2011, DEC 11: VIETNAM, HO CHI MINH CITY-A

We got up early this morning to leave our hotel at 6:30 a.m. to board our two-hour flight leaving for Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) at 8:15 a.m.

Mr. Thang, our local guide received us at the airport. He suggested that we go sightseeing before checking in at our hotel. At 81 degrees (27 C), Ho Chi Minh City was hot.

War Remnants Museum was our first stop. This three-story structure was opened in 1975. On the
grounds, outside the building are airplane, tanks, and weapons of war.

On the walls of the first floor there are posters from around the world showing support Vietnam’s struggle.

One poster shows a child playing with a gun bears the following poem:

When I was a child
I spoke as a child

I understood as a child,
I thought as a child

But when I became a man
I put away children things.

One room is devoted to children’s peace paintings.

Upstairs, there is a comprehensive collection of photos and documents relating to the wars
against the French and the United States. The collection has the famous picture of children, including a naked girl, burnt by a napalm bomb, running through the streets.

Also the forest and human devastation caused by the Agent orange has been documented. Every-thing is designed to tell the Vietnam’s side of the story.

Lack of air-conditioning and elevators, along with the gory pictures made our visit to the museum a suffocating, stressful and grim experience.

Next we went to the Emperor Jade Pagoda (Phuoc Hai). It was built as a Buddhist-Tao shrine, by the Cantonese community, around the turn of the 20th. Dedicated to the Jade Emperor, who determines who will be allowed to enter the heavens, its other parts house the King of Hell and the Goddess of Fertility.

Besides incense, people make offerings of money, goldfish, and tortoise with their names written on their backs.

At the pagoda we met an Indian-looking couple and their daughter, who all were born and raised in Vietnam.

We were now tired and hungry. Therefore we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch consisting of tempura vegetable, fried vegetables, fried rice, vegetable soup, and fruit, with ice-cold water.

2011, DEC 11: VIETNAM, HO CHI MINH CITY-B

The Reunification Palace was our next stop. It was built in 1966, as the residence of the President of South Vietnam.

The North Vietnamese forces crashed its gates in 1975, and took it over. It was then renamed the Reunification Palace.

Besides others, it has a banquet room, and a reception room.

One wall in the private presidentail suite displays gifts presented by people. The gifts include heads and tails of animals, as symbol of the whole animals.

The basement has the war command room, telex room, and secret escape passages.

We went through the heart of the city stopping for pictures at the French colonial heritage such as Notre Dame Cathedral,...

...Saigon Opera House,...

...Post Office, and...

...City Hall, as well as...

...as well as other landmarks.

Next we made a brief stop at the popular Ben Thanh Market.

2011, DEC 11: VIETNAM, HO CHI MINH CITY-C

After sightseeing we checked into the Renaissance Riverside Hotel.

In the evening, we went up to the topmost floor to take a few pictures of the Saigon River flowing by the hotel, and the night cruise boats passing by.

Also there were nice views of the area around, including the small circular park in front of the hotel. The park has the tall statue of the popular, 13th century national hero, General Tran Hung Dao, who had defeated the Mongol forces.

Then we strolled by the river, and explored the surrounding area. Even though, most of the Vietnamese profess Buddhism, like many other places during our travels, stores were decked out for Christmas.

And there was a musical concert on the steps of the Opera House.

Finally, for dinner, we walked to the Ali Baba, a North Indian restaurant, which is owned and operated by a man from Kolkata.

2011, DEC 12: VIETNAM, HO CHI MINH CITY-D

Early n the morning we left for the Cu Chi area, about 40 miles northwest from Ho hi Minh City.

Roads ere congested with hordes of people on motorcycles eading to their jobs. Some people wore masks, pparently to protect themselves from pollution.

Tunnels in the Cu Chi area were used by the iet Cong in their 1960-1975 resistance against the Americans. The tunnels extended o as far places as Cambodia, and allowed the Viet Cong to carry on activities unseeb, ven in the government and U.S. controlled areas.

We isited the Ben Dinh Tunnel Complex hich is one of the areas being preserved as the historic national relic.

For their protection, they built several types of traps against the enemy intruders and scouts.

Also tunnels had camouflaged entrances and exits.

To conceal their location, they had devised ingenious ways to channel fresh air into the tunnels and smoke out, in far-off places.

The complex consisted of underground meeting rooms, hospitals, kitchen facilities, and weaponmaking sites.

Next we went to Tay Nih to visit the Cao Dai Holy See Temple, about15 miles away, for their noon prayer assembly. It is the holy seat of Cao Dai religion, which was founded by Ngo Van Chieu, in Vietnam in 1926. The practitioners are pacifists. They pray four times a day, and consume vegetarian food, 10 days a month.

It is a syncretistic faith based on teachings of Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. The followers of each religious origin are identified by robes of different colors

The Temple’s interior has brightly carved pillars, and colorful murals.

They have adopted nontraditional saints namely, Louis Pasteur, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Victor Hugo.

After lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, we proceeded to our hotel to enjoy a restful afternoon.

We ended the day with a Dosa dinner at a Saigon, a South Indian restaurant.