We read that the population of Saigon was one million in 1975 when the war ended. Now, 40 years later, the total population of the city is close to 10 million. Here’s an important fact: Over two-thirds of the population was born after 1975 and have no memory of the war. We were told that 80 percent of Vietnamese students have no interest in history, including the wars against the French and the Americans in the 20th century. They’re much more interested in building for the future.
Our tour guides (both days) told us that when the communists took over South Vietnam back in 1975 Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, and the reunited country was formally re-named as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Its capital city remained in Hanoi. Over the ensuing 10 years, the government and people faced severe economic challenges and hardships. By the mid-1980s, production shortfalls and famine made it obvious that the socialist system was failing. In 1986 the government relaxed its economic grip, allowing for free-market development. Politically, Vietnam is still firmly a one-party socialist state, but its economic policies have become increasingly capitalist and market-oriented. Then in 1995 the United States restored diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
The country now has a fast-growing capitalist economy. Ho Chi Minh City is the booming economic center of Vietnam, while Hanoi is the political and administrative center.
We were told that, with the additional changes in policies made in the past several years, there’s been a growing wave of foreign investment and property speculation in Ho Chi Minh City that is altering the face of the city. This is not just in the downtown area, as we saw construction cranes building new satellite cities (residential apartments/condos, shopping malls, and office towers) across the Saigon River from the current downtown where just a few years ago there was nothing but swampland.
Ho Chi Minh City – Day 1 (March 19, 2016)
The first day in Ho Chi Minh City we were lucky enough to have a particularly good local tour guide by the name of Phuc who led us on a private tour of the city in a very comfortable car. A second piece of good luck is that we visited on a Saturday and Sunday, when traffic is at its best. We were told that today’s 1-hour drive from Crystal Serenity’s docking location at the Saigon Premier Container Terminal to downtown (District 1) would be two hours during the workweek.
Even on the weekend, Ho Chi Minh traffic is hectic, with motorbikes everywhere. Phuc told us there are 7 million motorbikes registered in the city, and that is the best way to travel. Our tour guide on Sunday told us that even in his one family they have five motorbikes parked at home. In an effort to relieve traffic congestion, the city government is now building their first subway system which should be ready in the near future.
We did a lot of slow driving in the historical downtown district, which still has many remnants from the French colonial days – wide, tree-shaded boulevards, parks, statuary, and historic rococo French colonial buildings, including the Municipal Theatre (formerly known as the Saigon Opera House & opened in 1900), the City Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral opened in 1880), City Hall, and the Majestic and Continental Hotels. Two prominent structures in the city center that we passed by are the Reunification Hall (formerly the South Vietnam Presidential Palace, where the South Vietnamese officially turned over power to the North on April 30, 1975) and the former American Embassy (which is now the Consulate, as the American Embassy is now in Hanoi). Phuc carried on an excellent running dialog on the past and recent uses for these buildings.
We got out of the car and visited the interior of the City Post office, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel and constructed between 1861 and 1865 (three years before the Eiffel tower), where we admired the massive high-ceiling roof, took some pictures, and bought a magnet.
We also drove by the nearby Rex and Caravelle hotels, which Phuc said were former hangouts for American officers, spies, and war correspondents during the war. Many of these older hotels with a history have now been expanded, modernized, and claim 5-star ratings.
The Museum of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine was a fascinating place both for their exhibits and for the facility itself. It is located in an ornate old home, with a ground floor and five upper floors that house 18 exhibition rooms. The rooms are arranged in a circular tour, using several staircases. First we watched a 15-minute English language movie titled "A Century of Health Care Experiences,” which detailed the history of the Vietnamese peoples use of traditional (non-Western) medicine. An English-speaking Vietnamese guide led Jim on the full tour of the building, while Ginny stayed on the ground floor and looked at all the herbal/medicinal teas and medicines for sale. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable about the museum. We saw many displays, including herbs and apothecary instruments. At the end of the tour there was a free ginger tea tasting, but we didn’t buy any of the products.
We also visited a very interesting 19th-century Taoist temple dedicated to the goddess Thien Hau. The Taoists believe in “yin and yang” (balance in the world – light & dark, fire & water, etc.). Phuc explained that people in this temple believe that Thien Hau can save people in trouble on the high seas. On the main dais there are three figures of Thien Hau, and also one of the Goddess Long Mau, who is the protector of mothers and newborns. Two special features of the temple are the large coils of incense suspended overhead, in addition to the more typical incense sticks, and the ceramic friezes above the roof line of the interior courtyard. The coils of incense last for several days, while the sticks burn through in a matter of hours.
