Good morning Saigon

After touring the central Vietnam towns of Hue and Hoi An
we descended in Saigon. A smooth and comfortable
flight in Vietnam Airlines originating from the new economic city
of Da Nang made a touch down at the Ho Chi Minh airport.

We were pretty much sold with Hoi An and were still
reeling under the influence of the mesmerising ancient town,
we did not expect Saigon to throw up much flare. We were
wrong. From the moment we touched down, Saigon felt
buzzing with energy and captivity rest of Vietnam seems
to be missing. We were received by another extremely
nice tour guide from Handspan travel at the airport arrivals
and were started our journey straight away, with a visit to
the site of Cu Chi tunnels, little far from town. This area
showcases the tunnels that the North Viet Cong fighters
used against the Americans during their war. Boobie traps,
chambers, maze of underground passages used by the
Vietnamese to fool and kill the American soldiers are
displayed with vivid live demonstrations, by young
boys and girls dressed as soldiers.

The show did not really amuse us,
but surprisingly, it did not depress us
either, mostly due to the way it is presented, it is kept
short, exciting and just amply informative, rather than
being over cooked into a vengeful history monologue.
Well, we were surprised to find our trip to Saigon
started with a grisly display of how the US soldiers were
murdered, and it could have been arranged in a different
order, probably a tour of central district would have been
much preferable. However, we could not but appreciate
the clever tactic used here, to showcase to a new visitor how
this country came into being. Start with some history lessons!

We had a glimpse of the city on the way from airport to
Cu Chi tunnel. But we did not expect the downtown to be
of much difference from Ha Noi. We were taken aback
with surprise, when we reached the Post office building,
our eyes were left wide open. Old era French architecture,
swanky modern skyscrapers and Bangkok style shops
all opened up, greeting us, blended in one cohesive wonder.
We were stunned at this new face of Vietnam!

The buzz in the streets, that open till late at night, the vividness
of the surrounding, the chaotic traffic, the lights int he city
were simply stunning. We stayed near the local markets,
and the tallest building in Saigon, where we went for
a treat of amazing view of the nighttime skyline of the city.

We finally felt like we were in a truly modern city in
South East Asia, in Vietnam. Though it still feels
subdued in lights, glamour and order compared to Bangkok
(apologies I cannot help comparing the two, as they
evoke similar vibe in me), it is pretty neck to neck
if you look at the liveliness of whole streets littered with
cafes, trendy shops and human energy.