Vietnam - Green, teeming, elegant heat….

The first thing that overwhelmed David and I as we rode in the dark to the hotel was the streets teeming with scooters and motorcycles. Just swarms and swarms of people. Over the 3 days we were there we saw families of five, toddlers standing between parents, infants sleeping… It was amazing! David and I eventually jumped into the fray in a cyclo, a hair raising experience! The second thing we were struck by was the graceful elegance of the layout and architecture, reminiscent of Paris. Then of course there was the food – every meal had one of the yummiest things we had had! We even lunched where Bill Clinton was alleged to have eaten Pho.

We spent our first day in the stunnigly beautiful Mekong Delta area, with Hua. First through lush rice fields, then we boated to see coconut candy and rice puff treats made (Pics / Video ). Then by floating markets and enough time for a bike ride through a local town. Lunch was amazing and even more so because of the absolute down pour outside the lean-to.

There was so much to see in Ho Chi Minh itself. David joked that the black and white picture of Ho Chi Minh on the red back ground reminded him of Colonel Sanders – “they love their chicken!” We hit the usual tourist sites: Dong Koi’s shops, Cao Dai Temples (10% of Vietnam practice this religion which from my understanding seems like Asian moonies), Fine Art Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, lacquer ware being made… The museums were mostly beautiful old French buildings run down and open air, in other words, rather hot! The Ben Thanh Market and Cho Lon (Chinatown) were vibrant and amazing. David got accosted by some women in BT very insistent on selling him lacosse knock offs! The War Remnants Museum was decidedly unsophisticated but compelling and disturbing – what a waste of life the war was and what a lasting impact is has on this country. We were uplifted by attending English mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral followed by a service at the Xi Loi Pagoda, known for its activism during the war. We also saw chanting at Jade Emperor Pagoda which was also moving. Here’s a blended video of both Buddhist experiences.

In addition to sampling the food of Ho Chi Minh, we also visited many galleries and ended up falling in love with one painting, Casting Net, we took home! A wonderful whirlwind and we can’t wait to return!