The ship docked and we boarded the bus for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Saigon.
As we got closer to the city, from the bus we could hear the honking horns and see the street hawkers and the motorbikes zooming in every direction. I was in awe of the tall skyscrapers and the retailers such as Versace, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, etc.
Our guide informed us that the Vietnamese want Ho Chi Minh City to be the next Hong Kong. I would definitely say that it is headed in that direction.
The city lies along the western bank of the Saigon River and north of the Mekong Delta. It is about two hours north of the ocean and it does have a tropical climate with an average humidity of 75%.
Ho Ch Minh City has a population of 10 million with about 8 million motorbikes. The monthly tax for a motorbike is $30 compared to the monthly tax of $1,000 for a car. So needless to say, that is the reason why there are so many more motorbikes.
The city was once a part of the Cambodia Kingdom until about the 17th century when the Vietnamese first gained entry into the area. In 1859, it was conquered by France.
France occupied Saigon for less than a hundred years. During that time, the wide tree-lined boulevards, sprawling parks and classical European structures would earn the city the nickname “Paris of the Orient”.
Following the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh Vity to honor North Vietnam’s revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh.
English is well spoken in the city. English is a mandatory subject from the beginning age of six until they graduate at 17.
We only had about six hours in the city. During that time, we were able to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was completed in the 1880’s. The Cathedral is the largest church ever built in the French empire and it has two 190 feet tall bell towers.
Across from the Cathedral sits the stunning Main Post Office, the largest of its kind in Vietnam. It was built between 1886 & 1891 by renowned architect Gustavo Eiffel. It’s neoclassical design features an interior reminiscent of a European railway station complete with arched windows & a vaulted ceiling.
Other sites that we saw were the buildings from the Vietnamese War, such as the Rex Hotel and the building that we he helicopter landed on to evacuate people after the fall of Saigon.
The Minh Phuong Lacquer Factory was an interesting site. We observed the workers in making the lacquerware. There is a huge warehouse filled with items ranging from small boxes to large pieces of furniture.
We enjoyed a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show at the National Museum’s Theater.
Some other ways that people get around the city is by a pedi-cab, a small pedal-operated vehicle or by a cyclo, which is a three-wheeled bicycle with a large passenger seat in the front.
Even though we only had about six hours in Ho Chi Minh City, we felt that we got to experience and understand the people of Saigon. The highlight was sitting in a Cafe watching the millions of motorbikes zoom by!
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