6 Feburary, 2024

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year)!

Tet is right around the corner and everywhere you look are decorations and people preparing for the New Year. Our tour guide says we hit Vietnam at just the right time as we get to see all of the great decor and experience some of the culture, but most stores and restaurants are still open – Many people take off work and travel for at least a couple of days around the New Year celebrations.

Lots of people flying to Saigon had packed things like cherry blossom trees, flowers, or styrofoam containers that presumably had food. It was probably the strangest baggage claim we’ve experienced:

A city lit up for New Years:

We flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City this morning, though as it turns out, most of the locals still call it Saigon (and the airport code is still SGN). Saigon is more of an economic powerhouse and even bigger than Hanoi, with a few million more people and a good deal of skyscrapers making up the skyline. We made our way to the Hotel Continental, built in the late 1800s and frequented by foreign correspondents during the war, including Walter Cronkite. It’s still retained a lot of its historic charm and is quite lovely. 

We didn’t have any time to rest though as we were off immediately to the War Remnants Museum. This museum pulls no punches and hides nothing about the toll the Vietnam War took on the Vietnamese people. It was a heavy and humbling reminder of the impact of war and America’s involvement.

(Later note: You can find a succinct summary here of lead up to the Vietnam War –https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zvmrr2p/revision/1)

We departed the museum on another cyclo tour, which brought us by a few different sights. We stopped by a memorial to a Buddhist monk who, in an act of protest, lit himself on fire in the middle of an intersection. This was at a time when the South Vietnam government was coming down on freedom of religion and lots of Buddhists were protesting this. Not long after, the government changed hands and they memorialized the monk’s act.

Next up was the Reunification Palace. This was initially where the French ruled from, then where the South Vietnamese government was headquartered, and finally where the Vietcong ran down the gates during the fall of Saigon.

Last, we stopped by the Saigon post office, which stands out because it very much resembles a European railway station. The tour ended by dropping us off at dinner, which was excellent, as usual. The highlight was fish with a passion fruit & tamarin sauce.

Memorial to the burning monk:

Reunification Palace:

The Post Office:

Lots of love,

Sarah & Spenser