do make bird's nest soup, and it's made from swallow's nests.  The darker ones are apparently more rare and have more healing qualities.  Good to know.

Upon departure, we took a very long sail down the Song SaiGon (the Saigon River) to reach the sea, it took about three hours.  Notice the cement-looking buildings on shore in this river photo.  Those buildings are built specifically to provide nesting areas for the swallows.  Bird's nests are big business here.

Finally, sunset over Song SaiGon: