Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

 Sunday, May 28, 2023, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

We sailed up the Saigon river from the South China Sea and arrived about 9:30 am at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Most residents still call it Saigon. Bigger ships must dock an hour-and-a-half away, so we were lucky to dock right near the city and avoid the long bus rides during our 2-day stay. 

Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam with over nine million people. The city produces 52% of the economic wealth of Vietnam. We had a tour scheduled, and got off the ship early to explore the dock area which included a ship now permanently moored and used as a floating restaurant, an open air and extremely casual bar, and some good vendors where Charlie bought a shirt. 

Charlie and the vendor holding his new shirt.

Floating restaurant

We had a good tour guide. To hear him talk, it’s a wonder south and north Vietnam were reunited. He said the north & south don’t like each other very much due to cultural and religious differences. In the North they are primarily Buddhist and in the South more Catholic. People in the north are tougher, people in the south friendlier. He had serious admiration for the toughness of the North Vietnamese fighters.

Being a Sunday, the “wet market” was closed and I was relieved about that because of the caged animals awaiting their demise. Our tour started in Ward 11. We walked along some run-down streets and alleyways with peeks into small shrines. We started wondering why we were there. As we went along it got more interesting. We saw many small apartments open to view with families cooking, washing clothes, and selling things to passers by. It was a peek into daily life. There were also businesses run from downstairs while the family rooms were on the second floor.

A small shrine along our walk

A local business—this one a hair salon

Back on the bus, we headed to Ward 14. This was a more commercial area, the sides of the streets were lined with ever present motorcycles. There was also street food and restaurants. We stopped at a coffee shop (called “Coffee Coffee”. I had an excellent Jasmine tea.

Usual traffic - lots of motorcycles

Street food

Our next stop was a good-sized Buddhist temple named Qhua Quan Am. We had the opportunity to have a coil of incense labeled with “Saibel.” We lit it, then a gentleman used a long pole to hang it in the rafters. It was to bring us good luck.

Lighting the incense coil. The pink ribbon at the top had our name

Back on the bus to Ward 1, which contains the flower district. Amazingly large. Charlie disappeared then surprised me with an early birthday sprig of orchids.

We went back to the ship for dinner, changed from our sweaty clothes and left for a cultural show. Two tours in one day- very ambitious of us!  On the top floor of the Majestic Hotel in downtown Saigon, we had a wonderful view of the city. Skilled musicians played traditional instruments. Then dancers appeared, all in silk garb. At one point they enlisted people from the audience to play some of the rhythm instruments and I ended up on stage clicking two teacups together in each hand. It was difficult to do without dropping them, but I managed.  It was a wonderful show and we got back late in the evening. Motorcycle traffic on the way back to the ship was insane! Masses of motorcycles with the occasional car or bus. 

View of a “shark boat” from the restaurant

This guy played a xylophone made of rocks! He used small hammers to produce the sound.

The head dancer instructing me on playing the teacups

Incredible traffic on the way back to the ship.

Monday, May 29, 2023, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam (day 2)

Today, we had another ship tour. Again, the guide called the city Saigon instead of Ho Chi Minh City. We toured the Reunification Palace, where the details for the reunification of Vietnam were hammered out. There was a bunker and tunnels for escape if needed during the war. The equipment in the bunkers was 1970s-era and very basic, lots of maps and communication equipment. Our guide had a somewhat different approach to their history than our guide from the previous day, reflecting the complexity of all the challenges and changes the country went through.

Reunification Palace

One of the rooms in the underground bunker

Outside the palace was the North Vietnamese T-54 Battle Tank which crashed through the palace gates, ending the Vietnam war.

During the tour we stopped at the Norte Dam Church next to the Post Office. We had barely enough time to borrow Vietnamese baht from a shipmate and pay for stamps to mail our postcards. 

Charlie buying stamps in the post office. Another way to interact with locals.

We stopped at the Giac Ian ancient pagoda where we got a peek at some monks eating lunch. 

Worshipful family

Monks eating lunch

Next was the Bing Tay market, a giant local market with everything in the world for sale. We got 2 large bottles of sriracha hot sauce for $1 to spice up the ship food. The vendors broke up a set of six bottles, then would not take the $2 we offered and gave one back to us. They were the nicest vendors you could meet. We bought some excellent cashews somewhere else. At the last location we failed to break the language barrier to buy some candy, even with Google Translate. This market specialized in large quantity items, kind of an open air Costco. Pressed for time, as usual on bus tours, we managed to not get lost in the market and met up with the group just soon enough. 

Us in front of Bing Tay market

Shopping

When Charlie disappears during a tour, I often find him deep in conversation with locals.

We also stopped at a laquerware workshop with high end products for sale. We admired them, then looked around the neighborhood and bought a smoothie at the shop nearby.

Gorgeous laquerware. 

Laquerware artist at work.

Sailing out of Saigon on their giant river, we watched the landscape go by. A huge bridge project was underway, and we sailed very closely by some giant pillars.