We then returned to the ship, after a full five hours in the city (including travel to and from the port). Our guide told us that, “Ho Chi Minh City is a magnet for young people, because the economy is so strong here.” Other significant things he told us: “Our highest accomplishment in Vietnam is education. There is a 95% literacy rate. Vietnam is now the second largest exporter of rice and coffee in the world, and the #1 exporter of cashew nuts and pepper (both black and white) in the world. The central city’s sidewalks and streets are swept twice per day, and the garbage is collected once per day. The tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City is 68-stories tall, but construction has started on a 90-story building. English is now the second language spoken in Vietnam (not French).”
Ho Chi Minh City – Day 2 (March 20, 2016)
Originally, the two of us signed up for different ship excursions for today – Ginny to the “Vietnamese Cooking Demonstration,” and Jim to the “Memories of War.” Ginny decided to cancel her tour, because her head cold was bad and she wanted to rest instead.
Jim’s excursion was eight hours long, primarily because it was a 2-hour drive each way between the port and the Cu Chi Tunnels, which was the highlight of the day. He didn’t think that many people would sign up for this tour, but there were two buses with 21 passengers on each bus. Once again, we had an excellent tour guide, by the name of Phu.
Leaving the port, we drove through historic downtown (District 1) and saw many of the same sites as yesterday – the original American Embassy (which had to be closed due to a Viet Cong commando attack), the new embassy (which is now the U.S. Consulate), Post Office, Reunification Hall, etc. We also passed by the front gate of Tan Son Nhut Air Base, MAC-V headquarters, the American Military Hospital, General Westmorland’s Residence, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge’s Residence, and others too numerous to mention. We didn’t stop the bus to get out and visit any of these sites, although Phu did a good job of explaining what we were seeing and explaining the significance of each.
A quick review for those of you who may have forgotten the significance of the Cu Chi Tunnels – they are a network of interconnected underground tunnels about 150 miles in total length built by Cu Chi villagers in the 1940s to protect their families during the fight against the French and to allow for underground communication between villages. Construction was all done by hand, and some of the tunnels were 12 feet underground. As the Cu Chi region and its tunnels were only about 25 miles or so from Saigon (and only about 3 miles from a U.S. military base), Viet Cong guerrillas and local villagers repaired and expanded the tunnels to use in their fight against the Americans and the South Vietnamese Army in the 1960s. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong – a key part of their “hit and run” military strategy. They could surface for a surprise attack and then disappear again into the tunnels via heavily camouflaged secret entrances or hidden trapdoors.
When we arrived at the site, our bus parked and let us out. We walked through a lengthy pedestrian tunnel under the highway to the historical site. There are more than 100 acres in this historic site. Phu led us around the areas he thought would best illustrate the story, explaining to us what we were seeing. First we had to sit through a black & white propaganda film from the 1960s, which described why the Cu Chi villagers and Viet Cong wanted to stop American incursions into their area (in much stronger language than that).
We walked through fairly dense foliage to several exhibits. The first was a demonstration of fatal bamboo booby traps (called punji traps) where the Viet Cong would dig a hole and put sharpened bamboo sticks in the bottom and on two sides pointing upward and toward the center; then the hole would be covered with a small stick frame and leaves. An enemy soldier patrolling in this area would step on the thin top, which would collapse and the enemy soldier’s foot or leg would be speared by the punji sticks. He would be trapped in the hole. We saw several examples of different types of these traps.
A second exhibit was one of several thousand ventilation holes that were made to resemble termite mounds. At times, according to Phu, there were as many as 10,000 soldiers and villagers living underground in these tunnels. They needed air ventilation, water, food, and sewage systems to handle that many people. Because of the Americans’ use of Agent Orange and other defoliants, the local water supply was contaminated and wells had to be dug underground for clean water in the tunnels.
We were told that in the tunnels (underground) were living spaces, a command center, a hospital, kitchens, and small weapon labs (to manufacture land mines, for example). The kitchens were interesting, as smoke from cooking had to exit above ground some distance away from the tunnel location.
One of the local guides demonstrated the entrance to one of the trapdoor entrances, which was nothing more than a tiny covered square in the ground which he was able to squeeze into and then bring the camouflaged cover over his head (see pictures below).
We were invited to enter a tunnel entrance that had been enlarged for visitors, but only if we wanted to. About half of our group, including Jim, agreed to climb in. This tunnel is about 100 feet long, 3½ feet high, pitch black dark, and bends slightly. A guide went in first with a flashlight. But by the time Jim went in, the guide was way ahead of us and eventually crawled out at the other end. There was a moment of fear before Jim (crawling on his hands and knees) finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. One of the people in our group panicked and turned around to go back, crashing into people coming in. She eventually made it out okay going back to the tunnel entrance. This was not really a fun experience, and we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with even a slight problem with claustrophobia or with a fear of being alone in darkness.
