The French spent a lot of time in this city developing the place. They built wide boulevards that terminate at big landmarks. It is reminiscent of a European capital. Don't get me wrong it is uniquely Asian, with a colonial feel. Major landmarks are it's Opera House and Notre Dame cathedral. (The woman at my guesthouse told me it was "just like the one in Paris". Similar? Maybe a little bit. )
Today's walking tour of the city included the tired Ho Chi Minh City museum. What was interesting about the place was really the planes and tanks displayed outside. I also enjoyed the currency display! The museum was filled with kids in a school field trip who kept putting the bravest (probably fifth or sixth grader) up to talking to me. There was a wedding photoshoot in this building, and a sweet old man and what appeared to be his grandson who wanted pictures with me. Also the museum had been the presidents palace at one point and he had some bunkers and tunnels installed. More on that later.
One of the main sights of Ho Chi Minh City is the Reunification Palace. So much of Vietnam's recent history plated itself out there. It stands on the sure of a former French palace and housed the president (last name of Diem). Since he was seen as a puppet of the US and an obstacle to a unified Vietnam (and he kind of abused his privilege as president) he was universally hated. So in a coup attempt, his palace was bombed by his own people. (Then he moved to the museum from above.). He decided to rebuild a thoroughly modern palace on the sight and hired a well known Vietnamese Architect.
The building is classic 1960s feel. Big, airy, open, and with lots of concrete. Not a beautiful place on the outside. It is of course decorated like something out of Austin Powers, early 70s Asian chic. Basically it's like touring the White House, although it hasn't been the presidential home since 1975. The palace is impressive, most of the walls here are glass and there is a very open feeling here. Lots if high level meetings took place here with the US. There are pictures of Nixon and Kissenger meeting here. It was here that south Vietnam finally surrendered to the north in 1975. Basically the viet cong sent tanks down the Main Street and through the metal gates to take over the place in a very famous moment. Less than two days after the president had stepped down and went into exile.
Remarkable here was that there were tunnels and bunkers here to protect the president as well. The Vietnamese really do like their caves and tunnels! It seems that this was the major way to hide and protect themselves. Tomorrow I am off to the CuChi tunnels which were an extension of the Ho Chi Minh trail.
No discussion of Saigon is complete without talking about its night life. People here like to go out. One of the major party streets is like nothing I have ever seen. Of course the lights, the neon, the small places, it's what you would expect. But not. The bars all fit a handful or two of people. They are basically store fronts. So it explodes on the sidewalks. The bars and restaurants out out mats and cardboard and just serve people sittingon the ground on the sidewalks. We are talkin about hundreds of people sitting on the ground drinki and eating. Where there aren't people, it is of course motorbike parking! So people, cars, motorbikes, vendors, all are on the narrow street. Amazing. Like nothing I have ever seen. I was, of course, offered all sorts of pleasures walking down the street, girls, boys, weed, cocaine, some syringes filled with who knows what. Just another night in the big city.
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