2023-02-21 – Phu My / Saigon / Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam  – Day 49

Tuesday February 21, 2023

The day in Saigon, very exciting. Having been here in 2015 and 2016, I was anxious to see it again. For Anne it was her first visit to this amazing country. 

We tied up starboard to the dock in the container port, where there are no facilities of any kind. Coaches wait by the ship and no terminal or other buildings exist. Here they drive on the right and we were soon on our coach 19 for the “Highlights of Ho Chi Minh” Tour with the guide Chinh for the 80Km (50 mile) drive to Saigon (about 1 1/2 hours due to traffic, albeit on a motorway). The name Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City are interchangeable with mostly the locals calling it Saigon, but for any official documents it has to say Ho Chi Minh City. The name changed after the North / South war, where Saigon was the capital of south Vietnam and Hanoi of north Vietnam. The north won, the country was united, with Hanoi being the Capital, and they imposed the name change.

Before we get into the day, a little about this country and city. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has an area of 312K sq km and a population of 100 million. It was ruled by the Chinese, with whom it shares a border, for 1,000 years ending on February 1, 939 CE (AD). It has been ruled by other countries, has been independent with King Dynasties, it has been part of Laos and Cambodia, also with whom it shares a border and more recently it was ruled by the French as part of French Indochina, when the last Royal Dynasty (Nguyen) surrendered in 1883. Ho Chi Minh, a brilliant student and educated / lived around the world, and lead the fight of the Viet Minh to gain independence from France in 1945 following WW2. He has Communist-Leninist views and imposed it on the now independent country. However it was divided with Hanoi in the north being the power base of Ho Chi Minh (where he is buried), and Saigon being the capital of the south ultimately under the Roman Catholic leader Ngô Dinh Diêm. France however attempted to get the country back until a treaty was signed in 1954. The Vietnam war broke out between the Communist North, supported by Russia and China and the Anti-Communist South with support form the USA. The US became progressively more involved over 20 years, until the north (Viet Kong) prevailed , manly due to guerrilla tactics of maiming, but not killing US troops and through political opposition in the USA. In 1975, Vietnam (also written as Viêt Nam – Viet South) was reunified under the Communist leader in Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh, effective July 2, 1976. Saigon is still the largest city at about 15 million and the center of economic activity, while Hanoi is the seat of government. In late 1986, the reforming of the country going from a unitary authority planned Communist economy to a “Dôi Mói” (Renovation) Socialist Market Economy., which allows ownership of private businesses and farms, and economic deregulation. 

Saigon is a bustling metropolis with hundreds of thousands of motorcycles with 2,3,4 or more people, goods etc piled onto each one, crossing the city. Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and other religions live in harmony. There is a very small Islamic community. Many of the old French Colonial buildings still dot the city. Many new skyscrapers are going up much too fast, making it almost unrecognizable since I was here 8 years ago. The local economy is booming, visitors are warmly welcome and now represent a major part of the economy. The Red River Delta in the north and the 4800 kilometer long Mekong river (starts in Nepal) Delta provide very fertile lands for the agrarian economy. Cars are taxed at 150% -300%, income tax is progressive with those earning under US$450 per month being exempt and those earning over $1500 a month paying 35% tax. Value Added Tax (VAT) or Sales Tax is 10% plus 5% service charge making it 15% effectively.

Now to the day. Our first stop in District 1 was at the “square” bordered on one side by Nôtre Dame Cathedral and the another by the French Colonial building, that is the Post Office and resembles a Train Station. On both prior times I had been there, as well as in a lot of the literature, Gustav Eiffel (of Paris’s Eiffel Tower fame) is credited with designing and building the Post Office. He did design and build one of the green Metal bridges over the river, but apparently Marion Alfred Foulou (spelling may be off) was the actual designer and builder. We questioned the guide as Eiffel has always been the person who all are told. He replied that it was Eiffel’s company that supplied some of the materials but it was Marion Alfred that actually did the building. Unfortunately there was a lot of scaffolding all around Nôtre Dame and under renovation so closed to the public: It is a replica of that famed Paris landmark. From that square, one can see the famous yellow building where the last helicopter took off at the end of the Vietnam war (here called the American war) with people hanging on trying to get a place on the helicopter and to the west and safety. 

