Saigon....Ho Chi Minh City

Sunday, December 13

Ho Chi Minh City as it has been officially called since shortly after the end of "The American War of Aggression" is still called Saigon by most of the people here. The airport designation in still SGN. It is the largest city in Vietnam with about 8-10 million people. It is robust, busy and has a happy, positive aura about it compared to the serious atmosphere in Hanoi. It is the economic and business center of this county's rapidly expanding economy. Lots of jobs are here which has attracted Vietnamese from all over the country. It is teeming with motorbikes buzzing and swerving around cars and pedestrians while honking incessantly.

Folks wear masks to protect themselves from pollution and women cover their faces, arms and hands to protect the skin.












 At lunchtime the sidewalks are full of people eating "pho"- noodle soup with meat or vegetables:

There is a legacy from the 100 years of French colonialism in the many catholic churches one finds around town. This religious legacy contributed to the conflict after the French were driven out in 1954 and the Americans installed a puppet government in the South that was made up of Catholic Vietnamese.

 

Several times we saw photo sessions of brides and groom on the streets that is apparently part of the ritual of courtship and marriage here.

 

The former South Vietnamese Presidential Palace was renamed Reunification Palace after the war.  It is actually a lovely building architecturally, still modern but airy and open.

The grounds around the Palace are inviting for walks and is one of many examples of open parks throughout the city:

Another visit which was a sobering experience was the War Remnants Museum. It has many pieces of leftover US military hardware and a building which contains different photo exhibits. Much of it is propaganda from the Vietnamese Communist point of view, but interesting see the view of the other side.These exhibits depict atrocities done to the Vietnamese people the French War and then the American War. It is amazing the cruelty that our species can inflict on each other especially when fear of Communism is tinged with racism. Luckily it does have some US anti-war movement representations so I didn't feel like I was the Devil as I walked around.