Saigon, Vietnam 05.03.08

Bus Adventures

The journey from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (better known as Saigon), was fraught with disaster. The first problem was a flat tire, but later on the bus broke down altogether! By this point we had already arrived in the city, so we decided to desert the bus. We shared a taxi to the backpackers district with a couple from Birmingham, named Matt and Mel. The girls guarded the bags, while the guys searched for a room.


We dined with our new friends from Britain that night, and enjoyed the Vietnamese cuisine. Later we came across a bar on a rooftop where we tried many types of beer and a couple of cocktails and mocktails. The green Saigon beer was great. We also tried the red version and BGI beer. It was great to share stories and receive tips from Matt and Mel, who have been travelling in Asia for the last four months.


Ti Ti Hostel's Hospitality (Not!)
We found a room for $12, which turned out not to be such a great bargain, as we had AUD 30 stolen from our bags by the cleaner. There were signs on the walls telling us to leave any items over USD 5 at reception with their receipts. Obviously that was everything we owned, so we laughed and thought we should leave our whole backpacks there. We should have realised that the signs meant that they would help themselves to anything they found in our rooms.

Everything's a little dodgy in this city

This was unfortunately only the first incident of our property being stolen. We discovered later on that our bus tickets had been taken, and USD 1000 in traveller's cheques were stolen. Thankfully, the travel agent reissued our bus tickets, and we were able to cancel the cheques.


Exploring the city

Hotel de Ville

Today we decided to follow the walking tour that we found in our bootlegged copy of the Vietnam Lonely Planet guide. Our first stop was at Pho 2000, which is a restaurant that is famous for it's soups. We sat adjacent to the seat in which Bill Clinton dined on a visit to Vietnam. The food was delicious and exceptionally well priced.

Air conditioned phone booth

Next to Pho 2000 was the huge Ben Thanh indoor market, where we bought a few souvenirs and a beautiful Vietnamese fan for Loren. Our walk led us through a street market where we were supposed to find the best ice-creamery in Saigon. Strangely, it was called 'Fanny'. Perhaps that's why it's no longer there. We did find another place, where we had a refreshing rum and raisin ice cream sundae, covered in Baileys.

Local specialty: Rice wine with snake and scorpion fermented inside

We wandered past some beautiful colonial buildings, inclding the Municipal Theatre, Hotel de Ville, the Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Post Office

Notre Dame Cathedral

War Remnants Museum
This was the most significant place we visited here in Saigon. It was originally called the 'Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes', and this is a much more accurate name of what we learnt about while we were here. A large part of the museum was dedicated to exposing the atrocities that were inflicted upon the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War. Other parts showed the damage done to other countries, and the lasting impact that war leaves on each country it visits. Hundreds of mines, other explosives and toxic waste are left lying in the jungle after each war, and as a result, many children and adults are left without limbs and eyes after stumbing across unexploded devices. The museum also has a large collection of tanks and aircraft that were left over after the war.


The most devastating of all was the pictures of Vietnam war and the children that were born after their parents had been exposed to chemical weapons. We read accounts by reporters of young children being shot down before their eyes by the American troops, and families of peasants being dragged from their shelters underground or in bushes and being executed on sight. Photos of the My Lai massacre show women, children and babies lying dead and some naked. 3 million Vietnamese people died during this war, of which 2 million were civilians.

Prisoners were tortured and kept in 'Tiger Cages'. Some of the torture methods are the same as the ones used today in Guantanamo Bay - water torture. There was also a guillotine on display, which was used on troublemakers by the French.

Boat adapted from missile left in jungle

During the war, the USA used 14 million tons of bombs and shells (7 times as much as was used in WWII), more than 70 million litres of toxic chemicals, among them 44 litres of Agent Orange. Agent Orange has had a traumatic and never-ending effect on the people who survived the war. Their exposure to the dioxins affected their children, who were all born with huge defects and deformed faces, bones, limbs and brains. Many children had limbs missing at birth, legs of significantly different lengths, melted faces, and could not survive without constant care from their parents. Not one of their children were born without having major deformities.


Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The zoo was supposed to be open until 10pm, but when we entered at about 6pm, the place was almost deserted. All indoor exhibits were closed, no food was being sold, and there was very little light. At first we were a little wary, but after a while, we had an absolute ball!










First of all we visited the small cats. Most of them shied away from the glass and from us, but we came across one Clouded Leopard that was extremely territorial and aggressive. Artur found this hilarious and took every opportunity to provoke him further. Our leopard friend was hissing, and pouncing at the glass, trying to get to us. We were very glad the glass was strong, but it was amazing to be so close to it.

A long board walk gave us a great view of the deer and reindeer in their different enclosures. It was great to be alone in zoo without the usual crowds of people and their screaming children. The only other people there could be found whispering romantic secrets to one another on park benches. We were lucky enough to see 2 lots of deers fighting one another with their antlers.















Strange noises led us to the Children's Zoo section, where we found a herd of sheep and goats. The noises were coming from a corner where a female goat had gotten its head stuck in a fence, and two male goats who were thrilled about the situation, were fighting one another for the chance to mount her. A sheep was standing guard over the poor goat and watched the male goats curiously as they fought.


Scooters
On the way home from the zoo, we jumped on the back of two scooters to get a lift back to our hostel. It was a short ride, but it was thrilling! We saw up close and personal just how many scooters there are in Saigon! Apparently there are 3 million scooters for a population of 6 million.