Some ports are more exciting to sail into then others. It takes a few hours to cruise down the Mekong River to reach the port in Saigon. As a result I had plenty of time on my balcony to watch life styles go by thay are very different from my own. First off, I love the sunrise and how the sun danced on the water behind the ship today. Along the way I watched container ships, fishing boats, house boats, and ferries meander by on these sad to say polluted waters. It was interesting to people watch as they began their day waking up, going fishing or starting a long journey to deliver cargo.
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| family with their dog- |
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| love the fisherman and the rippled water |
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| light traffic today |
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| The entry is hidden. Your location had to be memorized. When you leave, leave a hand grenade trap under the door. |
After more then a decade of isolation from the West, Vietnam re-opened her doors to tourism. I was pleased our guide was more liberal then I expected..... meaning more of an American view then a Communist one. We were saved the ugly American Monster talk. I could not take a Communist slant today.
As our guide talked he told us some interesting things about his country. Colonialism and war took a huge toll on Vietnam and her people. So did strife and famine. The population today exceeds 75 million in Vietnam, 10 million in Saigon. The government allows you to say Saigon, but in writing and legally it must be called Ho Chi Minh City. 94 out of every 100 in the work force own a motorbike (5 million+ in Saigon); 1 in 150 workers own a car. Our guide would NOT tell us statistics of accidents or number of people killed each year. Tax on a new car is 200%. Four generations will live together because no one can afford a home. Middle class society make $3,000- $10,000 a year (5% of the population). The rich make $10,000 to $200,000 a year. The average salary is $200 a month and those new high rise developments sell at over $200,000 with loans at about 24%. It is a cash society with about 90% of the population never using a bank for anything. You are now taxed if you make over $4,000 a year but since it is a cash society, the government does not know how much you make unless you work for a foreign corporation. Then they pay you though the bank where records are kept. People just don't have an awareness of taxes so the burden of tax falls to business. There are ways out of this tax .... if you change the name of the business or name of the owner every two years, you don't pay.
Vietnam has moved from Communism to a free economy with a one party rule. You need approval and paperwork to do anything. It can take 6 months to get approval to paint your house. Our guide felt Saigon is more ugly today then it was in the past and people are unhappy and disappointed in the changes they see in their culture, politics, economy and morality of her people. We learned so much on this tour. Our guide was really good.
Here we are at the Cu Chi tunnels, a 75 mile network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong. It was the base of operations in 1968 for the Tet Offensive. This is a real money maker for the government and it is well presented. These tunnels were actually already here before the American War, as they call it. They were originally used to combat the French in the 1940s. We saw the tunnels and were told about how people lived underground coming out only at night. Hospitals, schools, the whole community lived in these dark foul smelling tunnels some being only 2'wide x 2' deep. Scorpions, snakes, malaria and parasites were constant companions. Food, water and air was a luxury. Sometimes it was so hot they could only lie flat to try to keep cool. Some in our group went into the larger sized tourist tunnel and came out saying never again. Medical teams would preform surgery underground using only flashlights. Blood would be caught in a bottle and pumped back into the body with a bicycle hose- can you imagine? 
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| Contrast... old way and new city developments going up |
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| everything gets transported by motorbike- few can afford a car |
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| bought a coke and got $90,000 and change back... Dong not dollars? |
On our second day in Saigon, David wanted to stay back at the ship. This gave me time to be on my own. I signed up for a garnish class which was held at the Rex Hotel. I think I will try to take a cooking class whenever I can when we go to places we have been to before. I have been wanting to see the inside of the Rex and I would be near the shuttle so I could explore the city for a few hours. Sounds great, right?
Before class, we stopped at Ben Thanh Market to see and 'buy' some fresh vegetables for class. When you tell me I am going to the Market it is a happy day for me. I love the Markets and love the photo opportunities. This Market had so many beautiful fresh vegetables and fruits. I was impressed. They sold everything here as usual. It looked clean and well organized. Most of the aisles were easy to navigate and some were even wide.