We were told that dead-ends, booby traps, and trap doors were incorporated into the tunnels’ defenses in case enemy soldiers tried to explore into any of the entrances. We were also told that one of the tunnels went up to (and perhaps under) the nearby Saigon River. We were also told that there was a Viet Cong tunnel that started here at Cu Chi and went under the fence and onto the American military base at Dong Du.
We walked past exhibits of living areas, a hospital, and a kitchen (where the ground cover had been removed), as well as a captured American M-41 tank sitting next to a large crater caused by a bomb dropped by a B-52 bomber. Last was a shooting range where visitors could fire many types of weapons, including M-16 or AK-47 rifles. Cost for the rifle range was about $20 for 10 bullets. A few people from our group had a go at it, but Jim did not.
It was a hot, humid day, with a lot of walking. But we did gain an appreciation for what happened in this area during the 1965 - 1975 war. At the conclusion of the visit to Cu Chi, we went to a large nearby restaurant along the Saigon River and had a typical Vietnamese lunch and a local beer, which everyone seemed to enjoy.
For the return journey into Ho Chi Minh City, Phu continued to answer numerous questions from guests about life in Vietnam. He was consistently honest in his answers. To get to the port, the bus had to pass back through downtown. A few people got off the coach in town. Some of them wanted to wander around a little bit on foot or visit some of the many museums, while others elected to stay and eat dinner in one of many very good restaurants in downtown. There was a shuttle running every 30 minutes between the Continental Hotel and the passenger terminal all three days we were here.
As an aside, we noticed many signs in the city still say Saigon instead of Ho Chi Minh City. We heard several explanations. One is that Saigon has been the city’s name for a long time, and the older people like that name. One of our tour guides said that older people prefer Saigon and the younger people use Ho Chi Minh City. However, on official documents (including mailing addresses), Ho Chi Minh City is required.
Summary: We had a great visit to Ho Chi Minh City – the economic center of Vietnam. There is a rapidly growing population, and there seems to be a strong desire for prosperity and growth. Things didn’t look as prosperous in the countryside that we visited on Sunday. That might be why so many people (including lots of young people) are moving into the city. If you ever want to come and visit here, don’t be afraid – it’s a safe city, people are friendly, and they’re very welcoming to tourists; but do it soon. If the city continues to grow and expand at the rate it has been doing over the past decade, it may end up looking like Singapore within 10 years.
Saturday night (March 19), a local dance team came on board Serenity to do a Vietnam Cultural Show. It was very colorful and lots of fun, with music, dance, musical instruments, and costumes from north, central, and south Vietnam.
The previous night (Friday, March 18), Crystal’s World Cruise entertainment team and orchestra put on a spectacular show, titled Lord of the Dance. The creator and artistic director of the show was Dmitri Ilukhin, the lead dancer on board ship. There were 25 performers on stage, and it was non-stop Irish dancing, fiddle playing, and singing – a ton of talent on stage having great fun. So far, there’s been one of these “home grown” shows – developed, written, and produced totally on board ship – and they’ve all been great. We think this was the best one so far. Dmitri is a unique talent and has been on Serenity dancing for 11 years.
We have two more port stops scheduled in Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday (March 23 & 24).
Jim & Ginny
Ho Chi Minh City – Day 2 (March 20, 2016)
Originally, the two of us signed up for different ship excursions for today – Ginny to the “Vietnamese Cooking Demonstration,” and Jim to the “Memories of War.” Ginny decided to cancel her tour, because her head cold was bad and she wanted to rest instead.
Jim’s excursion was eight hours long, primarily because it was a 2-hour drive each way between the port and the Cu Chi Tunnels, which was the highlight of the day. He didn’t think that many people would sign up for this tour, but there were two buses with 21 passengers on each bus. Once again, we had an excellent tour guide, by the name of Phu.
Leaving the port, we drove through historic downtown (District 1) and saw many of the same sites as yesterday – the original American Embassy (which had to be closed due to a Viet Cong commando attack), the new embassy (which is now the U.S. Consulate), Post Office, Reunification Hall, etc. We also passed by the front gate of Tan Son Nhut Air Base, MAC-V headquarters, the American Military Hospital, General Westmorland’s Residence, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge’s Residence, and others too numerous to mention. We didn’t stop the bus to get out and visit any of these sites, although Phu did a good job of explaining what we were seeing and explaining the significance of each.
A quick review for those of you who may have forgotten the significance of the Cu Chi Tunnels – they are a network of interconnected underground tunnels about 150 miles in total length built by Cu Chi villagers in the 1940s to protect their families during the fight against the French and to allow for underground communication between villages. Construction was all done by hand, and some of the tunnels were 12 feet underground. As the Cu Chi region and its tunnels were only about 25 miles or so from Saigon (and only about 3 miles from a U.S. military base), Viet Cong guerrillas and local villagers repaired and expanded the tunnels to use in their fight against the Americans and the South Vietnamese Army in the 1960s. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong – a key part of their “hit and run” military strategy. They could surface for a surprise attack and then disappear again into the tunnels via heavily camouflaged secret entrances or hidden trapdoors.
