Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam, is often called Saigon although the name was officially changed in 1975 at the end of the war when North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam. There are two sections to the city, downtown (Saigon) and Chinatown (Cholon). It's location on the Mekong River Delta made the city an important trading center.
We took the shuttle into the city & hired a taxi to take us around. We were gone for 2 hours at a cost of $17. We had a 7 course lunch at the infamous Rex Hotel. The 6th course was something called "hot pot" which is a soup with vegetables & shellfish. To say it was spicy would be an understatement. I took one spoonful & my eyes started to water. By the 2nd & 3rd my nose started to run and Gary was perspiring profusely. They should rename it "death by fire soup." By the way, the Rex Hotel was the site of the U.S. Military's weekly updates on the progress of the war (the Friday Night Follies).
We went to Chinatown (Cholon) and went to the market that sells everything imaginable in bulk quantities. Merchants come there from villages outside the city to purchase goods to sell to the local residents. It was a maze of shops that sold goods at extremely cheap prices. A far contrast to what we've been experiencing. Tourists were buying silk dresses, kimonos, lacquer crafts with inlaid mother of pearl, purses, backpacks & suitcases, t-shirts (Polo), belts, anything you could want is there. I bought 2 t-shirts for $2 ea. to wear to exercise.
The last time we were here everyone rode bicycles, that was about 10 years ago. Today, they all ride scooters. There are hundreds of them on the streets at all times. Very interesting city and a contrast to Hong Kong.
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