Good Morning Vietnam

 It’s hot and humid when we land.  An hour in the queue at customs then a quick ride to the apartment.  We spend 20 mins trying to get the keycard to work and resort to having to WhatsApp the manger. Ah there is a 4 digit code we need to use!

We head to the streets to explore, passing Notre Dame (under scaffold..)  and the Presidential palace.  It’s 50 years since Liberation Day (30 April) and they are already set up for functions in front of the palace and lining the street leading up to it with stands.

Lunch stop for the first Bahn mi and beer of the trip. Delicious and only $6NZD

James made friends with a coconut seller and got to carry his basket and then the inevitable shakedown for some cash.  We bartered him down from his outrageous first offer of $10NZD..  

The War Remnants Museum was interesting.  Loads of American hardware and some grim pictures.  All told from the Vietnamese viewpoint and quite a contrasting perspective from the western narrative we are used to. 

Back to the apartment for a swim.  Fantastic views from the 18 floor pool. 

After a quick nap we meet our guide for a food tour on scooters. This was so much fun.  After dark the temperature drops and is really pleasant.  The lights sparkle and we feel safe on the back of the scooter. There is 7 million scooters in Saigon so we are definitely mixing with the locals who put up to 4 on one scooter!


The food is great, beef noodles, Vietnamese pizza seafood (scallops with peanuts and lemongrass clams),  sausages, spring rolls, banh mi and caramel flan with coffee ice.  So much food to eat across many different locations. All were local spots where we sit at low plastic tables on the side of the road.




We also get taken to see where the monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in protest in 1963, flower markets and the appartments in district 10 built to house US soldiers.

A busy first day and now home to sleep.

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