We then were bussed to the Rex. What a lovely hotel, very impressive, surrounded by top of the line stores. We entered one of their fancy restaurants where a table was set up for us to watch a demonstration and to try our own hand at carving. The chef and an assistant walked us through a few simple garnishes with tomatoes, radishes, carrots and beets. While working on one of my radishes I needed some help. Carving, holding the knife the right way and learning the detail of the cut is difficult even with the simplest garnish. As I handed her my flower radish, she broke out in a polite almost uncontrolled laugh.... hmmm. I couldn't help but laugh with her. I was the pathetic American with a carving knife in hand. I need a thousand more radishes, I think, before I will get the idea of it all. Here is their work and mine.... Mine is the top one... :)
At the money exchange, I asked for change for a dollar. If weight and number meant anything I felt very rich indeed. I have never been given so many heavy coins when changing a dollar......When I asked for a combination of their coins this is what they gave me. Today $1 = 20,835 Vietnam Dong. 
After lunch I was heading off on my own when another lady asked if she could tag along with me. For some reason I seem to look adventurous to others. She was leery to stay on her own and was surprised I had no fear of it. I had a plan and the look of confidence. This turned out to be a mistake. I just don't speak up for myself.
When our tour group left I was prepared, map in hand. When I said the market is to the right and 4 blocks down she said... You don't want to go to the market do you? My niceness caved in. I said I am up for anything. One of the dancers from the ship was in our class. As she walked by I asked her if she knew any places for lunch. I was thinking 12:30 let's do a quick lunch then. (Last bus to the ship was leaving at 3) She knew of a Tapas place close by where she was meeting friends. A mile later...in the scorching sun ... walking through construction and on a busy street...not a breeze in the air ... sandals killing my feet ... (Do you get a feel for my thinking, my day, my out the window plans here??) I said I can do one more block then I need to head back.
No Market and no restaurant, I was no longer the Happy Camper. We headed back to the Rex Hotel and the dancer went off on her own. Let's have a bite at the Rex. We headed up to the bar at the top for a lunch. The menu was too heavy, not my cup of tea. My friend got lunch I ordered a coke as time ticked away to the last shuttle of the day.
After lunch she wanted to buy her daughter a silk dress, why don't we go to the Market?? she suggested. NOW? she wants to go to the Market? So I spent the rest of the time helping her look for a silk dress. We found the dress and they asked $30 which we both knew others have bought for $7. So when we said $7 the vendor went to $15. When we walked two women ran after us ran after us grabbing us and saying OK! OK! $5. Had I liked the colors I would have bought everyone at home one ... but my new friend said NO and kept walking. We never saw the same dress again. I hated the fact that they look at you they decide what to sell something for. For us Americans they just jack every price up. The market vendors actually touch you and pull you to come look at their stalls which I did not like. I was hot and sweaty and now I had hands all over me. One grabbed my arm and pulled me hard into her stall to look. Then two others closed me in and a moment of panic hit me. I became verbally loud and got myself out of there NO! Don't touch me. I do NOT want to look here! People may not know English but everyone understands NO! I was surprised at the aggressiveness as Vietnamese, to my understanding are considered tolerant. accepting and obedient. We didn't buy anything and headed back to catch the bus. It was hot and no fun at this particular market.
I have to mention crossing the streets. The streets are mobbed with thousands of motorbikes, bicycles, cars, buses, and taxis. There are very few lights. Cross at your own risk. When you cross the street - always at crosswalks- you step off the curb and go- do not stop- keep walking at a pace- no hesitation. I was good... :) assertive- a woman with purpose- Well, I did not get killed. I found that you do not look at drivers - if you look, you loose- if you see their eyes and they see yours they somehow take the right of way. Then you can loose your pace in hesitation - if you go and keep walking with tunnel vision- they move around you like the sea. It is scary....adrenalin pumps as you explore this city, its life and its Market.
For not being in love with Vietnam I still took over 600 photos. I wonder why. Maybe it is because it is so different. When things are like the USA, I take it for granted. I don't take so many photos. There is so much contrast as this country is trying to use what they have and move into the future. I see the old and I see the new. The old is not supporting the new. They want to be Singapore. How will the country accomplish its goals with the citizens as they are and live today?
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