Saigon & Ho Chi Minh City - same same but different.
The further south you travel in Vietnam the more Western it gets. But nothing prepared me for the stark difference between Hanoi and Saigon. Completely different cities! Both cities are undoubtably Vietnamese but Saigon has so many foreign shops, restaurants, coffee shops, expensive cars, etc.
Another thing that shocked me was the fact that the city is still commonly referred to as Saigon despite the name change to HCMC after the war. I must say it certainly rolls off the tongue easier.
Another shocking fact about Saigon - the traffic is even more chaotic than Hanoi (didn't think it was possible). On my first morning I thought a marathon was taking place. But nope, just 1000 motorbikes waiting at a traffic light!
We were only able to spend one night it Saigon but we sure packed it in!
After arriving off the overnight train at 330am in the morning we were all knackered - especially after the mini party on the train for a fellow traveller's birthday who cleaned out all the beer in the dining cart. We squeezed 6 people into each room for a quick nap before heading off to see the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Definitely a must do when visiting Saigon, the Cu Chi Tunnels are both fascinating and frightening! The history of the war is very much told from the Norths perspective! Very different from the American/Australian version I learned at school. Walking through part of the tunnels and testing out a trap door was extremely claustrophobic (although it had apparently been widened to fit western tourists)! Learning about the everyday life of the Vietcong in the tunnels and the tricks of war they used 'to kill the Americans' was interesting and slightly horrifying. However, it would be impossible for anyone that did not live through that to actually understand. Our trip to the tunnels ended at a shooting range. Slightly controversial? Yes. But that didn't stop our group from shooting a few rounds from an AK47. I have no idea if I hit the target or not. A soldier, I would not make.
After lunching at a famous Pho restaurant 'worthy of the president' (Bill Clinton apparently visited) our group headed to the War Remnants Museum. This museum was very confronting but I believe also very important to visit as it outlines the atrocities caused by the US during the Vietnam War (referred to as American War within Vietnam). It seems that America has had its hand in every conflict in history and in this case (like many others) completely unnecessary. The fear of the domino effect of communism in the region turned out to be unfounded. The reunified country of Vietnam is hardly any threat to the world and has turned out to be a pretty awesome country!
