Exploring Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City
(5 / 10 Apr 1999)

		Ho Chi Minh City is quite a surprise after travelling through Vietnam.
		Saigon, although only a quarter of the whole place , is an economic capital city of weight.

This glorious building is (believe it or not) the post office and was built during the French colonial days.

And this is the imperial palace where President Diem and others ruled from.

Inside the palace is quite spectacular, with rooms like this laying in wait.

And paintings like the one on the right on the walls.

By night Saigon brightens it's lights.

Civilisation again, but what does that matter when faced with a crab dinner like this on the street.

One of the big bombs the Americans had a habbit of raining down on Vietnam.

And some of the hardware they liked to throw in on the ground.

The war museum is however a great place to visit and a "must see" for anyone passing through town.

This is the North Vietnamese tank which burst through the gates of the palace on the day the war came to an end.

Cholon is a quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, an ancient town in it's own right, and quite seperate from the financial might of Saigon.

And there is plenty to see in this (the Chinese) part of town.

		The Cu Chi tunnels are a two hour drive heading North West out of Saigon, and most of that time is spent just escaping the town.

Back to the rice paddies again as we leave the city behind.

And (even after just a few days) very nice they looked too.

How about this for a weapon, can you imagine standing on that!

Miles of hidden tunnels which surrounded the area (plus the mantraps as shown on the left) made this a posting it was best to avoid.

Hanoi, Halong Bay, Van Lak, Hue, Hoi An, My Lai, Nha Trang, Mekong delta.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these pages then drop us a line.

If you are interested in Vietnamese Food then why not visit Sue's Recipe Server, our other Web site.

South India Overland is the record of our journey through Southern India during January and February 1997.

North India & Nepal is the record of our journey from Delhi to Kathmandu during January 1998.

		This glorious building is (believe it or not) the post office and was built during the French colonial days.
		And this is the imperial palace where President Diem and others ruled from.

		Inside the palace is quite spectacular, with rooms like this laying in wait.
		And paintings like the one on the right on the walls.

		By night Saigon brightens it's lights.
		Civilisation again, but what does that matter when faced with a crab dinner like this on the street.

		One of the big bombs the Americans had a habbit of raining down on Vietnam.
		And some of the hardware they liked to throw in on the ground.

		The war museum is however a great place to visit and a "must see" for anyone passing through town.
		This is the North Vietnamese tank which burst through the gates of the palace on the day the war came to an end.

		Cholon is a quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, an ancient town in it's own right, and quite seperate from the financial might of Saigon.
		And there is plenty to see in this (the Chinese) part of town.

		Back to the rice paddies again as we leave the city behind.
		And (even after just a few days) very nice they looked too.

		How about this for a weapon, can you imagine standing on that!
		Miles of hidden tunnels which surrounded the area (plus the mantraps as shown on the left) made this a posting it was best to avoid.