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Saigon

From First stop East Asia in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Apr 21 '07

Kevin & Jo has visited no places in Ho Chi Minh City
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Ho Chi Minh City Traffic.
Ho Chi Minh City Traffic.
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After just finding our feet in Hoi An, we were off to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now called.  We drove an hour to Danang where we flew to Saigon, our tour leader thought we were on a direct flight but we ended up flying via Pleiau are very small dot on the map arriving a little later than planned.  At first sight Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) seems to be populated with a million bandana bedecked women and men bandits on the verge of a giant traffic accident, however it seems to be a very organised chaos.  We dined that evening in the busiest market resturant where they cooked in front of you and yelled and clapped alot, it made for a fun and interesting evening, the night was completed with a drink on top of the famous Rex Hotel which boast an amazing roof top bar/restaurant, the drinks were very expensive and they added a 15% surcharge, not quite backpacker prices.  From there we headed to another famed bar called The Underground, based on London's underground not bad place for a drink or meal.  The following day we visited the famed Cu Chi tunnels which were used in the Vietnam/American war.  The actual tunnels were built over a 25 year period beginning sometime in the late 1940's.  The tunnel in the picture has actually been enlarged for the western tourist, however many still remain exactly as there were for the Vietnamese during the war.  It is quite an airy place as you walk past B52 bomb craters which litter the ground, see pictures of the effects of Agent Orange and army tanks left where they were blown up.  Certainly opens your eyes to past history and makes you appreciate living in NZ.  Later that day we took a cyclo tour of the city, wrapping up our time in Saigon.  Next stop Cambodia.


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