Miss Saigon

Eight plus million people, scooters with more passengers and cargo than you would think possible and tinsel everywhere—HO HO HO in an 80% Buddhist culture city there were enough Christmas decorations, Santas and sexy elves to embarrass Dolly Parton's theme park.

Who knew Christmas was such a curiosity! On the streets, in the lobbies and malls people are taking photos with cute female elves, giant ‘noel’ signs and Santa look-a-likes… Well not quite! We couldn’t resist, we too took pictures of people taking pictures.

The holiday décor only enhances the already chaotic barrage of people, city districts and the sweetest beehive of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology for you rookies) and traffic gridlock we’ve seen outside of Kathmandu… What to do, Kathmandu!

The temperature is steamy, we’re guests at The Continental, Saigon’s oldest hotel with the privileged location of city centre, next to the Opera House with a pedigree of famous guests over the century—it has history and that nasty musty smell. Fortunately we’re beside the Park Hyatt, great lobby bar "far from the madding crowd." Indeed, we popped round for tea and scones at the end of day one after hours touring the monuments and sites and again for drinks after day two… Awhhhhhh.

Exploring the city’s international relations/conference landmark the President's home/office before 1975, the year of Vietnam’s independence is only the tip of the iceberg for trying to grasp the history of Vietnam. Beautiful boulevards, French colonial architecture and countless juxtaposed messages and symbols validate generations of people determined to do what ever it takes. Today, entrepreneurs are in every city district, youth are doing the café society thing on the boulevards and at the edge of the street—literally. The ring road and suburbs blur the past with the present and just out of town, past rubber plantations, water rice patties and fish farms, three levels down runs 200+km of VC (Viet Cong) tunnels that usher through tours seven days a week with sobering statistics of a people fighting for independence.

Today, there is less focus on the strife and countless wars of the past as Vietnam strives to build a bigger future—having children, strengthening its nation, embracing private businesses and promoting peaceful progress… Propelling us south to Cambodia.