Ho Chi Minh City- Day 1

We got into Ho Chi Minh City late last night after a 15 hour travel day in which half the time was spent in either Incheon International or Guangzhou airports. The process of getting our visas went rather smoothly, but we did run into trouble outside attempting to hail a taxi. Sami had read our hotel's recommendation on which taxi companies to use in order to stave off scamming drivers. However, after a few futile attempts to secure a ride with any of the promoted companies, we jumped into the nearest van and made our way into the city. Just as advertised, the driver asked for $20 US when we expected to pay $7. I understand that the numbers are all relative and I shouldn't get too worked up over a mini slight such as this. Still, I have turned into somewhat of a penny pincher since moving outside of the US (due in no small part to the decrease in salary I am sure), so this unfortunate incident did not sit well and made a poor first impression. Although I am mildly happy to report that we only paid $15.


I was in a much better mood this morning. In a stroke of pure genius, Sami booked us in a hotel that offers a daily complimentary breakfast. I ordered iced coffee and pho and pretty much made love to both.

Breakfast

The beef broth was out of this world. I didn't even mind that there was no fish sauce or lime because I loved that broth so much. Plus the noodles were light and I appreciated that the portion wasn't too large because I always feel compelled to eat everything in front of me and didn't want to have a bloated morning. The coffee here is amazing also. I am not just saying that because I have grown accustomed to the Korean instant stuff that tastes like hot cocoa. I had to have another one later in the afternoon.

After breakfast we made our way outside and, using a map provided by the hotel staff, made our way to the Reunification Palace. This building served as the command center for the ARVN during the war, but was rammed in by a NVA tank and seized on April 30, 1975. We toured the different rooms including the Presidential office and reception room, but the most interesting was down in the basement where all of the old radio equipment from the communication center remained. There was even a shooting range down there. It is incredible how outdated everything looks, not just the radio equipment, but also the furniture in the different rooms.

Sami in front of the Reunification Palace

After the palace, we went and searched for a place to eat. Of course, Sami wanted to find the biggest, cleanest restaurant with nice tables and chairs, so as a compromise, she let me gorge on some street food for the walk. I found a banh mi stand (not hard to do here) and pointed my way through an order. I must have made the mistake of too emphatically pointing at the eggs because she cooked two up and put them in without any other meat or pate, just the standard cucumber and carrot. I made a grunt and had her put a little of the potted meat spread on there, but it was plainer than I would have liked. Delicious, no doubt, but I have made it a mission in Vietnam to search out big flavors at all turns.

We found a popular restaurant on the ground floor of a spectacular yellow European looking hotel where I ordered my iced coffee and coconut ice cream after seriously considering the durian variety. Sami ordered spring rolls and fried rice. I ate nearly all of the spring rolls which were the best I have ever had, crispy and porky and perfect. I dipped them in the famous fish sauce that I want to bring home. Sami, who has had an increasing sweet tooth as of late, added sweet chili sauce to her rice. She also had an iced chocolate.

My first banh mi of the day

Lunch- stupid umbrella is covering my spring roll!

After lunch we walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral and then the post office- both famous for their architecture I have been told.

Eventually (after a quick break back to the hotel so I could check the scores of the playoff games) we visited the war relic museum. The whole experience was powerfully harrowing. The saddest part was an exhibit on the long term effects of agent orange. I had no idea that the chemical makes such a lasting impression through the generations- even the grandchildren of those exposed to agent orange during the war are born with heartbreaking physical defects. A few of the affected were present and manned an outreach booth.

I thought that the entire museum was pretty well organized and easy to navigate through. Some of the images were difficult to read about let alone look at. There was a section outside that dealt with how POWs were treated by American soldiers. They even had a replica of a guillotine and a small "tiger cage" built extremely low to the ground and made of barbed wire.

The hardest part for me was reading through all of the anti-American comments left in the guestbook. I feel that I need to study more on the subject before I form an absolute opinion, but the entire experience left me feeling ashamed and confused as to how I will be able to allow myself to enjoy the rest of my experience here in Vietnam knowing the history.

"Tiger Cage"