A Taste of Saigon

Since we only got to discover the shops and some traditional villages yesterday we last minute booked a tour of the Mekong Bay. The Mekong Bay is also known as “The Bay of the Descending Dragon”. The boat trip included sights of 2000 islands, sea-kayaking, swimming from the boat, beaches, grottoes and many caves to be explored. The bay is unbelievable there is so much to see and the vegetation is very lush. We felt like we were in a tropical paradise.

This is the coolest Island EVER!!!!

This is our last day in Vietnam, here is a website we found useful to map our journey and ensure we got to see all the wonderful sites of Vietnam
http://www.virtourist.com/asia/vietnam/index.html

Today we had a guided tour booked to see the Islands of the mighty Mekong River. It’s highly recommended to book a tour then organize it yourself because you are guaranteed to see all the sights and it’s only $26.00 USD for the whole day trip. (1)The Mekong River is one of the world’s major rivers and it’s the 11th longest river in the world. (2) The river runs through China’s, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

We boarded the bus from Saigon and started heading to our first port of call which was Cai Be, a floating market on the delta that pretty much sold everything.
The bus ride took about 3 hours and we were joined on the bus by a mixture of other people and travelers from around the world.

At Cai Be, the mouth of the delta we jumped on a traditional Dragon boat and headed for the floating village. Bessey market was our first stop on the river. At this point many of the other people that were on the bus had gone there separate ways. We took this opportunity to separate from the pack and do a little bit of our own exploring and shopping. After we toured the river for about 40 minutes we came across a coconut sweet factory it was so interesting to see people make sweets out of coconuts and other assorted items we were so amazed by the presentation that we all bought a bag of peanut brittle. It was the best treat that they made there!
Lunch was called and we made our way to meet everyone for something to eat. We had to walk a short distance to get to a traditional village where they were serving us lunch. The lunch consisted of some spicy rice and a meat dish of some sort. After lunch we ventured back to the docks and finished exploring.
We were so tired form the day’s activities and traveling that we took the opportunity to sleep on the bus ride back to the old Saigon.

Today we took the bus 450km south of Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang the city famous for its beaches, turquoise waters and 19 surrounding islands. This is the part of our trip where we are truly just going to relax. When we arrived at the beach we managed to arrange a quick snorkeling trip out in the clear waters. We saw some amazing sea life as we soaked up the sun. We noticed there weren’t many locals hanging out on the beach, so we asked and were told that the locals do not appreciate tanned skins, so they come early in the morning 5am-8am, where as us foreign visitors come to the beach to get bronzed.
We took a walk up the beach and there were bars and restaurants everywhere with low priced food but great quality. They also rented out umbrellas and beds for us to use.
While lying on the beach, this nice local lady asked if we want to try the local lobster. We negotiated a price and she went to the local market, bought two lobsters and brought them to us still alive. She cooked them on a small pan in a fire on the sand. This was a great way to experience the culture and chat with a local. She also brought us some fresh juices called hue che. This city is relaxing at day but had a great night life.

Today we took a tour of the Cu chi tunnels that were built during the Vietnam War.

We are standing on top of a ventilation shaft made to look like a termite mound for the Cu Chi Tunnels northwest of Saigon. We are trying to breathe after struggling through the tunnels which had been supposedly redesigned to accommodate us foreign tourists.

We are so sweaty and felt lucky to emerge alive! We had to fold our shoulders in order to proceed through the narrow passage ways designed to trap and kill American soldiers who dared to enter. Cu Chi was a major irritation to U.S. forces during the war. This gave us the true experience and we are so glad we are not in a war.
More than 150 miles of tunnels were constructed over a 10 year period on three levels (some up to 23 feet deep), creating an underground complex for 16,000 guerilla fighters just 22 miles outside Saigon. It was originally constructed for the war against the French, and then later used against the United States. Initially the U.S. military sent in troops, but quickly realized it was a death trap to any American going in. Later the U.S. tried to bomb it out of existence, but these actions were quickly discovered to be futile against the well constructed tunnels. There are bomb craters all over up above which stand testament to the B-52s vain attempts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/720577.stm

We got up bright and early today because the sun was shining and calling our names to continue exploring this unique city. Our first stop of the day was the Notre Dame Church, another fingerprint the French left behind. It is located in the center of the city. We climbed to the top of the belfry where we got an amazing view of the Ho Chi Minh City.
Even if you're not a Catholic, it's worth taking a look at this lovely red-bricked church that was built using bricks from Marseilles and stained glass windows from Chartres. Just take note though; it looks nothing like the real thing in Paris! The cathedral is closed to visitors except during mass on Sunday. So that's what we did. We popped in for the English mass at 930am, with other opportunistic tourists. After you've visited the church and gawked at the stained glass long enough we ventured out into the streets. Crossing the street can be very dangerous in Vietnam so we listened to local tips. You do not wait for Saigonese drivers to stop, instead you start walking at a slow and steady path, look at the face of the drivers that are trying to avoid hitting you, if you see danger STOP! This way the drivers will have time react. While walking around the city we noticed there were a lot of motorbikes on the street. It seemed to be the easiest way to get around quickly.

The War History Museum is a must see for anyone interested in late 20th century history. We were all very excited to finally get to visit this place. We got to the tanks, helicopters, planes, and arm on display. But what really drew us in were the images on display. We got to really understand the effects of the weapons of mass destruction used by the Americans during the Vietnam War. We will never forget some of the pictures on display. The ones of the deformed bodies from the effects of Agent Orange were so disturbing, but made us appreciate our safe lives in Canada. While exploring around, we also got to view reproductions of the cells where Viet Cong soldiers were kept.

Not far from the War Museum is the Reunification Palace. It is another museum that used to be the official residence of the Presidents of the former South Vietnam government. We learned that this was where the war ended in 1975, when the North Vietnam Army invaded the Palace forcing the president to resign. We got to see the basement tunnels, the conference room and the Presidential Receiving Room. As well, another war room and the high-tech communications centre.