… an old city being remade into a bustling commercial center with 11 million people. We booked a transfer into the city, which means we were dropped in the center of Saigon after an hour’s ride from the port. Motorbikes were everywhere – with seemingly few restrictions.
Tiny businesses filled both sides of the road to the city. The oddest shops were sheds filled with hammocks, providing a rest for weary bike riders. Reaching Saigon, we climbed the Bitexco Financial Tower to its futuristic Saigon Sky Deck for a great look at the city. (The Sky Deck is the bump near the top.) On one side of the river, the city was all modern highrises; on the other, a mass of tiny houses.
We walked along the city’s wide pedestrian walkway, seen in the picture above, trying to stay in the scarce shade, heading toward the big Ho Chi Minh statue in front of the Reunification Palace. Beyond the Palace was the Notre Dame Cathedral, and across the street from the Cathedral was the Old Post Office, now painted yellow, and still in use today.
The Ho Chi Minh statue was bordered by the national flower, the beautiful lotus. We checked out the shops in the Post Office and then opted for lunch – not at Popeye’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr. or Dunkin’ Donuts, clustered nearby – but at the Post Office Cafe. We envisioned Vietnamese or French food, but settled for the cafe’s pasta and pizza! After lunch we walked around center city, stopping in the little stores along the way. Lacquer-ware boxes, including those inlaid with crushed egg shells, were everywhere. We found a small street market, selling fruit, vegetables, meat and fish – as well as everything else. Cars and trucks pushed through the narrow street, and a school bus picked up students! Most interesting were the people on the street.
Saigon – a city of contrasts at the intersection of old and new, like so many Asian cities.
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