From here we travelled to the museum, inside of which there is a “Water Puppet” show. The country is primarily agricultural with rice and coffee, being some of the major crops. Rice farmers who during the growing season, here there are two crops a year, needed something to entertain themselves so developed this unique performance art that is water puppets. As the name implies, these are puppets that operate on the water. The theatre has raked (tiered) seating on three sides around a rectangular pool. In this case it is about 10X8 meters. The fourth side is where a pagoda / temple like structure rises from the water with the lower part consisting of black bamboo curtains. Behind the curtain the puppeteers, standing in the water, perform their tasks. Different types of puppets, depending on the story being depicted, are affixed to the end of wooden poles and pushed out into the audience under or between the bamboo curtains. These move back and forth, interact with one another and tell a story. For example one story was a man going out with a basket to fish. Half a dozen (puppet) fish would jump up above the water, then go under, only to appear elsewhere. As the water is a dark color, in this case green, but can be red or black, one does not see the fish underwater. The poor fisherman tries and fails repeatedly. Eventually the wife comes out with a wicker basket and is able to capture a fish in her wicker basket. The show opened with two dragon puppets, one spitting water and the other breathing out (real) fire. Initially the water tank and stage is open to the sky, but just before the performance, a cover was drawn over to make it relatively dark and stage lighting was used to create the necessary theatrical effects. 

The next stop was the Lacquer-ware factory and display / shop. A fairly unique art form in Vietnam is the lacquer boxes, wall hangings, vases etc that are made with crushed eggshells. There egg shells are broken into pieces and carefully (mosaic style) placed on a sap prepared piece of wood that forms the desired image. This is then lacquered and polished producing stunning designs. Mother of pearl can be used and some are just painted, but whichever way, the various lacquer coatings result in a high gloss finished product.

By this time it was lunchtime. We were taken to the Equatorial (Wynn) Hotel for a buffet lunch, together with a couple of hundred other people from the ship that were doing different Saigon tours. A very nice spread and was accompanied by an orchestra, consisting of five local instruments that traded off with a group of 6 women dancers, putting on a show during our lunch. Two instruments stood out, one a Thurun which resembled a Marimba but vertical and a Dan Bau, which is a sort of Zitar. A charming addition to a very nice meal.

After lunch we went to China Town stoping at a very old Chinese Temple to the Goddess of the Sea. A very ornate entrance, in need of paint and some repair, led to the first chamber with incense pots with joysticks, a gong and other instruments of Taoist religion (ancestor worship). All over the roof, hang coils, forming a sort of round pyramid some 2 feet high. There are incense sticks that can be purchased, lit and prayers to the deity proffered. The final rear room was the “holy of holies” with three panels, as if the central and side chapels, were on the back wall, made of figures, which one assumes are the ancestors being revered. In front are various tables / altars on which are placed offerings, mostly fruit or flowers. A very interesting place. 

We continued our drive past the Reunification Hall (where the peace treaty was signed and now a museum) to a “photo stop” near he Opera House and the old 5-star Hotel Continental. We wandered up a block or so to the wide boulevard to see the City Hall, with the statue of Ho Chi Minh and the famous Rex Hotel where many foreign correspondents would stay to cover the Vietnam War. Of note also was an entrance to the Subway / Metro / underground station that is being constructed and is scheduled to be open, with 12 stations, later this year.

It was time to leave this city with it’s crazy motorcycle traffic, it’s organized disorganization, but with great charm. On the drive back to the dock, we passed many rice fields as well as water palms and other agriculture. We were greeted at the quay with a pop-up tent souvenir market. At one end Rolex and other “real” watches as well as designer clothing with Polo and other such emblems, all fake and guaranteed to last for just enough time for you to buy and leave he country! At the other end overpriced poor quality magnets, and other such souvenirs, as well as toothpaste, coffee, Durian, Jack Fruit and Dragon fruit – all three delicious. 

After an altogether too short a stay in this amazing country we were on our way and entertained by the brilliant cellist – Andrea Cavassi.