When we arrived at the site, our bus parked and let us out. We walked through a lengthy pedestrian tunnel under the highway to the historical site. There are more than 100 acres in this historic site. Phu led us around the areas he thought would best illustrate the story, explaining to us what we were seeing. First we had to sit through a black & white propaganda film from the 1960s, which described why the Cu Chi villagers and Viet Cong wanted to stop American incursions into their area (in much stronger language than that).
We walked through fairly dense foliage to several exhibits. The first was a demonstration of fatal bamboo booby traps (called punji traps) where the Viet Cong would dig a hole and put sharpened bamboo sticks in the bottom and on two sides pointing upward and toward the center; then the hole would be covered with a small stick frame and leaves. An enemy soldier patrolling in this area would step on the thin top, which would collapse and the enemy soldier’s foot or leg would be speared by the punji sticks. He would be trapped in the hole. We saw several examples of different types of these traps.
A second exhibit was one of several thousand ventilation holes that were made to resemble termite mounds. At times, according to Phu, there were as many as 10,000 soldiers and villagers living underground in these tunnels. They needed air ventilation, water, food, and sewage systems to handle that many people. Because of the Americans’ use of Agent Orange and other defoliants, the local water supply was contaminated and wells had to be dug underground for clean water in the tunnels.
We were told that in the tunnels (underground) were living spaces, a command center, a hospital, kitchens, and small weapon labs (to manufacture land mines, for example). The kitchens were interesting, as smoke from cooking had to exit above ground some distance away from the tunnel location.
One of the local guides demonstrated the entrance to one of the trapdoor entrances, which was nothing more than a tiny covered square in the ground which he was able to squeeze into and then bring the camouflaged cover over his head (see pictures below).
We walked past exhibits of living areas, a hospital, and a kitchen (where the ground cover had been removed), as well as a captured American M-41 tank sitting next to a large crater caused by a bomb dropped by a B-52 bomber. Last was a shooting range where visitors could fire many types of weapons, including M-16 or AK-47 rifles. Cost for the rifle range was about $20 for 10 bullets. A few people from our group had a go at it, but Jim did not.
It was a hot, humid day, with a lot of walking. But we did gain an appreciation for what happened in this area during the 1965 - 1975 war. At the conclusion of the visit to Cu Chi, we went to a large nearby restaurant along the Saigon River and had a typical Vietnamese lunch and a local beer, which everyone seemed to enjoy.
For the return journey into Ho Chi Minh City, Phu continued to answer numerous questions from guests about life in Vietnam. He was consistently honest in his answers. To get to the port, the bus had to pass back through downtown. A few people got off the coach in town. Some of them wanted to wander around a little bit on foot or visit some of the many museums, while others elected to stay and eat dinner in one of many very good restaurants in downtown. There was a shuttle running every 30 minutes between the Continental Hotel and the passenger terminal all three days we were here.
As an aside, we noticed many signs in the city still say Saigon instead of Ho Chi Minh City. We heard several explanations. One is that Saigon has been the city’s name for a long time, and the older people like that name. One of our tour guides said that older people prefer Saigon and the younger people use Ho Chi Minh City. However, on official documents (including mailing addresses), Ho Chi Minh City is required.
Summary: We had a great visit to Ho Chi Minh City – the economic center of Vietnam. There is a rapidly growing population, and there seems to be a strong desire for prosperity and growth. Things didn’t look as prosperous in the countryside that we visited on Sunday. That might be why so many people (including lots of young people) are moving into the city. If you ever want to come and visit here, don’t be afraid – it’s a safe city, people are friendly, and they’re very welcoming to tourists; but do it soon. If the city continues to grow and expand at the rate it has been doing over the past decade, it may end up looking like Singapore within 10 years.
Saturday night (March 19), a local dance team came on board Serenity to do a Vietnam Cultural Show. It was very colorful and lots of fun, with music, dance, musical instruments, and costumes from north, central, and south Vietnam.
The previous night (Friday, March 18), Crystal’s World Cruise entertainment team and orchestra put on a spectacular show, titled Lord of the Dance. The creator and artistic director of the show was Dmitri Ilukhin, the lead dancer on board ship. There were 25 performers on stage, and it was non-stop Irish dancing, fiddle playing, and singing – a ton of talent on stage having great fun. So far, there’s been one of these “home grown” shows – developed, written, and produced totally on board ship – and they’ve all been great. We think this was the best one so far. Dmitri is a unique talent and has been on Serenity dancing for 11 years.
We have two more port stops scheduled in Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday (March 23 & 24).
Jim & Ginny
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