Friday, 19 January 2007 - Saigon

Breakfast this morning was next door, out the back in the lane.  They had bacon, which Richard was pretty pleased about, as he doesn't eat eggs and breakfast for him is often just bread and jam/peanut butter.

Headed off on a walking tour to downtown Saigon outlined in The Lonely Planet.  First stop was to check out Saigon Palace Hotel, where we're staying next Tuesday night before we fly home on Wednesday. Thought it was OK we might stay there Monday night as well, on our return from the Mekong Tour.  It wasn't to be, however, as there were no rooms available.  We had coffee at the rooftop cafe of the Rex Hotel next door - pretty good coffee, probably the best we've had in Vietnam.   Walked past the French colonial-era Hôtel de Ville, now home to the local People's Committee (no tourists allowed in there and then the Ho Chi Minh Museum (we could have gone in there, but not today as we were heading for the Reunification Palace.   Unfortunately, when we arrived, they were closing for lunch, as was the War Remnants Museum.  It would have to be an afternoon visit.  Wandered the impressive Notre Dame Cathedral and the equally impressive French-style Post Office on our way to lunch.  We found ourselves an air-conditioned cafe which we shared with lots of Vietnamese business people.  But surprise! surprise! None of the waiters could speak English.  We tried to point to the items on the menu that we wanted but were not that successful.  We ended up with two plates of sweet potato buds and no sign of another dish we thought we ordered. Nor did we recognise a vegetable that may have been some type of celery.  Anyway, despite the food, the cold, wet cloths (for wiping our hands), the cool drinks and the air con revived us to the point that we were able to head back to the Reunification Palace.  Did we say it is HOT in Saigon today?

The Reunification Palace was where the President of South Vietnam lived.  The original building was destroyed (or at least was extensively damaged) in an assassination attempt on the president, Ngô Đình Diệm, in February 1962.  The present building was completed in 1966, and the palace featured in memorable footage of the Vietnam War when the Viet Cong tanks crashed through the front gates  (two of the tanks are now in the grounds, along with an example of the bomb used in the assassination attempt.  Inside the building, it's very regal and is still used for ceremonial purposes and can be hired for conferences.

We were next off to the War Remnants Museum, which was a very sobering experience. It was mainly just photographs of the atrocities of the wars with the French and the US. There were also a lot of war machinery in the grounds.  Looking at something like this, you really do wonder about man's inhumanity to man.  While obviously biased (ie there was no mention of the Viet Cong's atrocities to the south), it was done in a way that did not blame, just making a very poignant statement with photographs - the photo of the 'Napalm Girl' says it all.

Coffee at Highlands Coffee and then a bit of shopping at the street market before returning to Highlands Coffee for dinner.  Taxi back to the hotel.