Cu Chi Tunnels

A 530am wake up call this morning saw us boarding the bus and heading off to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was about a 2 hour trip on the bus. The network of tunnels are 4 levels deep in some spots and include trapdoors, living areas, cooking areas, ammunition storage areas and command centres. We listened to a war veteran who told of his experiences in the tunnels. The tunnels cover hundreds of kilometres and were used to hide safely from the American Army.















Back on the bus and off to the Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh. The Cao Dai religion now has over 2 million followers in Vietnam. There were a lot of people there as this weekend is part of the annual pilgrimage.









Another 2 hour bus ride saw us arrive back in Saigon where we were conveniently dropped off in the city centre outside the Hotel Continental. We managed to find our way inside for a drink.






We accidentally found our way around the block to the Rex Hotel where we located the roof top garden and had another drink.






A brisk walk back to our hotel and we were off for dinner at the Restaurant Chateau. Fantastic presentation of the food and a very enjoyable meal.


















The traffic was busy as usual. A 5 am wake up call awaits us as we have an 830am flight to catch.



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Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Mekong moments

Happy birthday to me! What a great place to be for my birthday. We took off by bus for a sail on the mighty Mekong River. A nice little rest stop about an hour out saw a good photo opportunity.



When we arrived at Ben Tre we took a short walk thought the coconut groves to have some fresh fruit and honey tea along with a traditional folk song performance.






The rain really started to pelt down at this point. We continued our walk to the river where we boarded our sampan where our own personal rower took us along the river.












We had a chance to look at a small family owned business that makes coconut candy.












We then went on a motorized boat to Turtle Island where we had lunch. Our own personal waiter prepared our food for us. It was a great lunch. We were very impressed with the presentation of the fish.








On our way back to Saigon, we stopped at the Vinh Tran Pagoda. Quite a spectacular Buddha.








We went out for dinner to Koto. This restaurant is supported by charitable donations and provides young street kids with an opportunity to learn English and skills as a chef or waiter. They participate in this course for 24 months and they are highly sort after in the restaurant industry after completing the training. The program is designed to develop their skills, break the poverty cycle and give them a career pathway. The meal was absolutely brilliant and the service was exceptional. It was a great way to spend my birthday dinner.















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Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Around the town

We spent the day looking around the city, hitting all the major attractions. We started off at the Notre Dame Cathederal. Not quite the same as the one in France....












Across the road was the Post Office. Nice for a quick look.









This was a popular area for wedding photos. It was interesting to note the number of photos being taken on a Thursday. We were told that often couples have their wedding photos taken a month before the wedding.









Next we visited the presidential palace. An interesting looking building. It was magnificent inside. We also visited the bunker in the basement which was set up during the time of the war.















We saw the spot where 2 bombs were dropped onto the roof of the building marked by the 2 red circles during the Vietnam War.






From there we went to the War Remnants Museum. It was interesting to see the other side of the story in this conflict. You only normally here one side of it and as Pete says, the victors are the ones who write history.






We went on to China Town where we visited a Chinese Temple. Very similar to temples we saw in China a few years ago.









Lastly we visited the place where they make Lacquer art works. It was amazing to watch as they broke egg shells into tiny pieces and created these works of art. 17 layers of lacquer later and they looked magnificent. There were as many sales staff as there were customers. They followed you around encouraging you to buy, buy, buy.






Back to the hotel in time for a wander down to the local market. The pressure is not as bad as it was in China, but everyone is trying to sell you something. They literally will grab hold of you if you even look like making eye contact.

We went for a traditional Vietnamese dinner at a local restaurant. Fantastic meal. It was Kevin's birthday and we celebrated with a song and cake.









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Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam