Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City has impressed travellers for centuries. Chris and I both enjoyed our stay here. There was certainly enough to see and do for a few days. We made sure to visit the Reunification Palace which has remained unchanged since the communist tank flattened the gate in 1975, the same day that Saigon surrendered.
Also on our list of must-sees was the War Remnants Museum. Chris and I found this extremely interesting as it gave the perspective of journalists from both sides of the American War of 1965-73. We were both shocked by a lot of the journalistic photos we saw and mostly by the effects of Agent Orange, the bio-chemical gas used by the American army, which still has effects on babies born today. The museum even housed fetuses of aborted babies, deformed or conjoined because of this. Not for the feint-hearted!
I read an exceptional novel to go hand in hand with my visit to the War Remnants Museum which I would recommend to anyone interested in Vietnam’s recent brutal history: The Quiet American by Graham Greene.
In Saigon we also went out a few times with a Canadian couple we had met on our night bus, Geoff and Madeleine who had just spent a year teaching in South Korea. One night we went for a delicious roof-top barbeque which was cooked at our table. One restaurant we highly recommended for anyone visiting Saigon is the splendid Quan An Ngon.
This place is mainly open-air and is home to so many Vietnamese specialities at great prices. The fancy interior made us think this was too posh for us but the prices were right and the food was delicious! It was filled with local Vietnamese and there are chefs bordering the tables who cook their own speciality in front of your eyes. Quote from Christophe, “You just can’t ask for more!’.
Another thing we indulged in in Saigon was a little DVD shopping! Another recommendation for anyone coming here!
Miss Saigon Wedding!
My favourite and perhaps strangest experience in Saigon was a ‘Seeing Hands Massage’. The Vietnamese Traditional Medical Institute employs blind people to perform massages. As soon as I read about this place I knew I had to try it out - not least to help the blind of Saigon earn their financial independence. We walked into the centre which was filled by blind people and were amazed as we were led with precision down the corridors to the massage rooms. It was a great massage and seriously, who says you need to be able to see to perform one?! You don’t need vision to feel for stress-points and massage peoples’ bodies, I say!
Chris also had his mop chopped here in Saigon
after three months of growth!
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