Home | Contact | Travel Tips | Epilogue | Terms of Use
Flight | Saigon | Mekong Delta | Dalat | Nha Trang | Hoi An | Hue | Hanoi | Halong Bay
Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon)
next «1 2 3» previous
Arrival in Vietnam
My first impressions of Ho Chi Minh are that it is amazingly whirling, bustling and full of commerce. If it weren't set in a tropical climate the commotion of the people alone would give off enough heat to make up for that. There were 500 people in line waiting to get through customs at the same time as us (we had time to count the number of people in line and the number of lines)and atleast 1,000 people outside waiting for each person inside the airport. Everyone was holding signs and flowers and calling out names. My uncle's wife somehow managed to recognize me in the crowd. She's never seen me before, but had seen me in pictures.
My uncle called for a taxi driver he knew and the driver guided us through a melee of swerving people, cars, motorcyles and bicycles in the city. The driver and My uncle seemed to talk on and on about the expensive hotel I had chosen and how it was a waste of money. The driver offered to give us a tour of the area.
We are staying at the Rex Hotel in Saigon, a historic hotel which was popular with reporters during the American War. Something in me snapped during the 26 hour flight into Saigon and I decided that I wanted to stay at a nice hotel. The Rex is $70/day, about twice what we were going to pay before. But it is so worth it. The hotel is like a Chinese palace, with a beautiful rooftop restaurant that has great views of the city and every amenity. There is an inner courtyard garden, with roses and tropical plants. They gave us complimentary tropical fruit (mangoes, jackfruit, papaya), bottled water, and a good map of the city. They have a fabulous breakfast buffet with fresh fruit, Vietnamese, Chinese and American food. I just felt like we were living the good life.
Last night I gave my uncle the gift we had brought: a memorial plate with the signatures of all the American presidents and the $100 dollars my parents gave us. He asked about his vitamins, but I had not thought that candy and vitamins would be good gifts, I am sorry. Mom and Dad maybe we can send him the vitamins.
Today we went to the postoffice to call our parents and my aunt. We are wandering the city looking at the dilapidated, extravagant French facades and crowds of whizzing motorbikes. Everyone seems to want to help us, some people are not even trying to sell us anything but just give us directions. We're having a fabulous time even in the oppressive heat.