Saturday, November 9

Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (HCMC)

We bid farewell to the amazingly hospitable staff at our hotel in Hanoi; as our plans changed again and again, they graciously accommodated our needs at every turn.  With one more ride through the streets of Hanoi, were off to the airport for our noon flight to Saigon.

All went smoothly and by mid-afternoon, we'd checked into our hotel and were out to explore the city.  We visited the Ben Thahn covered market -- narrow aisles, jammed with goods of all kinds -- and those trying to sell them to us. We continued on, past many gracious buildings built by the French during their occupation, including the Catholic Cathedral.  We were too late to visit that today, but did have a look inside the Central Post Office across the street, also built by the French, and a landmark of the city.  

 As we strolled along a broad avenue, past the opera house, another beautiful French remnant, the scene was quite like that of a western city.  Designer shops, high-end hotels and restaurants lined the street, which took us to the Saigon River.  After walking along the embankment, we headed back inland for a few blocks to our hotel. 

After recharging with a couple of cold beers (hot and humid out there!) and consulting Trip Advisor, we walked about five minutes for pho and Vietnamese noodles.  The scene back at the marketplace was frenetic on this Saturday evening, with a festival in progress, everything for sale, and restaurants set up in the middle of the street.  We scoped out some possibilities for future dinners before braving the traffic in a huge roundabout again and calling it a day.

Our first impressions of Saigon are of a more modern city than Hanoi, very busy, but with enough room to step back and actually see the old colonial buildings that remain.  There seems to be no more regard for traffic regulations here, but the streets are less of a free-for-all, with drivers and motorcyclists generally using just the right side of the street.  As in Hanoi, motorbikes dominate, though one can actually see daylight between them; crossing the street is not for the faint of heart, but we may be starting to get the hang of it!

We're happy to be here, as the typhoon is still headed for the central coast and is expected to track north to Hanoi.