Au Revoir Vietnam

We had a quick 3 night stay in Ho Chi Minh City and got a taste of what motorbike traffic is really like.  We managed to navigate the street crossings (always try and follow a local) and arrived alive on the other side.  There are urban myths of some travellers getting in a taxi to take them across the street.  It was tempting!  

Ready set go!

The rules of the road are there are none.  Anything goes including riding up on sidewalks and going in the opposite direction to traffic.  The miracle is we did not see one accident.  

We didn't find Saigon (locals still do call it Saigon) all that charming although it does call to many travellers.  Each to their own.  We were walking down one street and realized it was embassy row and wonderd about the US Embassy location in 1975.  Mr. Google confirmed it was on that street but has since been torn down. 

The War Remnants Museum was the biggest draw for tourists and the French and American wars were shown from the communist perspective.  One floor was dedicated to photos by famous war  journalists - the photos are amazing pieces of both art and history and it was very moving.  Some of the commentary was pretty one sided but the pictures spoke for thmselves.   This photo is one we all likely know - the girl in the photo eventually settled in Canada. Her biography,  The Girl in the Picture: The Kim Phúc Story, the Photograph and the Vietnam War by Denise Chong was a bestseller.  

For a very old city there were few buildings of interest (expect many were bombed and replaced by boring cement buildings) but The Central Post Offfice was a highlight. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel of the tower fame.  

And for anyone who travelled pre-internet and cheap phone call days you might recall going to the post office to call home.  They still have those phone booths here.  

These ladies set up their wares outside our hotel each morning but were always gone by the time we returned in the early afternoon. Life today is not that much different from their grandparents for many here.  And for others there is a bubbling sense of prosperity - even saw a Ferrari dealership in the city. 

We headed to Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand for some lazy beach time.  For better or worse this place is being groomed for massive development along the lines of The Mayan Riveria.  The new airport is huge and currently being used well below capacity.  For now this is still a place in transition.  We know if we are ever to be back it will look totally different.  

Great way to start the day with a dip in the warm, silky waters of The Gulf of Thailand. 

Equally pleasant place to fritter away an afternoon with a book. 

And a fine place to watch the sun set. 

The river crossing in the main town of Dong Dong on Phu Qouc. 

Life is still hard for many and not pretty.  A problem many developing countries face is garbage and pollution and sadly Vietnam is no different.

Bicycles are people movers and anything else they can think of - like a trailer of round table bases.

Four on a motor scooter is very common - there's a toddler in front of the driver. 

So is using the scooter as a display stand for commerce - dried shrimp in this case. 

We're now back on the mainland in the border town of Ha Tien.   Spent th day making arrangements for our Cambodian visas and bought our tickets for the minibus which will take us there tomorrow.  

Ha Tien is a small market town with lots of activity. 

Fresh veggies

Very, very fresh poultry.  

Lovely serene and shady temples. 

Vietnam has really been a wonderful introduction to SE Asia.  The people are by far the highlight. Everywhere we've been they simply can't do enough for you and want you to love Vietnam. The food has been terrific, the cultural experinces unique and dare I say it has been incredibly inxpensive. That isn't a sole reason to put it on your travel list but it is a nice bonus.   And yes, we finally got to abandon the fleece!