The gateway city to South Vietnam, Saigon, is undoubtedly an exciting city to visit. A new era of modern technology and foreign investments
have driven this city back to the height of the French Rule as the centerpoint of Indochina.
Besides the French architecture and the delicious Vietnamese spring rolls, my best memories were interacting with my motorcyle
driver's family. Visited his mom's grave, the village he grew up, his brothers and his niece.
Mekong Delta is another gorgeous place to explore. Local people were eager to bring you anywhere you want to go, if you approach
with a local guide and $$$. I had a private boat to go through My Tho, a fishing village and watched Sunset on top of a small floating
fish farm.
Immigration papers for Vietnam
Arriving at Saigon International Airport.
Hundreds of drivers fighting for business outside of the airport.
Indochine hotel in downtown Saigon.
Outside of the previous US Embassy
Daimond Plaza, the biggest shopping mall in the city.
What a relief from the heat!
Notre Dame Cathedral.
Motorcycles street parking is a big business in Saigon.
50,000 Dong = USD $3.40
Happy Tet, the year of Pig.
War Crime Museum.
It shows a lot of shot-down US planes, tanks, and helicopters.
You wondered what happened to those soliders manning this gun 40 yr ago.
Local people capturing birds from top of the trees, and sell them for money.
Presidential Palace in Saigon.
Some pics shown in the War Crime Museum.
Afterall, there are only tourists in this museum seeing these pictures.
The famous 5-star Rex Hotel in Saigon.
Typical junction is Saigon, just find your way to go forward, it doesn't really matter.
LOTTERIA, ... how would one relate Lottery to Burger ..? It's actually a Korean Chain restaurants.
See how it's like riding a motorbike in Saigon (5 MB file).
Hotel Ville.
Ho Chi Minh Statue .. in front of Hotel Ville.
Ferry crossing of Saigon river.
Ban Thao market.
Working on the Garden in front of Hotel Ville.
Chipping Ice on the street, you see this everywhere in the morning.
Vanilla ice-cream with longon
Unique way of parking a motorcycle on sidewalk.
Chatting with my motorcycle driver and his wife.
Hotel Ville at Night.
Having late night dinner and beer with my driver's family.
Saigon Beer.
Early morning, met up with driver's family at his wife roadside restaurant. We had coffee and noodles.
The niece of my driver.
Falling asleep on the way to Cao Lai Temple.
Arriving as the same time as other tourist for the prayer ceremony.
Front of the temple.
Cao Lai Temple.
Everyday at 12:00 noon
They pray for about 30 mins.
Tourist will watch from the 2nd floor deck.
The 3 Saints
The 3 Saints of what they believe in.
Some chinese influenced architecture.
One eye ....
The graveyard where my driver's mother was buried.
In Vietnamese culture, men and women were buried seperately.
Cu Chi Tunnel Museum
A model depicting how tunnels are structured.
This is the airhole of a original tunnel, the entrance is right here. Can you see it ?
Entrance is only 22cm x 36cm.
The ranger was demonstrating how tight an entrance was.
Even he was a small guy, it was tight.
My turn .... so tight ....
Hello people, .. don't shoot me.
The Viet Congs were using everything they could use. Those camoflague are from US army's parachutes.
This tank had been here for over 37 years.
He was demostrating the traps set by the Congs.
This was one of the most brutal traps. The bars with spears fell into GI's chest after charging into the door.
The Congs were cutting an unignited B-52 bombs to retrieve the explosive.
I bought 7 M-16 bullets.
Bang bang bang ....
Aim ... Fire ....
These sold each bullet for 20,000 Dong.
The original Teva. The Viet Congs made these from Tires stolen from the US Army Supplies.
Inside a "modified" section of Cu Chi Tunnel. "Modified" means making the tunnel bigger for tourists.
Maybe I should do this here .... just in case the CIA after me ...
Dinner at a roadside restaurant, small dishes & saigon beer. My favourite - "wrap-it-yourself" salad rolls.
Carry crutches on a bike, ...didn't he also have an accident ?.
On the way to Mekong on a motorbike.
The boy performed to put the snake down his throat, and pulled it out.
He was only 13 years old.
Me, my driver ....enroute to Mekong.
Having a stop here at a roadside cafe, cola and coconut juice.
Hello myself ...
These hammocks are everywhere in these roadside cafes.
Celebrations are always colourful in Vietnam.
Ferry to My Tho.
Every inch of the ferry boat was filled ...
What else can I say here ?
Getting off the ferry on a motorbike (7.5 MB file).
Local men were scavenging anything worthy on the shore.
My private boat tour.
Just me. and the boat
The boat lady guide.
Through these small channels, we went into a small village in My Tho surrounded by thousands of coconunt trees.
Some other tourists on smaller paddle boats.
A tea break at the village.
They performed some Vietnamese Opera songs.
They were very professional.
Python on me, doesn't it look great ?
It started to creep me out when the boy started curling around me.
It's my turn on these paddle boat.
Coconut candy made out of local coconuts in the Mekong Region.
Tough local kid ... working for his family.
Snake meal .... local snakes from Mekong Delta.
A floating fish farm on the river.
There were possibly over 500,000 fishes below me.
I stayed on the fish farm platform to see the sunset.
Sunset ... the moment to think about your beautiful future.
I wish you were here ....
It gives you ... a feel of going home ... ?
My last morning at Saigon.
Iced Coffee, custard bun, and mango juice.
My last day with my driver in Saigon. td>
Inside one of the many temples in Chinatown in Saigon.
Felt like back in China ...?
Look at the details of the craftmanship.
There are more than 1000 of these characters on the roof of this temple.
Each coil has a wish tied to it.
She finally smiled for me for a picture on the last day.
I rode the motorbike for a couple blocks, just to be a part of my Saigon experience.
New clothes for kids in the new year ...for Tet.
The last place I visited before going to the airport, the Central Post Office.
A picture of Saigon and Vincinity inside the Post Office.
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