Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam - March 4th

My immediate thoughts as we were having breakfast at the back of the ship and heading towards our port at Phu My traveled back in time and captured two memories:  (1) how very poorly our military were treated when they returned home from Vietnam after spending months/years in this horrific hell hole and (2) Hanoi Jane (Fonda) and my continued hatred (yes, hatred) for this despicable creature. 

Ann, an Army nurse back then, and an acquaintance onboard, expressed her reluctance to even get off the ship at first but eventually did.  Her concerns were for the ordinary folks who lived through the war and how they’ve survived over the decades.  An excursion brought her to a home of an old “mama san” as she called her.   Ann felt okay after her visit but it was still hard for her and her husband who also served in the military.

From 1698 to 1975, the city was called Saigon.  Following the fall in 1975, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but the citizens of HCM City are called “Saigonites.”

We opted, once again, for an excursion which included a visit to a lacquer factory, the Central Market/Ben Thahn Market and Dong Khoi Street, a vibrant area and one of the city’s busiest streets, with lots and lots of stores.

Our guide, Steven, was very good and he spoke in, what I believe is, the third person.  “Steven was asked the following question….” rather than “I was asked the following question….”  

Before our arrival, we had spoken to two other acquaintances, Laurie and Tre, and Tre, who was born in Vietnam, told us the American dollar is widely accepted and you can buy almost anything for “a dollar.”  He was absolutely right.  VN’s currency is the Vietnamese Dong (VND) and $1.00 US equals 20,000 VND.  $25.00 US equals 500,000 VND.  Can you imagine what it would be like to do grocery shopping with these numbers?  

HCM City is a tropical climate which means it is always hot and humid.  It has two seasons – the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to December.  Average temperature throughout the year is 80° with an average humidity of 75%.

VN’s #1 export is pepper, of all things, and VN is the second largest exporter of coffee in the world.  It is also a major rice exporter and 70% of its people work in rice paddies.  

The country is made up of 70% Buddhists, 15% Christians, 5% Catholics and 2% Caodaists (which I’d never heard of) and combines a belief in Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Confucian and Hinduism. 

Unfortunately, it is a Communist country and corruption is rampant in VN as it is in most Asian countries, according to Steven.   Total population in VN is 93 million with 10 million living in HCM City;  one of the most amazing scenes is the number of scooters that are on the streets – 5 million in HCM City alone and a total of 42 million throughout the country.  Although helmets are mandatory, we saw many people without them and there doesn’t appear to be any restrictions on the number of passengers that can be on one scooter – we saw up to 4 people on one scooter as well as lots of stuff being carried on these two-wheeled vehicles.  I saw one scooter with at least 7 huge birdcages in the back (I couldn’t tell whether they contained any birds) and others carrying lots of heavy loads.  As a tourist, you can get around the city in a “pedi-cab,” a small pedal-operated vehicle or a “cyclo,” a 3-wheeled bicycle with a large passenger seat in the front.  

Our first stop was to the Minh Phuong Lacquer Factory where we were given a brief demonstration of the lacquering process.  We had some time to shop and we bought a few boxes and trays that are gorgeous.  There are actually “knockoffs” from China in the Central Market that aren’t anywhere as nice as the ones found at the factory. 

Because so many of the workers at the factory are educated and speak English, they are highly paid - $10.00 per day or $300 per month.  Yes, I kid you not.  

We were then taken to the area of the French Colonial Post Office (built between 1886 and 1891 by renowned architect Gustave Eiffel) and Notre Dame Cathedral (completed in 1890 and boasts two 190-foot tall bell towers with an obviously French influence).  In this area, we saw couples dressed in wedding attire taking photographs.  We saw this in Hong Kong and, although I personally didn’t think the locales were all that beautiful for wedding photos, this is definitely something young people do here in Asia.  The brides and grooms are exquisitely dressed in all their finery and you can only look at their happy faces and wish them all the best and brightest futures. 

(Michael always sneaks in a photo or two while the young couples are looking in a different direction – we weren’t told whether it’s appropriate to takes photos of the brides and grooms-to-be.)  Also at the corner of this area was a Dunkin’ Donuts. 

We were shown the CIA Building where the last helicopter left Saigon in 1975.  It’s completely run down and empty at this point but still stands.  We also had an opportunity to take a photo in front of Reunification Hall, the former Presidential palace.  

Onwards, we arrived at the Central Market, also known as the Ben Thanh Market, which contained hundreds of stalls of souvenirs and local cuisine.  The Market sat on one square city block and a total of 16 entrances so you could enter from any of the four streets.  I could’ve gotten a purse that was originally tagged $65.00 for $15.00 but I really didn’t need another purse but it was fun to bargain.  I already had a magnet from VN so I wasn’t in the market for another one.  Some of the sellers were a bit aggressive, but I’m from Brooklyn, so nothing deters me.  (I still contend that the sellers in Dakar, Senegal take the prize for being the most aggressive – even the ones in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul were mere pikers compared to the ones in Dakar.)  

This Market was also known for “knockoffs” and Michael enjoyed talking with “watch sellers” about their “genuine” Rolexes and immediately recognized that there are, indeed, different qualities in the knockoffs as explained to us by our onboard Destination Expert.  I, on the other hand, had to keep walking around because I couldn’t take the overpowering smell of fish being sold nearby. 

We were on our way to our final stop, Dong Khoi Street, the best place to shop in HCM City, but before we continued, Steven suggested we have lunch and recommended a really good restaurant, Lemongrass, which was located on the 14^th floor of the Palace Hotel.  Steven’s favorite item, crispy spring rolls (119,000 VND), didn’t disappoint nor did the fried rice with shrimp, egg and pork (129,000 VND), chicken with vegetables (139,000), tea (45,000 VND) or Diet Coke (45,000 VND) all totaling 550,935 VND including a 5% service charge and 10% tax.  I haven’t checked my bank account but this lunch will cost around $25.00. 

After lunch, we proceeded to the three stores highly recommended by Steven, including “Made in Vietnam” and “Butterfly” and bought some gifts as well as a couple of tops and “elephant” pants.  

We had a 45-minute drive back to the ship, well-fed and bargained out.  Although 75% of VN is covered with mountains and hills, we saw none of that on our way from and to the cruise terminal.  No bucolic scenes along the way.  In my opinion, the city looked nicer than the “suburbs.”  

As a final thought, I just realized with all of our ports in Asia, we have now visited all seven continents.  

Michael’s Observations:   I was particularly impressed by the rhythm of the traffic in Saigon.  It seems like thousands of scooters are zipping by and the “city has a definite rhythm” (as Leona always points out on our travels).  This is a city where I could never drive and survive and, therefore, I was very happy to be on a Princess tour.  

As Leona pointed out, I enjoyed talking with the “watch sellers” and was surprised by their knowledge of genuine watches as they eyed my Mont Blanc GMT Master which was on my wrist and Leona’s Franck Muller while she stood about 10’ away.  They were anxious to sell me a copy of the Mont Blanc but I am proud to say I didn’t buy a thing in Hong Kong or Saigon.  

The one thing I am constantly reminded of in my travels is the worth of our American dollar.  People are anxious to trade their goods for American dollars in almost all of the ports we’ve visited.  Despite our country’s craziness, we’re still the best nation in the world and a lot of folks would be more than happy to be living in the United States.