Our 16th floor hotel room had a magnificent view of the river, and the rising sun shone directly at our window every morning. At dawn we would feel the temperature rise as our room’s AC struggled to keep up with the hot Vietnam sun.Every night a giant jumbotron-type screen across the river showed messages about Tet and ads for beer. The park across the street was full of families every night celebrating the holiday.The boulevard in front of our hotel would get jammed with motorbikes every evening, to the point that they would overflow onto the sidewalk. It seemed like the busiest street in all of Saigon.Our hotel had a great rooftop pool.It was a nice break from the heat.
The Independence Palace is the former residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam (aka South Vietnam, the regime backed by the United States in the 1960s and 70s), and the site of the “Fall of Saigon” and the end of the Vietnam War. It has since been converted into a museum and is a symbol of victory and independence for Vietnam.
The wide driveway is lined with Vietnamese flags.Inside, each of the palace’s grand rooms is preserved in the style in which it was decorated in the 70s. There are rooms for entertaining official state guests and for meetings of the cabinet.The basement of the palace contains a bunker and communications center for the president and his staff. This was the most interesting part of the building!The old US-supplied communication equipment has all been preserved.The president’s Mercedes Benz W110 is there too.A replica of the North Vietnamese tank that crashed through the palace gates, marking the end of the Vietnam War.The nearby War Remnants Museum features a variety of captured US military vehicles, including this Chinook helicopter.The gift shop sold these decidedly unique snow globes, for the revolutionary in your life who has everything.
Ho Chi Minh City Hall is an impressive building at the end of Nguyễn Huệ street - the main promenade for Tet celebrations which we walked up and down several times during our stay.The Notre Dame Cathedral was under construction.Saigon Central Post Office, one of Saigon’s most famous buildings.It is still a functioning post office, but more space is taken up by gift shops.Old architecture and maps are cool!The big guy himself!Saigon’s famous apartment cafes.Bến Thành Market is one of the earliest surviving structures in Ho Chi Minh City. It is always busy, selling everything from fruit to souvenirs, with a special emphasis on knockoff brand goods. The “sticker price” is always super inflated and intense haggling is required.Showing off some of our market purchases.Backseat selfie - we caught taxies everywhere! Like Indonesia, Vietnam driving is pure chaos.We attended a water puppet show.The puppeteers are behind a screen and the entire show takes place in a pool of water, with live music and singing!It was tons of fun, the puppeteers were incredible. Expectations exceeded!Ella bought a silk outfit and purse at the market.Delicious fresh food was everywhere! We used Happy Cow to find vegan restaurants. It added a bit of extra adventure to dining out, and it meant that we always found unusual and unique places to eat! The cheese on this baguette was made from cashews!We went to a yoga class in District 2. Despite being in the middle of the city, the path to the yoga studio was garden-like and it felt like we were in the country.Our yoga class was delightful but physically demanding! We were happy to find an instructor who taught bilingual classes. It was a fun highlight of our Saigon visit.We attended a show at the Saigon Opera House.The A O Show is a Cirque-du-Soleil-like show with a Vietnamese spin. Performers use dance and acrobatics to tell the story of an agrarian people who must adapt to urbanization.It was a fantastic and memorable show. No photos allowed, but we left deeply inspired by the talented and enthusiastic performers and musicians.
On our last day, we caught a cab to a huge mall called Gigamall SenseCity to see a special exhibition of the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh. Vietnam felt very far from Paris, but we appreciated the juxtaposition.
Sunflowers!Clouds!Wheat fields!720-degree immersive video! Finley Van Gogh montage incoming…
Vietnam was our bridge from Indonesia to Japan. It was an action-packed week - we were very lucky to have seen the city at its most festive. We’ll miss the bright colors and lively and friendly people. Just a few more memories to close things out.
Cleaning up in style - purple outfit, conical hat, grass broom, check!Fresh coconut guy charges tourists way too much, but the sweet sweet cold coconut water is so good we don’t care!Saigon street supermarket. In this city, everything happens on the street.
We sped to Tan Son Nhat Airport for our six hour flight to Japan, looking forward to some chill Kyoto vibes after an intense week!
